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Cathedral High School Phantoms (Cathedral High School / June 5, 2012) |
It was only eight months ago that the world seemed to be crashing down around Pasadena resident Hayden Rettig.
The junior quarterback at Cathedral High tore both his ACL and meniscus in his right knee versus his hometown Pasadena Bulldogs in Cathedral’s 21-13 nonleague victory on Sept. 16, which ended Rettig’s junior season.
After five months of painful recovery and now fully healed, the 18-year-old received and accepted a scholarship offer from college football powerhouse Louisiana State University on Monday evening.
“I got a call that afternoon that said [LSU] Coach [Les] Miles wanted to speak to me,” said Rettig, the younger brother of one-time La Salle quarterback Chase Rettig (Boston College). “So, as soon as I got home, I called and he offered me and I accepted. It was a dream come true.”
Rettig selected the national championship runner-up Tigers over offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Boston College.
“I worked really well with their quarterback coach [Steve Kragthorpe], he’s awesome,” Rettig said. “He wants to win as much as I do and he’s a great motivator.
“LSU had seen tape on me from both my sophomore and junior years and I was impressed with how much they had followed me.”
In only two games his junior year, Rettig certainly left an impression.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder set a single-game school passing record for most yards in completing 30 of 47 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns in Cathedral’s 52-36 nonleague victory over Banning in the season opener.
“In my 17 years of coaching, he might be the best prospect we’ve ever had,” said Phantoms Coach Kevin Pearson, who coached Randall Carroll (formerly of UCLA), Earvin Johnson (UNLV) and Chris Hanks (California). “His perseverance in coming back from his injury is typical of his work ethic.”
A week later, Rettig completed 25 of 40 passes for 294 yards versus Pasadena before his fourth-quarter injury.
“It was a running play to the right side and a player jumped on my back and my knee went backward,” Rettig said. “It was tough, especially since I’ve never been injured like that before. But I just took it as a chance to bounce back and work hard.”
Rettig said making his selection relieved some pressure heading into a senior season in which he hopes to lead Cathedral into the postseason.
“It’s good that I don’t have to worry about where I’m going, but there is still some pressure to prove that I can come back from the injury,” Rettig said. “I’m not the only one to work hard, my teammates are also working hard to have a bounce-back season.”
The junior quarterback at Cathedral High tore both his ACL and meniscus in his right knee versus his hometown Pasadena Bulldogs in Cathedral’s 21-13 nonleague victory on Sept. 16, which ended Rettig’s junior season.
After five months of painful recovery and now fully healed, the 18-year-old received and accepted a scholarship offer from college football powerhouse Louisiana State University on Monday evening.
“I got a call that afternoon that said [LSU] Coach [Les] Miles wanted to speak to me,” said Rettig, the younger brother of one-time La Salle quarterback Chase Rettig (Boston College). “So, as soon as I got home, I called and he offered me and I accepted. It was a dream come true.”
Rettig selected the national championship runner-up Tigers over offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Boston College.
“I worked really well with their quarterback coach [Steve Kragthorpe], he’s awesome,” Rettig said. “He wants to win as much as I do and he’s a great motivator.
“LSU had seen tape on me from both my sophomore and junior years and I was impressed with how much they had followed me.”
In only two games his junior year, Rettig certainly left an impression.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder set a single-game school passing record for most yards in completing 30 of 47 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns in Cathedral’s 52-36 nonleague victory over Banning in the season opener.
“In my 17 years of coaching, he might be the best prospect we’ve ever had,” said Phantoms Coach Kevin Pearson, who coached Randall Carroll (formerly of UCLA), Earvin Johnson (UNLV) and Chris Hanks (California). “His perseverance in coming back from his injury is typical of his work ethic.”
A week later, Rettig completed 25 of 40 passes for 294 yards versus Pasadena before his fourth-quarter injury.
“It was a running play to the right side and a player jumped on my back and my knee went backward,” Rettig said. “It was tough, especially since I’ve never been injured like that before. But I just took it as a chance to bounce back and work hard.”
Rettig said making his selection relieved some pressure heading into a senior season in which he hopes to lead Cathedral into the postseason.
“It’s good that I don’t have to worry about where I’m going, but there is still some pressure to prove that I can come back from the injury,” Rettig said. “I’m not the only one to work hard, my teammates are also working hard to have a bounce-back season.”
