Will Lundquist got up from a tackle and felt something in his shoulder.
The then-freshman running back didn’t think much of it, but the pain sharply increased two plays later. He took himself out of the game and never returned. It was a broken collarbone, forcing Lundquist to miss the rest of the season.
He recovered from surgery in time for baseball season and later spring football, only to break it again during a scrimmage. Lundquist wouldn’t play again until the fifth game of Norman North’s junior varsity season in his sophomore year. In just the first quarter of his return, Lundquist broke his collarbone again.
In just over a year, he suffered three collarbone injuries, giving Lundquist doubts about his playing future.
“In the first spring I came back, I was a little worried,” Lundquist said. “Injuries kept taking me out, and my last one took out the end of last year. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get through it healthy.”
But not only is Lundquist back, he’s thriving. The now-junior is Norman North’s lead running back in his first extended season. He’s started all five of the Timberwolves’ games so far, tallying three touchdowns including two against Broken Arrow on Sept. 29.
Norman North with an impressive 28-14 win over Broken Arrow. 🐺🐺 @NNFootball Will Lundquist (@wlundquist12) scoring on the option from 35-yards out. 💨 pic.twitter.com/QBEiO8q3Ih
— KREFSportsTV (@KREFsportsTV) September 30, 2023
Lundquist brings his speed and agility on the field and team-first attitude off it. Norman North coach Justin Jones describes Lundquist as an “alpha teammate,” which he defines as someone who gives maximum effort while never making things about himself.
“I don’t know if all of our guys are like that, but Will is the definition of it,” Jones said. “No matter the circumstance and no matter the adversity, he’s going to make it about the team. He’s one of the first guys to deflect praise to others. He’s a guy that’s not going to be denied.”
For Lundquist, he’s just happy to be back after everything he’s been through.
“It feels great to go full force and actually not get hurt,” Lundquist said. “Every time I get hurt, it’s always at the beginning of a game at the beginning of the season. Now that I’ve gotten so many reps, I’m able to get going and hopefully have a healthy year.”
The first time Lundquist had surgery on his collarbone, doctors needed to place a metal plate in its place. The surgery left him sidelined for the remaining eight weeks of his freshman season. When it healed, Lundquist joined Norman North’s freshman baseball team, which helped him regain mobility in his shoulder.
After completing the season, Lundquist’s doctors told him the plate needed to be removed due to his growth making it too big for his body. They did just that, with Lundquist able to recover in time for spring football.
But then, Lundquist hurt his collarbone again. At first, it was originally diagnosed as a contusion before it was found to be partially broken two weeks later. It didn’t require surgery, but Lundquist would need to rehab all over again.
“I felt like I did all that work for nothing,” Lundquist said. “It was just really hard trying to keep myself up after getting hurt again. But, I knew I needed to stay the course.”
Lundquist spent most of his 2022 summer with his left arm in a sling for six weeks. After that, he was able to lift weights, but missed the first four games of his junior varsity season. Then, the injury bug struck again.
Lundquist needed another surgery and a larger metal plate, which has stayed in his body to this day.
“The second he stood up and held his arm, I knew he broke it again,” said Anne Lundquist, Will’s mom. “It was gut-wrenching for both of us. It was almost like this was all he ever knew.”
While recovering from surgery, Lundquist remained heavily involved with the JV team, showing up for early morning workouts, late afternoon practices and all remaining games. Once fully healed, Lundquist emphasized upper-body exercises to regain his shoulder strength while also using baseball and footwork exercises to regain his mobility.
All of that caught Jones’ eye, who watched him closely during spring football and fall camp. When Lundquist returned to football, he played like he never suffered an injury, much less three to his collarbone. His speed, vision and football smarts impressed Jones, who knew he’d separated himself from the rest of Norman North’s running backs.
Despite his injuries, Jones was ready for Lundquist to play a significant role for his team.
“He earned it,” Jones said of Lundquist’s role. “He’s an extremely intelligent athlete. We knew he could handle the mental and physical load we were gonna throw at him. I always joke that his name is Will because he’s got incredible willpower, and that’s just the thing that he shows every day.”
Once the season started, Lundquist started hot by scoring Norman North’s first touchdown against Norman High on Aug. 29. Since then, he’s led the Timberwolves’ ground attack with 387 rushing yards, totaling 528 all-purpose yards with receiving and kick returns.
At long last, our first TD. Will Lundquist gets the corner from 8 yards out on this run. Norman North up 7-0. pic.twitter.com/drbdRStKj1
— Nick Coppola (@Nick_Coppola__) September 1, 2023
He’s also worked to fulfill the “alpha teammate” role by being one of the first to show up to meetings, intensely studying his play assignments and mentoring other running backs like senior Latrell Williams.
“He’s exactly what we want,” Jones said. “If you could design a genetic code of what you wanted an athlete to be from an athletic standpoint, a behavioral standpoint, an academic standpoint and from a character standpoint, this is what you would get.”
After seeing her son suffer multiple major injuries, Anne Lundquist gets nervous seeing Lundquist on the field. But the more she watches him, the more Anne eases up when she sees genuine enjoyment from Lundquist.
“He’s just happy. He’s just so happy right now,” Anne Lundquist said. “He wanted nothing more than to be back out there with his teammates, and now he’s having the time of his life.”
Ahead of Norman North’s (4-1) crucial home battle with Jenks (3-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Lundquist will continue to play a vital role in the Timberwolves’ success. Like other Norman North starters, he hopes to play sports in college. But after several injuries, he’s learned to focus on the present and savor every game he plays.
Ultimately, that’s how Lundquist has fun.
“The injuries for me were just a minor setback, and now I’ve had a major comeback,” Lundquist said. “There were some difficult times, but I got through all of it. I’m having fun now, and I want to get bigger, faster, stronger to help my team even more.”
