Cameron Rising roamed the sidelines at his old stomping grounds Friday night at Newbury Park High School looking on as his alma mater, led by the familiar No. 7 under center, rolled to a 35-14 win over Agoura. When given the opportunity to provide pointers for Newbury starter Brady Smigiel, Rising was there in the ear of the sophomore.
“He’s a warrior,” said Newbury Park coach Joe Smigiel. “My family was there sitting with his family when he got hurt at the Rose Bowl. It was shock and awe. It was never really publicized how badly he was hurt. It’s a very serious injury. To even be where he’s at with his rehab at this point, it’s unbelievable. I know he’s going to do everything he can to get back and help the Utes win some football games again.”
Rising, Utah’s starting quarterback, has led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Now he’s in the latter stages of a prolonged recovery that he detailed on local radio station ESPN 700 last Thursday. What was initially believed to be just a torn ACL from a tackle against Penn State in the 2023 Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 turned out to be much more severe. Rising explained that he suffered a torn ACL, MCL, meniscus and MPFL, a ligament that helps stabilize the kneecap.
“I’m doing everything I possibly can to make sure that I’m improving,” Rising said. “And at some point your body has to heal the way it has to heal. It’s unfortunate and not exactly the way I expected the season to go, and that’s just the cards I’ve been dealt and that’s what I’ve got to play.”
