‘It was like a movie’: Copenhaver’s recovery from knee reconstruction is all about faith and determination

PALMYRA, Mo. — Drew Copenhaver’s faith never wavered, no matter how improbable his comeback seemed as he lied on the turf with his right knee obliterated.

Facing Centralia in the Clarence Cannon Conference football opener last fall, the Palmyra wide receiver made a spectacular overe-the-shoulder catch, was dragged down from behind a yard short of the end zone and suffered a gruesome injury in the process. Copenhaver tore three major ligaments in his right knee, dislocated the knee, fractured his femur and suffered damage to the peroneal nerve.

“Like when you close your eyes and see nothing, that’s kind of how it felt,” Copenhaver said. “It was more scary than anything just not knowing where my own leg was and not having any feeling.”

As Copenhaver received on-field treatment from the training staff, Panthers coach Dalton Hill sprinted from the sideline to his two-way standout.

“I looked at him and said, ‘I just want to play football,’” Copenhaver said.

The injuries required an 8 1/2-hour surgery and the determination to see his rehabilitation through.

“I didn’t want to throw something away when I knew it didn’t have to be thrown away,” Copenhaver said.

He couldn’t let down the people who trusted in him the most.

“I knew I was a leader and I knew a lot of people looked up to me, and I was like, ‘If I give up, then everybody else is going to give up,’” Copenhaver said. “I didn’t want to allow that to happen.”

In the 10 months that followed, Copenhaver slowly turned walking into running and eventually into doing agility drills and running routes with Palmyra quarterback Rylan Compton.

“Some of my highest days were when I started walking with one crutch, and then I started hobbling around school,” Copenhaver said. “Those were some of my glory days through the whole rehab process.

“Once I was able to run again, I was (at the field) every night by myself or Rylan would be here with me. Anytime I needed someone to throw to me, he was here in an instant. He would get a ride because he couldn’t drive at the time.”

When Hill learned the severity of the damage to Copenhaver’s leg, he had doubts as to whether Copenhaver would ever play again. But as Copenhaver’s willpower and dedication to his recovery became evident, Hill’s confidence in Copenhaver’s return grew.

“As he progressed through his therapy and his workouts and all the things he did to get better, it started to become a reality,” Hill said. “He did exactly what he said he was going to do, and that was he was going to work to get back to where he wanted to be, and he was not going to be denied.”

Copenhaver was fully cleared on July 31, and by taking the field for Palmyra’s season opener against Hallsville, Copenhaver’s faith became a reality.

He was playing football again.

“It was like a movie,” Copenhaver said. “It was a lot of stress, a lot of weight off my shoulders.”

The Panthers won that game 42-40 in double overtime, but Copenhaver had to exit early when his right leg got caught underneath him as he made a sliding attempt to intercept a pass. 

“I think I just had so much adrenaline I just wasn’t thinking about it, like I didn’t notice that I was hurt,” Copenhaver said. “My leg was just stuck, like I couldn’t unfold it, and I went to get up and I couldn’t step on it or anything. My mind instantly was like, ‘No, not this again.’ So I went back down.”

A hint of worry crept into Hill’s mind, too.

“He started to show flashes of being able to do things like his old self, and then we started to go down that road again, like maybe he’s done, maybe he wasn’t ready,” Hill said. “But he’s back now, and I think he’s ready to go.”

Six weeks into the season, Copenhaver feels more like his old self than at any point in the past year.

“I know I’m not as fast, and that’s going to take a while to get back, but I know it’s coming back,” Copenhaver said. “Since the start of the season, I’ve already gotten miles faster, miles more athletic. As the season continues to go, I’ll continue to grow back into my old form.”

It’s allowing him to play for the Mayor’s Cup against Monroe City, a game taking place at 7 p.m. Friday at Monroe City’s Lankford Field. Last fall, Palmyra let a fourth-quarter lead slip away as Monroe City’s Trey Smyser scored a touchdown to tie the game at 34 with 4:11 left, and Monroe City converted the two-point conversion to take the lead. Palmyra’s turnover on downs on its next possession sealed its fate.

“Sitting on the sidelines last year watching us lose by barely an inch, knowing that if I was playing it could have been a different story, that really got to me,” Copenhaver said. 

Copenhaver has the chance to rewrite that ending.

“Just knowing the situation and the backstory and the rivalry it’s always been, it’s just something I’ve wanted to be a part of,” Copenhaver said. “I’ve always wanted to win, so having my opportunity taken away from me just made me want to never lose it again.”