Thursday, 10.23.14ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net

SPORTS DEPARTMENT: sports@yankton.net PRESS&DAKOTANP A G E 9

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P&D FILE PHOTOYankton elementary school students celebrate after the Bucks' Levi Kabella, 21, scored the game's first touchdown in the Bucks' Pioneer Day football game against Aberdeen Central. Kabella would godown with a season-ending knee injury later in the game, the third straight season that an ACL tear has cut his playing time short. But this and other trials have not dimmed the positive outlook of the Yank-ton senior.

Kabella Keeps GoingSenior Has Not Let His Struggles Derail His Positive Outlook On LifeBY JEREMY HOECKjeremy.hoeck@yankton.net

When it comes to his life experi-ences, both on and off the footballfield, Levi Kabella is not shy.

In fact, the Yankton High Schoolsenior prefers to talk about them.He wants his story to be a casestudy for others, who may face ob-stacles throughout their lives.

The 18-year-old Kabella, wholegally changed his last name fromDavis, was raised by his mother andstepfather, lost his grandmother tobreast cancer, witnessed his grand-father’s eventually-fatal tractor acci-dent and was once the victim ofracially-motivated cyber bullying.

And that list doesn’t even in-clude three season-ending knee in-juries over the past three seasonsof his high school football career.

“Most people don’t really knowanything about that stuff,” Kabellasaid during a wide-ranging inter-view this week at YHS.

Kabella’s story is detailed in aletter he wrote before this seasonafter he was nominated for “Inspir-ing Athlete,” sponsored throughSTACK Magazine (a national publi-cation geared toward high schoolathletes) and Gatorade.

“That’s why I wrote this. I get toshare my story,” he said.

While looking down at a copy ofthe two-page letter, he paused,smiled, and added, “I really need toupdate it, though, with the third in-jury.”

‘Knows What’s Right’Before talking about his injuries

on the football field, Kabella likes togo back even further.

His submission letter beginswith, ‘I want to start by giving yousome background on who I startedout as and who I aspire to become.’

Where’s he come from played adirect role in who he is today, Ka-bella points out.

His stepfather entered his lifewhen Kabella was five years old,and introduced him to the sport offootball — ‘taught me the spirit ofthe game,’ as his letter says. Kabellalong ago wanted to change his lastname from Davis, he said, but his bi-ological father would not sign off onthe change.

Once he turned 18, he was oflegal age to do so.

“I wanted to play with that namefor my last year,” Kabella said.

Between the family situation andhis persistent injury problems, Ka-

bella wanted a fresh start. He kepthis number 21 for his senior seasonwith the Bucks, but a new last namewas just the restart he wanted.

“I was sick of being known forthese injuries,” he said. “I wantedpeople to forget about it.”

And yet, still, Kabella found thatsome people weren’t sure who that‘Levi Kabella’ was on the Yanktonroster as the season started.

“There were people askingaround like, ‘Who is this kid?,’” hejoked.

Who he was — and is — is a sen-ior leader for the undefeated Bucks(8-0), who have a bye this week be-fore Class 11AA playoffs begin Oct.30.

“The other kids respected himbecause of his talent and his ability,but his drive and his direction arebigger,” Yankton head coach ArlinLikness said.

“He knows what’s right and doeswhat’s right.”

Three InjuriesAlmost teasing fans with his ex-

plosive production out of the back-field for the Yankton Bucks, Kabellahas played what essentiallyamounts to a season and a halfworth of games during his career.

But when he’s been on the field,

the 5-foot-10, 170-pound speedsterhas produced.

Kabella suffered a season-endinginjury to the ACL in his left kneeduring the first round of the stateplayoffs in his sophomore season in2012.

Then as a junior in 2013, he suf-fered the exact same injury in Yank-ton’s seventh game. By that point,Kabella had 61 carries for 301 yardsand one touchdown on the season.

His season was over.“There are very few kids that

would even try to come back,” Lik-ness said. “Especially after two.”

And yet, that’s what Kabella did.As he details in his submission

letter, his surgeon decided to use acadaver ankle graft to repair his leftknee in an attempt to save his ca-reer. The rehabilitation was ex-hausting and extensive, Kabellasaid, but he was determined to re-turn strong for the Bucks as a sen-ior.

Then it happened again.On Sept. 19 of this season — on

homecoming for Yankton — Kabellawent down on the Bucks’ seconddrive, and had to come out of thegame. The sensation of bones mov-ing in his left knee told Kabella allneeded to know.

“It felt like somebody died.

That’s what it felt like,” he said. “Itwas like, ‘What do I have now?’”

And so for the next four (and ahalf) games, Kabella has been rele-gated to standing on the sidelineswith his Yankton teammates, allwhile wearing his No. 21 jersey.

“He’s definitely part of this pro-gram, in the sense that we’vecounted on him a lot of ways,” Lik-ness said, “but at the same time, wegot to the point where we couldmove on without him.

“He’s done more to influencethis team than he’ll ever know.”

It’s Kabella’s goal, as well, to in-fluence other athletes who have ex-perienced, or will experience, apainful and season-ending injury.

“There are kids that only have togo through this one time. It’s horri-ble the first time, and I thought if Ishared what I went through, itmight help,” Kabella said.

“It’s not career-ending by anymeans. You’ve got to know thatwhen you’re going through it.”

‘A Bigger Plan’Immediately after his third knee

injury ended his football career, Ka-bella’s first thought, he says, wentto, ‘OK, what next?’

Would wrestling — which hehadn’t done in a couple years — be

an option?As it turns out, no.“We decided the risk was too

high,” Kabella said. “If I dislocatedmy knee or twisted my femoral ar-tery, I could lose my leg. Or I couldtear everything.”

