The morning of the Class AA Region 3 cross country meet seemed no different than in other race this season for Vaughn York.
Unbeknownst to York, there was going to be an alteration in the lineup for his heavily favored Shady Spring squad.
In an odd way, the process of events that day seemed apropos for the senior harrier.
“When I walked in, I just expected to see all seven of us. Eli (Jordan) called me and told me he couldn’t be here. He told me I had to take the captain spot because we are both captains,” York said. “He told me I had to lead them. I told him I was praying for him and we were going to do it for him. We wanted to prove ourselves.”
Jordan had been a stalwart for the Tigers all year. Of the five scoring runners each meet, Jordan often held down a crucial spot as the third finisher for Shady Spring. Unfortunately for Jordan, illness kept him from performing in the regional run.
Truth be told, York probably should not have even been running either that day. His story, however, went much deeper than a temporary illness.
Earlier this spring during track season, Vaughn suffered a brutal injury that called his entire senior season into question.
“I was running the 3200 meter (2-mile) and I was coming around the curve and took a step wrong,” York recalled. “It is called a knee subluxation. It is where your knee pops out and pops back in real quick. When it did it overrode the ACL and meniscus, basically every ligament in my leg. I was done for the year. I thought I was done for my whole senior year.”
The injury was a crushing blow for a young man that only started running competitively in his junior year of high school.
“I was baseball since T-ball up and started varsity as a sophomore, but I grew up big,” York said. “I wanted to lock in, go to the gym and get skinny. I ran tons to try and get a little more skinny and I got skinny.”
During that period of time, Shady Spring cross country coach Eric Lawson made his pitch to get York on the trails in his highly successful program.
“I would see him in the hallway every day and say there is my runner for next year. I did that for two years straight, plus he is really good friends with Eli and he was doing the same thing,” Lawson said. “His sister (Jessica York) ran for me her junior and senior year as well. I am sure she put pressure on him and really he should have been running. He is a good kid and I am glad he came out.”
The Shady Spring coaches’ persistence was a key in York’s decision, but his older sister’s influence carried the most weight.
“Lawson is talking to me and he sees me out running, so I decided to give it a shot and I loved running,” York said. “My sister did it and she has been a mentor to me. She taught me how to run. She kept pushing me and helped my build that mental toughness in me. I was big and it was hard. I got side stitches all the time and I had to eat right. She is my hero and she really pushes me. I love her.”
Jessica York is a senior criminal justice major at WVU Tech and has been a highly successful member of the cross country team.
“The grit. They are both just gritty. They will battle through the pain,” Lawson said when asked to compare the two runners. “They both love running and they are workhorses. They will run through rain, sun, wind, tornadoes, hurricanes. It doesn’t matter they are running. They are better at long distances. That is just what they do.”
York’s mental toughness was put to the extreme test when he suffered the knee injury.
“It was a struggle, for real. I cried almost every night, not just for pain. I couldn’t be with my team and I couldn’t run with my team. I have built a connection with these guys. One thing about me, I won’t every give up no matter how hard it gets and how much it hurts,” York said. “I would say the battle was 40 percent physical and 60 percent mental. It had my head going and I hardly slept that first month after the injury. I got into physical therapy and kept on working. Now we are here.”
Lawson, who also ran cross country, added some perspective on just how impressive the journey back to the trails has been for his senior captain.
“As somebody who has torn his ACL before, it messed with me for two years. He just had that happen in March-April and he bounced right back to run with no fear,” Lawson said. “He is a bigger man than I am. He is a special kid. He has the heart of a champion for sure.”
The biggest issue for Lawson has not been getting York to work, it has been holding him back to not overdue the recovery process.
“There were times when I wanted to ring his neck and hold him down. Even ratchet strap him to my tailgate, but I couldn’t do it,” Lawson said, laughing. “I couldn’t argue with the fight he had in him. It is his senior year and I am going to let him do what he wants. Vaughn is a warrior. He has that runner’s mentality where it is going to take a lot more than a minor or major setback to make him sit down.”
York does not hide the fact that the road back has not been easy, but he has remained constant is his work ethic.
“I thought it was a full tear, but it was only a partial tear of the ACL, which I thank God for every day. I had surgery, but I kept on working on it. I am still in the recovery process,” York said. “I really didn’t think stretching would help. I was depressed and I didn’t want to do anything, but they kept pushing me to stretch, run and take it easy.”
In a sport where the top-five runners are scored for the team total, Vaughn had finished races inside the top-seven for the Tigers, but only once in the top-five on a Shady team that was loaded with talent.
In the biggest cross country meet of the year to that point, York was the fifth scoring runner for the Tigers who easily walked away with the regional title.
The Shady Spring senior will now finish his improbable return to running on the biggest stage Saturday at the state cross country meet at Cabell Midland High School.
“It has been a lot. I have been working my butt off trying to get that knee fixed. I just kept on running, kept on stretching and kept on being a leader,” York said. “I just wanted to prove to these guys that no matter what the setback is, just keep on pushing. It is amazing to be a part of this team.”
Holding the regional plaque, York could not hide the joy, but the words of his coach may have said it best for what he accomplished that day.
“He showed up when we needed him,” Lawson said. “Senior leader at its finest.”
