Ryken's Wascavage Scores a 'Miracle'

Senior Returns to Field Following Serious Injury

St. Mary's Ryken's Joe Wascavage, right, collides with Paul VI's Brian Madden. Wascavage ruptured his spleen in a preseason scrimmage. (By Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)

In a win over Bishop O'Connell on Monday, St. Mary's Ryken defenseman Joe Wascavage took an outlet pass and broke down the field, dodging a couple of defenders and burying the ball in the back of the net.

In an otherwise typical 21-5 win for the Knights, it would have been another stellar play for the Towson-bound senior. But the roar from the crowd and his teammates signified something more.

"It was a bit of a miracle," St. Mary's Ryken Coach John Sothoron said. "Really, just to see him out there playing does my heart some good."

It was a month ago in a preseason scrimmage against Old Mill that Wascavage extended himself to take a shot on a fast break. A defender slid toward him and delivered a hit to the bottom of Wascavage's ribcage.

Despite an awful pain in his stomach, he finished the game. But even after a long car ride home from Baltimore and a few attempts to get some sleep, he was still in pain.

A trip to the hospital revealed he had a ruptured spleen.

"During the game, I thought it was just something I could shake off," Wascavage said. "That night, it hurt and I was having trouble breathing. I just thought, 'There's something wrong here.' "

During the hit, one of his ribs had pushed back into his spleen, rupturing it. Blood poured into his abdominal cavity.

Overall, Wascavage said he was lucky. The rupture didn't affect any of the surrounding organs, and surgery early that next morning was successful.

At first, doctors told him that though the injury wouldn't threaten his long-term health, it could end his senior season. But Wascavage wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible. After all, he's been a key part of the Knights' success since he was a freshman.

Against perennial power Bullis his freshman season, Wascavage shut out the Bulldogs' Scott Sowanick. All Sowanick has gone on to do is play at Princeton, where he was an honorable mention All-American last year.

"We knew then we had something special," Sothoron said.

St. Mary's Ryken first competed in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference in his freshman year. In his sophomore and junior years, the team finished third in the league, one of the toughest in the area.

Three years later, the Knights (7-1) are a tight-knit team. They feel that, despite their youth, they have a chance to make a run at the WCAC title.

Wascavage said that bond was only reinforced by the visits and well-wishes from his teammates when he was in the hospital. They didn't encourage him to get back onto the field, only to get better.

"Some people told me to take it easy and take my time, with college ahead to look forward to," Wascavage said. "But these guys have been here for me. I wanted to be out there for them."

So with the help of Michael Mahaffey, his surgeon, he was cleared a week after his surgery to run. And the minute he was cleared to play, he was fitted with a protective two-inch-thick foam pad around his waist, and he was back out on the field with his teammates.

"I'm still getting back into game shape," he said. "But it's good to be back out there with my teammates. Back where I belong."