Naperville Central quarterback Sebastian Hayes was understandably nervous before the season opener against Hinsdale Central on Aug. 30.
After all, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior hadn’t taken a snap in two years and had not played a full game in nearly three years. Starting for the sophomore team in the 2022 season opener, Hayes rolled to his left on the first play, planted his leg and heard a pop. He had torn the ACL in his right knee.
Nine months of rehab followed. Hayes returned for the start of the 7-on-7 summer league.
“I was going to switch to tight end, and first day back doing that, I was catching a slant, and I stepped with my left foot,” he said.
Hayes heard another pop. It was another torn ACL, this time in his left knee.
“Once I tore that second one, I kind of made up my mind that I’m going to give it my all,” he said. “In the offseason, I worked very hard and lifted a bunch just to get as much muscle on my legs that I could so I could have as much protection as I could.”
Then Hayes went full speed during summer camp this year.
“There was a little bit of, ‘Oh, I don’t want to tear it again,’” he said. “I was really cautious sometimes, but my trainers and my family really helped me get over that hump. Once I was feeling very strong, I was ready.”
Hayes was more of a game manager than an MVP-type quarterback in his first game this season. But his debut was cause for joy among his teammates.
“He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever met,” Naperville Central senior linebacker Daniel Nussbaum said. “It’s hard to go through two ACL injuries and continue to push hard.
“He’s always had that mentality that no matter what stops him, he’s going to keep getting better because that’s the guy he is. I’m so proud of him.”
So is Naperville Central senior center Connor Sands, who is amazed at Hayes’ resilience.
“He’s played football for so long, and I really feel bad for him missing those two years,” Sands said. “That’s a terrible thing to have to go through.
“But the fact that he can step in as a quarterback as a senior and lead our team, I’m so thankful to have him because he progressively gets better every single week, and it makes our team better. He’s at his top right now, so we’re going to see him get better and win more games.”
The Redhawks (8-0, 4-0) have done nothing but win, and Hayes is playing a bigger role in that success.
During Naperville Central’s 22-8 Southwest Valley Red Conference victory over Sandburg last week, Hayes completed 10 of 18 passes for 97 yards and an interception and also converted two fourth-down sneaks, the first of which went for a 3-yard touchdown that opened the scoring.
“This is what I really like about him,” Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich said. “He made a couple throws tonight which were not his first read, so he worked through his progression and found the open guy and did a really good job.”
Hayes has a big arm and is improving his accuracy, making the offense more dangerous. As the Redhawks prepare for their regular-season finale against Lincoln-Way East (8-0) on Friday, Hayes has completed 84 of 140 passes for 1029 yards and nine touchdowns, and he has also rushed for three touchdowns.
“We’ll talk in a one-on-one meeting about how (the opponent) plays coverage,” Ulreich said. “In practice, our defense might not show it exactly that way, so he doesn’t make that throw in practice, but he registers it and makes that throw in a game. It’s an impressive thing for him to be able to do that.”
While Hayes has thrown some interceptions, including a pick-six against Lockport, he said he has a short memory. He puts such plays, and his injuries, in the rearview mirror, although he still has found memories of his varsity debut.
“I needed that game to get it under my belt so I could build my confidence up again,” Hayes said. “I was really in my head. After that I game, I learned that I just need to go out there, make my reads and have fun and just relax.”
Hayes is doing just that.
“We ran the ball a lot,” Sands said of the early part of the season. “Middle of the season, we got him throwing, and he’s just understanding everything. The things he’s done for our offense has expanded us so much, and we’re about to be unstoppable.”
Yet Hayes was unhappy with his performance against Sandburg and vows to do better.
“Never be satisfied,” he said. “That’s what I always say.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
