Maybe the surgery could wait.
For Batavia’s Josh Kahley, it was a flicker of hope — why not get a second opinion? — that became a beacon of light.
And now, the senior safety is back, contributing on the field for the Bulldogs’ defense.
“It was about five days before my surgery,” said Kahley, who had torn the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee shortly before preseason camp opened.
He had begrudgingly come to grips with the fact his senior season of football had been lost and began working with defensive coordinator Matt Holm doing film study and as a student coach on the field, working with teammates.
“I definitely had recovered more,” Kahley said. “It was about the fifth week of the season. There was some sort of small fracture and internal bruising that had healed. I felt like running a little bit.”
He raised the question about a second opinion with his parents, David and Jeni.
“I was pushing the narrative as a high school kid because I wanted to play,” Josh said. “My parents were thinking more big picture.”
Batavia’s Chase Osborne (20), Kameron McLeod (54) and Josh Kahley (23) bring down Wheaton North’s Rich Schilling (4) during a DuKane Conference game in Batavia on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
But Josh was convincing and they sought a second opinion. The news was good.
“You can definitely play with the right brace,” Kahley recalled about the meeting. “I had a grade 3 tear to the PCL, and there was minimal risk of doing anything to the ACL or MCL.”
Kahley got the brace and came to practice. He wasn’t alone.
“I remember that first practice, his parents were in the stands watching,” Holm said.
It went well, and by Week 7 at St. Charles East, Kahley was ready to test it.
An all-conference cornerback with 56 solo tackles, a team-high 14 passes defended and three interceptions as a junior, Kahley was going to be matched up with fellow senior Chase Osborne at safety for their senior seasons.
Everyone agreed, in that first game, he would be limited to 20 snaps. Not to worry as he made two solo tackles and two assists in the 56-7 win over the Saints.
Kahley started in Week 8 at home against Wheaton Warrenville South. He had seven tackles and one pass defended in a 35-13 win. Kahley and Osborne combined for 18 tackles.
Unfortunately, the brace with thick, heavy metal got bent during the game or a subsequent practice. He was kept out of practice all last week, with Kahley waiting for the arrival of a new brace that is considerably lighter but still gives him plenty of support.
“The first brace was very preventative and it was a big hulk with metal,” Kahley said. “The second one is a lot more mobile. It’s built for an athletic purpose is how I’d describe it. It has metal in it.”
Batavia’s Kyle Porter (3) and Josh Kahley (23) try to break up a pass against Wheaton North during a DuKane Conference game in Batavia on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
Kahley started again Friday in the ninth and final week of the regular season for a 35-34 win over Glenbard North. He made 11 stops, combining with Osborne for 25 tackles.
Kahley also had one pass defended and forced a fumble.
“It was a personal decision he and his parents made,” Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. “It had to be a very specific brace. He’s been out there now for three games and flies around.
“And with the new brace, he’s even more mobile.”
Kahley, who plans to major in business in college and has applied to Tennessee, Indiana and Clemson, is enjoying what he plans to be his final year of playing football.
Surgery will come after the season, although he also plays basketball and may try to play his senior season in that sport as well.
Kahley’s return has taken the defense to another level, according to Holm.
“I looked at him yesterday at practice and said, ‘I think you’re playing even faster than before the injury,’” Holm said early this week. “Josh said, ‘I feel good.’ I said, ‘It’s a miracle.’”
