One of the things Charles Shelton wanted to do was play football in his senior season at J.Z. George High School.
It almost didn't happen.
He suffered a right shoulder injury during weight training in February 2019. His shoulder popped out of place as he was pushing up on a weight bar. The shoulder popped back in place, and Shelton gave his shoulder a rest until April. However, the pain didn't go away.
In June, he underwent surgery with Dr. Asa Bennett in Greenwood to repair labrum tears in the shoulder, which would require five months of recovery.
The high school football season started in mid-August and was slated to end the first week of November. That left a small window for Shelton to be able to play in his final year as a Jaguar.
"I just wanted to stay a part of the team somehow. Coach (Ben) Burton got me to film the games. I was at every practice, and I filmed the games from the top of the press box," said Shelton, who is 17 and turns 18 on May 9. "I'd rather been practicing with the team, but because of my surgery, I wasn't able to be on the field."
Burton, who announced his resignation a week ago for a position on the Winona High staff, was glad to still have Shelton be a part of the team.
"He had his surgery during the summer, but he wasn't going to be able to play. Charles is a good young man with a super attitude," said Burton.
Shelton's recovery continued to progress. On a return visit to the doctor in late October, he was cleared to return to the team. With one game remaining, Shelton rejoined the team as a player.
The 5-foot-8, 205-pound Shelton played nose guard on the defensive line. He wasn't there for his size, but his quickness.
"I practiced with the team for our final game of the season against Calhoun City. I was wore out at the end of each day. It showed me how out of shape I was," Shelton said. "My parents (James and Regina Shelton) supported me the whole way."
When the game started, Shelton was still on the sidelines. About midway through the first quarter, his name was called. It was time to enter the game.
"I was pretty restless on that last day. I had butterflies, but it was pretty exciting when I got to go into the game," he said. "I got to play the rest of the game at nose guard. I think I had one tackle and forced a fumble. I was one of the smallest guys on the line, but I went out there and gave it my best.
"I had some mixed emotions at the end of the game. I was sad it was over, but I got to walk off the field one last time knowing I gave it my all."
Shelton's plans after graduation are to attend Holmes Community College and begin his studies toward a mechanical engineering degree.
