DeAundre Sanders is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Vista for AZPreps365.com

They say time heals wounds, but how do you heal an athlete’s mental battles after suffering a serious injury?

Injuries in football are often an inevitable consequence for athletes competing in the physical sport. For Valley Vista senior Tony Romano, a middle linebacker, dark times were something he had to overcome on numerous occasions after tearing the labrum ligaments in both shoulders.

The deep scars on both shoulders are now a symbol of the adversity Tony has had to overcome.

Born in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Tony relocated to Anthem, Arizona, at 5 years old with his father, Mike Romano, and began playing youth football. Coming from a football family, he was thrown into the sport and was infatuated with the physicality of the game.

Mike was a former running back and a Minor League pitcher who at the apex of his prime sacrificed his playing career to provide for Tony as a single father. At a young age, Tony saw the tough times and sacrifices his father made to raise him, and uses those memories as fuel and motivation, often putting extra pressure on himself to be great.

“It all branches down from my dad. When I was growing up, we struggled,” Tony said. “When he had me, he was in the Minor Leagues, and he ended up having to quit his dreams. So, in a way I feel indebted to him, and I have to make it for him.”

Starting the 2020 season off strong, football was going as planned. So, he thought. In the fifth game freshman year, things began to change.

“During the game I was out in coverage. I saw the quarterback scrambling my way,” Tony said. “I shot at his legs and when I got up, all of a sudden my right arm went completely numb and I couldn't move it. At that point I started freaking out a little.”

Britney Huddleston, head athletic trainer at Valley Vista High School, was able to pop the dislocated shoulder back into place and applied a brace allowing Tony to finish the contest.

After completing the game, Tony was unaware this was just the beginning of constant shoulder woes, and a long journey he was getting ready to embark on. Throughout the remainder of his freshman season, he continued dealing with shoulder instability, resulting in his right shoulder continuing to dislocate from the socket.

Once the season concluded, the focus was getting healthy and being at full form for the next season, beginning the rehab process to strengthen the ailing shoulder.

“He was determined to get his shoulder healthy,” Huddleston said. “I think he was tired of going through the same thing over and over again. So, what he and I did was, I would make the plan for the week, then on Friday we would review and make sure everything was good. If it was too light, or too hard, we would adjust for the next week.”

After a long offseason of rehabbing the shoulder, Tony was confident he was healthy and ready for his sophomore year.

Now a sophomore, playing on varsity, Tony found his way into the starting lineup five games into the season. Eager to play well, not only because it was his first start on varsity since rehab, but it was also the homecoming game against La Joya Community High School.

“During the first drive of the game I was really hyped up because it was my first varsity start,” Tony said. “Coach sent me the play; I blitzed and got a sack. The next play, it was third and 18, the quarterback scrambled out, I hit him out of bounds and my arm shot out again. It was hard mentally. To keep having injuries after injuries, I felt like I couldn’t catch a break.”

Reminiscent of the pain he felt the previous season, this time it was the left shoulder, the good shoulder. This time much worse. Tony’s season was over. Once again, he was heading to rehab with yet another torn labrum.

Mentally exhausted, but never losing sight of his main goal of getting healthy once again, the shoulder was responding well to weeks of treatment. After not having any issues throughout the summer, he was finally healthy enough for the start of his junior season. 

Once again, things stopped going as planned. He was met with another setback a few days before the first scrimmage. While at practice making a routine tackle, POP. The left shoulder popped out, and once again he was sidelined for a few weeks.  

Now the leader of the defense, Tony battled through the season with constant pain and having to play with both shoulders heavily braced to the point he could not raise his arms. He was able to play all 11 games, finishing third on the team in tackles.

During the middle of the season, it was time to get an MRI to figure out why the shoulder continued to dislocate. The MRI discovered multiple tears in the labrum, rotator cuff, and a torn bicep, requiring surgery after the season to repair the damage.

Surgery on both shoulders was a success, now faced with six months of rehab. This process was far different from the past. This go-around, being unable to use either arm, he barely had range of motion, and couldn’t lift any weight for the first three weeks.

“It was mentally draining coming back,” Tony said. “All the strength I built up, all the hard work went away. It took a toll on my mental health. I feel I’m still not fully where I think I was.”

The following four weeks consisted of icing to decrease the pain, light active assisted range of motion exercises with the hand and wrist, then week six increased to light dumbbell workouts when certain milestones were met. By week 12 treatment decreased from every day to two days a week in the weightroom rebuilding strength.

Tony Romano running onto the field during game against Willow Canyon  (De'Aundre Sanders photo/AZPreps365)

“He’s hungry. He attacked his rehab and everything he had to do to get back,” defensive coordinator Paris Wilcox said. He went in and attacked the weightroom. Compared to last year you can see the size he put on. For him he was saying he wanted to make sure his body was built for this war he was putting it through.”  

With more than half of Tony’s senior season complete, he currently leads the team in tackles and has been injury free, making a full recovery.

It’s the tough journey and resilience to overcome that led Tony to where he is today. Having two surgically repaired shoulders, with every opportunity to suit up and run onto the field, he is reminded of how far he’s come and how far he still has to go.

“Mentally it is still something I have to overcome,” Tony said. “I’m a firm believer in equivalent exchange, so if I work hard, it will pay off eventually.”