Deer Creek School’s Hunter Sims fractured his shoulder blade in his team’s third game of the season, but Sims’ hard work and determination helped him come back just three games later to help his Warrior team capture a winning season.
“I just had to get back on the field and be with my teammates,” Sims said. “These guys were like my brothers, and I needed to be out there to help them as much as I can.”
Because of his triumph over adversity this season, Sims, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defensive end, has been named the Delta Democrat-Times Defensive Player of the Year.
Deer Creek School Coach Benny McLendon said Sims’ return to the field was a key turning point to the Warriors’ season. Deer Creek won four of its last five games and finished the year with six victories.
“Hunter played well for us,” Coach McLendon said. “He stepped up and made a lot of big plays. He is a great player, and a great teammate. He has always been willing to work hard to get better.
Sims will likely continue playing football at the collegiate level. His desire to keep playing is so strong, in fact, that he has worked at becoming one of the best long snappers in the region. Sims has attended the Brian Jackson kicking camp, which is based out of Dothan, Ala.
“I have worked hard at my long snapping because I know it is a way for me to keep playing the game that I love,” Sims said.
Sims, his coaches and teammates said, is likely to accomplish his future goals because he has always done what he sets out to do.
