Alex Lipscomb thought it was over.
Sitting in the back seat of the car while his mother, Rosalind Boaz, drove, Lipscomb cried as he contemplated the injury he suffered to his left knee and believed he might have played his final football game.
“That was the longest ride of my life,” Lipscomb said.
Instead of wallowing in emotional aftermath of the setback, Lipscomb channeled his energy and re-directed it toward his rehabilitation. In the process, he pledged not to let the injury prevent him from getting back to the football field.
Some tried to stop him. But Lipscomb didn’t allow himself to lose focus after two colleges lost interest in recruiting him following the injury he sustained in the Columbus High School football team’s 37-14 loss to Warren Central in its 2014 season finale. He used the lack of confidence those schools had in him as motivation to fuel him on his journey back to the field.
On Wednesday, Lipscomb took the next step to proving those two schools — and possibly more — wrong when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba. The Lions won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship in 2013 and 2014.
Joining Lipscomb in signing was teammate and defensive back Joshua Hibbler, who also signed with EMCC.
The signees are the first two for Columbus coach Randal Montgomery, who went 4-7 in his first season as football coach at the school. Montgomery hopes to have several other players sign once the school sort out their needs and state junior colleges wrap up their tryouts.
“You’re talking about two really good football players, but you’re also talking about two quality human beings,” Montgomery said. “These guys have done everything right on the field, everything right off the field, in the classroom. If you could build a football player on and off the field, these are the kind of guys you would build them after.”
Lipscomb gave all the honor and glory to God and thanked his mother, his coaches, and all of the mentors he has had growing up for helping him to realize his goal. He said tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and the meniscus in his left knee “messed with his mind” the first night. But he said he used faith to understand he had to accept what happened and use it to get stronger. Boaz said she has seen Alex mature and grow stronger from the injury.
“I was crying and then it got to a point where it was, basically, you let this injury define who you are and define what type of player you are, or you overcome it and be an example to young players who can overcome this injury,” Lipscomb said.
Lipscomb, a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder, had surgery on Nov. 24, 2014. He said EMCC was involved in recruiting him prior to the injury, but he said the Lions stayed in contact with him after the injury. He said the EMCC coaches told him they weren’t going to let the setback to prevent him from being the player they knew he could be. And while not every coach or school shared that sentiment, that was fine with Lipscomb because he said he realized it is a “business” and that they have to do what they think it is right. He said he took it as an “honor” that one of the nation’s best schools continued to recruit him. He said the confidence the Lions showed in him has helped him move ahead of schedule in his recovery.
“At first I was debating if I could still do it and if I was going to come back,” Lipscomb said. “Now it is more of I know I am going to come back, I know I am going to be great, and when can I start this process.”
Lipscomb said he will visit the doctor in about two weeks. He said he could start running again soon after that. The next step would be getting cleared to run and cut. From there, the return nearly will be completed.
Regardless of how long it takes Alex to get there, Boaz said she takes pride in the change she has seen in her son.
“He has definitely matured on a spiritual level,” Boaz said. “He has taken the time to actually open that Bible I bought him probably a year ago. He has changed totally. He has discovered something new within himself that I don’t think he recognized that before.”
Hibbler, who is 5-11, 165 pounds, said his recruiting process came together quickly. He visited EMCC in the summer when Columbus participated in a seven-on-seven tournament, and is looking forward to the opportunity to get his education paid for and to help the Lions continue their quest for national titles.
“I just have to work hard,” said Hibbler, who has played cornerback and safety. “There is going to be a lot of competition. I just have to compete.”
Hibbler said he started playing football at 10 years old and has stayed confident he was going to realize his dream to take his skills to the next level. He knows he likely will have to add weight when he gets to EMCC, but he doesn’t believe that is going to prevent him from doing what he always has done — work hard and grind to make a contribution.
“Football is fun to me,” Hibbler said. “In the next year and a half to two years, I see myself at a Division I college. I like hard work and competition. Without competition, it won’t make you good. Hard work pays off. I love it. I look forward to working hard and training. Without hard work, you can’t succeed.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Related Photos
Columbus High School senior Joshua Hibbler poses for a picture with members of his family Wednesday morning after signing a National Letter of Intent to play football at East Mississippi Community College. Joining him are: Emma Turner, Patricia Turner, Marty Turner, Columbus High football coach Randal Montgomery, and Vondurell Hibbler. Photo by: Adam Minichino/Dispatch Staff
