RIVERSIDE
Eli Slaymaker’s determination kept his senior football season alive despite breaking his thumb in September.
That same determination is driving him toward a continuation of his …
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RIVERSIDE
Eli Slaymaker’s determination kept his senior football season alive despite breaking his thumb in September.
That same determination is driving him toward a continuation of his football career next fall at Simpson College.
“It was very important to me,” Slaymaker said last week as he signed a letter-of-intent with Simpson, wearing a Simpson College shirt, in a ceremony at Highland High School. “I love football. I was hoping that I could have a college career after high school, which came true. That was nice.”
Slaymaker, a lineman at Highland who helped lead the Huskies to a playoff spot this past season, is projected as an offensive tackle at Simpson.
He is the second Highland football player to sign a football letter-of-intent this month. Connor Grinstead, a defensive safety and quarterback, signed with Upper Iowa University one week before Slaymaker committed to Simpson.
“He’s a great kid, a great leader. He works really hard,” said Scott Morrel, who coached Slaymaker at Highland. “Simpson is lucky to have a kid like him. They’re getting a remarkable person. The family’s great, too.”
Joining Eli at his signing ceremony Feb. 9 were his parents, Wynnette and Tony Slaymaker; his sister, Stella; and grandfather, Darryl Thomas, all of them proudly wearing Simpson College shirts.
Simpson College is located in Indianola, south of Des Moines, and plays an NCAA Division III schedule.
Slaymaker said he was contacted by Simpson assistant coach James Hoffman a couple of months ago. After that, he went on a visit to the campus.
“It was very nice,” he said. “They were very thorough with financial aid and everything. The campus is really nice. The weight room is really nice. I fell in love with the campus and stuff.”
Slaymaker intends to major in Simpson’s Health & Exercise Science program.
That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering what Slaymaker went through in the fall. He broke his thumb in the Huskies’ second game of the season against Columbus on September 3. Determined to return to the team before the end of the season, he actually continued lifting with one arm in the Huskies weight room.
Wearing a soft cast on his hand, he returned to action October 15, the night of the Huskies final home game against Pekin. The Huskies won that game to qualify for the state playoffs.
“That was big,” Slaymaker said. “The adversity I had this year with breaking my thumb five minutes into the second game and having to miss five to six weeks. Luckily, I was able to come back for those last two games. That meant a lot to me, especially the win over Pekin. That was a cherry on top for my season of just being able to come back and do what I love and help the team for another victory.”
Following the game, Slaymaker celebrated with his teammates and coaches on the field.
“He did great when he came back,” Morrel said. “It was great to see him be successful on the field. That was awesome.”