BOULDER – Jefferson High School is not only the home of the Panthers, but also the home of the newest member of the Montana State football team.
Next year, Jefferson senior and quarterback/defensive back Luke Oxarart will join the Bobcats as a safety, but that statement seemed much less likely just a few months ago.
“I had nerve damage in both shoulders,” Oxarart said. “It was a random accident. And it took eight to 12 months to heal.”
In two consecutive games last season, Oxarart took a helmet to his shoulder during tackles. The resulting nerve damage not only sidelined Oxarart for the rest of the season, but also made it difficult for him to even lift his arms.
“It was definitely tough because I’ve never been away from sports for that long,” Oxarart said. “But it really stirred me up inside and told me, ‘Man, I have to fight for this because I can still play after high school.'”
Jefferson head coach Clint Layng said Oxarart’s commitment to MSU shows his hard work and toughness.
“He’s a great athlete, a tough guy and he loves to play football,” Layng said. “He’s been an important player for us since his freshman year.”
And Layng said it was clear to him that first year that Oxarart had Division I potential.
“As a freshman, he had a couple hits in the game, and coach Ben came up to me after the game and said, ‘Holy cow, No. 10 is going to be a guy,'” Layng said. “I’ve never seen a freshman hit guys like that. He couldn’t even remember when he’d ever seen a freshman hit guys like that.”
