High school can be a challenging time with many obstacles which teenagers must learn to overcome. Sophomore Noah Lange experienced one of the biggest obstacles a person can face and went on to exceed expectations.
In eighth grade, Lange suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He was playing football with his neighbors when his head hit a pole as he was scoring a touchdown. Lange was rushed to the emergency room and lost his ability to walk and talk.
“It was a long wait and a long day,” Lange said. “I stayed up until 2am and it was just scary.”
Lange’s injury didn’t require any surgeries, but it proved to be a long recovery process.
“Each day I’d go to PT, I’d have to go to OT, and I’d have to go to speech therapy because I couldn’t talk at all,” Lange said. “Each day, I’d improve a tiny bit and I just really noticed the differences.”
This entire healing process took about a year. As he began to walk again, he progressed from a wheelchair, to a walker, and to a cane until he was finally able to walk on his own again.
“I was just happy to be able to make any progress at all,” Lange said. “Every single day I’d go to PT and I’d make even the smallest progress and I’d be so happy.”
Lange missed the second semester of eighth grade, though he was able to keep up with his schoolwork at home.
“He’s very inquisitive,” coach Philip Onwiler said. “Kids that just want to get by, they do what they need to do to get the grade and move on. He wants to understand why things are the way that they are.”
Lange continued to show perseverance and hard work as he recovered and returned to school for his freshman year.
“He’s one of the hardest working kids I know. He’s had every reason to complain, but he never does,” Onwiler said.
Lange prioritized getting involved, so he joined band, mock trial, quiz bowl, cross country, and track.
“He’s a very good teammate and he pushes you to do better,” senior Conner Lindquist said. “He works really hard to be where he is.”
Lange began running at a young age, and he knew he wanted to continue running in high school.
“(Running) helps me improve every day,” Lange said. “It’s a really good way to release stress. It’s so much fun also.”
Lange conditioned during the winter of his freshman year to prepare for the upcoming track season. His coaches had no idea what to expect from Lange, but he showed them exactly what he was capable of.
“I remember his first race at Boys Town having no idea what kind of time to expect from him, and he just blew it out of the water,” Onwiler said. “He’s only continued to improve from there to being a varsity runner for cross country this fall.”
This fall, Lange went out for cross country for the first time. He began on JV, however, by the end of the season, he ran in varsity meets. Not only this, but he was also able to earn a spot at the state meet.
“It was surreal,” Lange said. “State is just amazing. So many great people make it and it’s just awesome to watch everyone run and to see the improvements of your teammates from the beginning to the end.”
Lange’s teammates saw his determination every day at practice as he pushed himself to accomplish his goals.
“He’s a good varsity member. If he can be where he is right now, I don’t doubt that he can be even better,” Lindquist said.
Lange overcame his injury and has excelled in academics and athletics at Elkhorn North.
“He is a lot stronger today than he was when he first walked in,” Onwiler said. “It’s just been such an incredible journey to see the growth that he’s made.”
