Gage Hulse of Huffman has inspiring run district title. Via Vype
Originally Appeared on Vype
Perseverance.
It can't be measured like size, speed and strength, but it could be the most important characteristic a coach wants in an athlete.
If that were the case, Huffman's Gage Hulse would be a high major DI basketball prospect with offers from every national power program.
Hulse was born with pectus excavatum -- a structural deformity of the anterior thoracic wall in which the sternumand rib cage are shaped abnormally. This produces a caved-in or sunken appearance of the chest.
What it means is that Hulse struggled to breath for his entire life, while playing and living through pain.
"I used to play football up until ninth grade," he said. "It was tough. I'd have to sit out at times and take my pads off to catch my breath. The condition is pretty dangerous because it affects your heart and lungs. I couldn't have gone through this without my family and friends supporting me."
Fast-forward to his senior season and Hulse has led Huffman to an undefeated district title, while averaging over 17 points per game.
"Probably my most memorable moment was cutting down the nets when we clinched the district title," he said.
But it's been a long road to getting atop that ladder a few weeks ago.
The Story continues here
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.