Hayden Schaumburg’s comeback from a spinal injury continues to startle those around the teen-ager.
“Just short of a miracle,” Watseka High athletic director Barry Bauer said.
In October, the Watseka junior was on a ventilator after an eight-hour operation to repair two vertebra. By Christmas break, he was strong enough to pay a surprise visit to school — albeit in a wheelchair. And last Saturday, he took the field as an honorary coach for the Illini’s spring scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. The invitation came from UI coach Tim Beckman, who was one of the first with words of encouragement in October.