Breaking down his game: Briggs Gammill

Briggs Gammill is fired up about this season after suffering a harsh injury before last season. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

Almost exactly a year ago, in late January 2019, Briggs Gammill was carefully taking the ice, three screws holding his ankle together, anxious but eager to get back on the ice and play again.

Gammill, a center for the New England prep school Berkshire Bears, was returning from surgery to repair a broken left ankle suffered in a goalmouth collision. And, depending on your perspective when it comes to healing, the timing of the injury was probably the worst possible scenario: It came on the first practice of the season, the day before the team's first scrimmage of the year.

Either way, there was no downplaying how it felt for Gammill. Reduced to watching practices and games, he also had to pause his lacrosse career and focus on rehab.