That was when the big picturesmacked him right in the face.

“I just thought it’d be better towalk down the aisle or pick up mykids someday,” Kabella said.

The decision was then made topostpone another surgery until Nov.20, nearly a week after the Class AAstate football championship gameon Nov. 14 in Vermillion. Kabellawanted one last chance to standwith his teammates, given that theBucks reach the final at the Dakota-Dome.

“That’s why I put it off untilthen,” he said. “So I could suit upfor a state championship, if wemake it there. I’d love to get in forone play.”

Surgery in late November hasbecome routine for Kabella. Theprocedure on Nov. 20 will be a dayafter his second surgery and sevendays before his first one.

“Thanksgiving has been prettymiserable the last couple years,” hesaid with a smile.

Football season, with him on thefield or not, is not over for Kabella,however.

As much as he enjoys standingon the sidelines during games, hefinds it difficult — impossible, to beexact — to attend practices.

“It’s just too painful for me to gowatch,” Kabella said. “But thegames, I definitely want to be therefor my team.

“They’re like brothers to me. Iwant to support them however Ican.”

And if just so happens that he isselected for the “Inspiring Athlete”series through STACK Magazine andGatorade, Kabella will take it.

As of yet, he had not heard a re-sponse back from the publication,as to whether it would send a filmcrew out to Yankton.

Either way, Kabella has alreadybeen a role model for Yankton play-ers, from the youth ranks on up tothe senior class, according to Lik-ness.

“Hopefully there’s a bigger planfor him down the road,” the veterancoach said.

You can follow Jeremy Hoeck onTwitter at twitter.com/jhoeck. Dis-cuss this story at www.yankton.net.

P&D FILE PHOTOA black knee brace contrasts against the red sock on the left leg of Yankton senior Levi Kabella. Kabella has now seen threestraight football seasons ended by knee injury, and has not wrestled since his freshman year because of those injuries.

SIOUX FALLS (AP) — Olympic cham-pion runner Billy Mills is marking the 50thanniversary of his 1964 gold medal bylaunching a grant program to help youngpeople.

Mills’ organization called RunningStrong for American Indian Youth willaward 50 “Dreamstarter” grants of $10,000each to youth-oriented community groupsand nonprofits over the next five years.

“Dreamstarter will help young Ameri-can Indians see themselves transform intochampions through the pursuit of adream,” Mills told The Bismarck Tribune.

The Oglala Lakota runner from SouthDakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservationwon the 10,000-meter race at the TokyoOlympics on Oct. 14, 1964. He was the firstAmerican to win that race. He co-foundedthe Running Strong organization in 1986,to help impoverished American Indiancommunities.

Mills said he wants young people to

think about how they can make their com-munity a better place and how to pursuetheir dreams.

“I was able to avoid a poverty ofdreams,” he told the Argus Leader. “Wewant other Native American youth to havethe opportunity to avoid a poverty ofdreams far more devastating than eco-nomic poverty in many ways.”

Grant applications begin Nov. 1.Mills, 76, now lives in California. Last

year, President Barack Obama presentedhim with the Presidential Citizens Medal,the nation’s second-highest civilian award.

Mills, whose story was featured in a1983 movie called “Running Brave,” hasserved on the President’s Council onPhysical Fitness and has been aspokesman for Christian Relief Services.

Mills told the Tribune that after he wonthe gold medal a half century ago, hewanted to help others. “I had to giveback,” he said.

Former Olympic ChampionMills Launching Grant Program

Rookie McKinnon Making Progress With VikingsEDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)

— Jerick McKinnon has had alot to learn this year, more thanjust the speed of the NFL andthe nuances of Minnesota’s of-fense.

The rookie was never reallya true running back before thisseason, either.

McKinnon spent much of histime at Georgia Southern as anoption-style quarterback, car-rying the ball for the FCS pow-erhouse plenty of times but notin a traditional way. He evenplayed some cornerback andwide receiver there.

The Vikings (2-5) draftedhim in the third round, with apick acquired from Seattle inthe Percy Harvin trade, withthe belief that he could be a vi-able alternative to Adrian Pe-terson.

That very plan had to be putinto action quickly. With Peter-son on paid leave awaiting trial

in Texas on a felony childabuse charge, McKinnon haspassed Matt Asiata as the fea-tured runner and topped the100-yard rushing mark twice inthe last four games.

“There’s a lot different be-tween the NFL and college. Ob-viously the holes are a lotsmaller. You’ve got to antici-pate better,” fullback JeromeFelton said. “So his whole gamehas been raised the past fewweeks. I’ve been happy for him,and hopefully he’ll continue toget better.”

McKinnon’s elusiveness wasnever in question. His nick-name in college was Jet, andhis 40-yard dash at the NFLscouting combine — 4.41 sec-onds — was the second-fastestamong participating runningbacks.

What hadn’t been provenwas the 5-foot-9, 210-pounder’sability to run between the tack-

les. So last week, before theVikings faced what was thenthe league’s leading defenseagainst the run at Buffalo,coach Mike Zimmer challengedthe running backs to improvetheir production after the firstcontact by an average of 3yards. McKinnon passed thetest.

This season, his average percarry after contact is 2.6 yards,according to STATS research.That’s good for third in the NFLfor players with 30 or more at-tempts, behind the New YorkJets’ Chris Ivory (3.0) and ChrisJohnson (2.7).

“I just try to keep my legsmoving, not go down easily, notbe tackled after one tackle,”McKinnon said. “Sometimes Icame up short of that, but it’ssomething that I’ll keep work-ing at. I feel like it’s only going

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