EDMOND – Entering the season, Edmond Memorial first-year coach Justin Merideth thought he had three solid running backs.
Juniors Kameron Doolittle and Cale Olbert and senior D’Juan Brooks were going to take the program places it’s never been.
Nobody was more excited than Brooks. After lingering in the shadows, this was going to be his year, his coming-out party.
But it all changed in a blink of an eye. Coming down on a punt against Del City in Week 3, he suffered a stinger.
"There were times when I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to come back,” Brooks said. "Maybe this wasn’t what I was supposed to do.”
He never gave up. He was told he would be out five to six weeks, so the key was just to be patient and not get discouraged.
It was made a little easier as the Bulldogs started to reel off win after win after a 1-3 start, sparked by moving Doolittle to quarterback. The move allowed Doolittle and Olbert to get the ball as many times as possible.
Brooks returned in Week 9 against Edmond North, but he wasn’t quite himself. In Week 10, he didn’t have the option of coming back slowly.
