Eagles lineman pushes obstacles aside
Photo: Mark Avery |
Santa Margarita's Drew Hanson overcomes sight and hearing problems to become an inspirational force.
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Drew Hanson can laugh at the jokes now.
Just take this latest one:
In voting for their favorite senior classmates, some of Hanson's football brethren at Santa Margarita voted for him as having the "Best Eyes." He also picked up votes for being the "Best Listener."
The catch is this: Hanson is legally blind in one eye and has lost 40 percent of his hearing.
To some, this prank might not sound funny. But for Hanson, a four-year member of the football program, the joke comes from a group he considers to be his brothers. It makes him smile and remember he too can dish out the zingers.
"I don't take it personally," he said. "I love the guys and they love me."
Besides, Hanson said, he's proud of the many obstacles he has overcome to reach tonight's CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division semifinal against Edison.
Hanson will take the field at The Home Depot Center in Carson as the Eagles' starting weakside guard. At 5-foot-11, 225 pounds, he will be undersized like many of his teammates.
For much of the offseason, Hanson and Santa Margarita were underestimated, too. Coaches picked the Eagles to finish fourth in the Trinity League, and two of their most talented players jumped from the nest before the season started. Quarterback Clark Evans became a starter at Los Alamitos as a sophomore. Projected starting tackle Matt Bahr flew to Mission Viejo.
After you listen to Hanson's story, you realize maybe he wasn't supposed to be playing tonight either.
As a 4-year-old, a virus attacked his optic nerves, among other places. He went from 20/20 vision to complete blindness for a few days.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," he said.
Hanson remembers walking through the hallways in a hospital with bare feet on a cold floor. He remembers the area of the hospital with the children's toys.
He remembers the darkness. And he remembers people grabbing his arm and telling him where to go and what to do.
"It was really scary," Hanson said.
The Braille Institute was being discussed as an option for Hanson when an eye center in Orange tried a last-ditch effort. Hanson was treated with massive doses of steroids and, over three weeks, his right optic nerve showed signs of regeneration, his father, Richard, said.
Years later, Hanson's eye doctor is still amazed by that right eye, which now has 20/20 vision He calls Hanson the "miracle child."
"He shouldn't be doing what he's doing," said Richard, who played at Troy, Fullerton College and Cal State Northridge.
The virus also affected Hanson's hearing. He lost about 40 percent of his hearing and wore hearing aids as a youth.
During his middle school and junior high years, the hearing aids were a source of ridicule. He was called "Ear Boy," and a few fights followed.
Football practice became a refuge.
"When football practice started, I'd go nuts," said Hanson, who played Junior All-American football in South County.
Hanson acknowledges that his disabilities have created obstacles in his sporting life. When kids started throwing curveballs in Little League, his open stance as a right-handed batter wasn't enough to help him pick up the spin of the baseball.
In youth football, he was blindsided at times because he didn't see an opposing player. And, despite a few more blindside hits in high school, Hanson pulled himself up and even became a two-way player. He also has played some nose tackle.
"I never look at anything as impossible," he said.
His helmet has a plastic shield to protect his eyes. If he can't hear quarterback Eric Reisinger's call in the huddle, he asks a fellow lineman. If he can't hear the snap count, he turns his head to watch the ball.
Sometimes he can't hear the referee's whistle, so he has been penalized for hitting late.
Running back Chris Spangenberg says Hanson gets results. Nicknamed "Black Bear," Hanson excels at pulling and uses his speed to reach the second level of defenders, such as linebackers, Spangenberg said.
"He really doesn't seem like he has any disabilities," Spangenberg said. "He has good football instincts."
Hanson said he loves football "more than girls" and hopes to play at the DivisionIII level in college. But he also wants to help out others less fortunate than him. He wants to learn sign language to connect with the deaf and mute. In the past, he has worked with the Special Olympics.
"I'm so lucky," he said. "It's my responsibility to give back."
Given his past, Hanson would seem "Most Likely To Succeed."
By Dan Albano
Friday, December 1, 2006
The Orange County Register
