Lattanzio back on track after devastating injury

Senior Bulldog wasn’t even expected

to be able to walk for graduation

By BOB ETTINGER

sports@vindy.com

HUBBARD

The day after his final year of high school was shattered, Poland senior Nico Lattanzio made a choice. A devastating injury had taken him out of action, but he was not going to be swallowed by the darkness of his emotions in the aftermath.

That decision has made all the difference for the son of Kiersten and Tony Lattanzio as he ran the 200-meter dash for the first time this season at the Hubbard Invitational on Friday.

“That first night was rough,” Lattanzio said. “But it was my attitude right from the beginning [that made all the difference]. I told myself the next day I was going to run track. I was going to come back. That’s when it all started.”

The night Lattanzio is referencing was the night he dislocated his left knee, tore all four ligaments and slightly fractured his femur while carrying the football in the waning moments of Bulldogs’ final scrimmage in preparation for the 2018 campaign.

“I went right up the middle,” Lattanzio said. “I started to shift a little left and tried to make a hard cut past the dude and go back to the right.”

Lattanzio destroyed his knee when he planted his foot and made the cut.

“I felt the shift [inside my knee],” Lattanzio said. “I didn’t feel pain right away. I didn’t know how bad it was until I looked down.”

That sight spurred Lattanzio to take action.

“My kneecap wasn’t where it was supposed to be,” Lattanzio said. “I tried to fix it myself. I tried to push it back, but it didn’t go.”

The running back was carted off the field and taken to a hospital where he learned his life was going to be very different for an undisclosed amount of time. That didn’t keep Lattanzio from putting a time from on a comeback or getting to work right away.

“They told me I’d be lucky to walk for graduation,” Lattanzio said. “I think I walked in Week 7 or 8 of the football season. I wasn’t supposed to put weight on it for three months. I was just happy to walk. I was always active. Being stuck on the couch for three months was rough.”

Lattanzio cheered on his teammates and kept a sense of humor throughout the fall.

“I felt like I owed something to [my teammates],” Lattanzio said. “I tried to help coach them up. I had a few years of experience on them. [The sense of humor] was 100 percent for my mom. Honestly, I had a few moments I wasn’t able to (joke around). I tried my hardest to keep a positive attitude and stay upbeat. It was, honestly, the only chance I had to get through it.”

Eventually, Lattanzio advance in his rehab enough that he started swimming again with the Bulldogs under the tutelage of coach Rachel Emerson.

“My thoughts were toward track,” Lattanzio said. “I didn’t plan to swim at all. I knew how rough it would be. It was the positive thoughts and having day-to-day goals. One day, I’d go up and down the stairs with my crutches, other times I’d have my brother bring me some weights and I’d work on my upper body.” Day by day, I got back.”

Lattanzio didn’t just join the swim team to rehab the leg. He was competitive and qualified for the district meet.

“I have a competitive nature and I love underdog stories,” Lattanzio said. “When I got in the water, I didn’t kick. I just used my arms at first. A week into the season, I tried it. I wasn’t training, but I was going to do it.”

Emerson played a key role in his advancement.

“She was very helpful,” Lattanzio said. “I wasn’t where I used to be. She was there to remind me I wasn’t supposed to be there and that I had to keep working.”

Through the support of his parents, four brothers — Anthony, Dominic, Christopher and Michael — and his friends, Lattanzio has made it back to compete on the track.

“I had visitors all the time,” Lattanzio said. “I really didn’t appreciate my siblings. I had always known my mom and dad would be there, but I had no clue about the support I get from my siblings. I’m very grateful. I didn’t count, but my phone blew up with texts from people (after the injury), even people I hadn’t talked to in years. They kept coming for days. It meant a lot. One of my dad’s friends is in sports medicine. He was very helpful, gave me extra braces. I saw him last week and he asked how I’m doing. He was very helpful.”

With the track season winding to its conclusion, Lattanzio is looking to the future. Even that has been changed through his ordeal.

“I’m looking forward to some relaxation,” he said. “I’ll graduate and relax a little bit. Then I’m going to [Youngstown State]. I was always looking at some kind of medicine, but now I’m looking at sports medicine. I’ve had a first-hand look at everything.”