Anthony Chiu is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Seton Catholic Preparatory for AZPreps365.com

When life knocks you down, there are two options: staying down or getting back up.

For Seton Catholic Preparatory running back Luc Aguilar, there was no option but to get back up.

Aguilar broke the top of his tibia bone while participating in a long jump event on the school's track and field team this spring.

"As I went to jump off my left foot, when I pushed off, the muscle to bone connection was stronger than the bone itself. Which resulted in part of my bone ripping off," Aguilar said.

The estimated recovery process for a broken tibia bone is four to six months. This meant Aguilar's recovery would have been complete sometime during the beginning of Seton Catholic's football season.

However, Aguilar was eager to suit up and compete amongst his teammates and returned sooner than expected.

Head coach Pete Wahlheim and quarterback Jake Morris credit Aguilar's work ethic.

"His drive to be great is special," Wahlheim said. "He is driven in the classroom, on the field and in everything he does."

Morris said Aguilar pushes the team to go harder during practices and games.

"He helps everyone out and does whatever he can do to get better," Morris said. "He has this work ethic with everything he does and also keeps good grades in the classroom."

Aguilar credits his family, coaches and friends for helping him along the way during his recovery.

"I am very grateful for what they do for me," Aguilar said. "I know I can lean on them when times get tough. They helped me to be even more successful and push me past my limits when I need it."

Wahlheim and his staff monitored Aguilar's workload and made sure to ease him slowly into the game plan to begin the season.

"We kept him on offense only the first few weeks and limited his work," Wahlheim said. "Holding him back is difficult. His work ethic and love of the game makes it hard for him to pace himself."

Even Aguilar acknowledged that it was a slow process for him to work his way back into things.

"At the beginning of the season there was definitely a mental barrier in relation to my knee holding me from playing at my best," Aguilar said. "But over time and with consistent practice, I was able to overcome it."

As a sophomore, Aguilar has rushed for 270 yards on just 69 carries this season. His most notable game came against Carl Hayden Community, where he rushed for 121 yards.

Among all 4A Desert Sky conference running backs, Aguilar ranks sixth in rushing yards. He also stands out among the rest: he is the only underclassmen among the top 15 rushers in the 4A Desert Sky.

Aguilar said he believes he has recovered to full strength, but acknowledges that he still isn't where he wants to be just yet.

"I believe I am able to play just as good as I did before the injury, but there's definitely always room to grow."

Aguilar remains focused and hopes to help lead the Seton Catholic Sentinels to wins in the upcoming weeks.

"I know I just have to keep working to get better everyday," Aguilar said. "High expectations push me to always be better than I was the day before."

Wahlheim said what Aguilar is doing is already, "nothing short of amazing."

"Any coach would love to have a young man like Luc," Wahlheim said. "You can always count on him. He is a quiet leader by example. Very few sophomores have the respect of older players like Luc does. I cannot say enough good things about him. We are blessed to have him. I don't know where we would be without him."