Crown Point senior right guard Austin Reading has made history for coach Craig Buzea.
That’s saying something, given that Buzea is in the 33rd season of his career and is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
“He’s the first kid I’ve ever had who’s had two knee surgeries in the same year and is still playing,” Buzea said. “He is one tough son of a gun.”
The 6-foot, 245-pound Reading, a talented wrestler who placed fifth in the state in the 215-pound weight class last season, suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during a tournament in early July. Initially, he said he thought he only “tweaked it.” But an MRI revealed the nature of the injury, which required surgery.
Reading returned to the field in early August and played in the Bulldogs’ season opener against Lowell. But he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in the second quarter of the Week 2 game against Indianapolis Pike on Aug. 29.
“We saw him limping off the field at Pike, and our heart just dropped,” Buzea said. “He had just gotten back for the first game from his summer surgery. Then all of a sudden, that happens. We didn’t know what it was. At first, it looked like we were going to lose him for the rest of the year. … Just incredible perseverance.”
Reading had an MRI the day after the game and had surgery the following week. He returned for the Bulldogs’ Duneland Athletic Conference game against Valparaiso in Week 6, wearing a brace on his left knee.
“It feels good,” he said. “I have no pain. This brace is just another level of security.”
Reading also suffered a torn ACL in his left knee at the beginning of wrestling season in eighth grade. He recovered in time for his freshman football season, most of which he spent on the junior varsity team. But he earned reps at the varsity level, and by the time he was a sophomore, he was starting for the Class 6A state runner-up.
Reading has continued to develop, despite more knee injuries, as the Bulldogs have continued to win — for 36 regular-season games in a row. Ranked No. 3 in the 6A state coaches poll, Crown Point (9-0, 7-0) clinched its fourth straight outright conference title with a 42-28 victory over Michigan City in the regular-season finale on Friday and will play Lake Central in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 31.
“He’s playing, and he’s playing well,” Buzea said of Reading. “And when I say he’s playing well, we’ve had a couple of college guys at our games the last two or three weeks, including last week against Chesterton, and of all the guys we have, the first guy they asked about was him. I was like, ‘Oh, man.’
“I don’t know what his plans are yet — he might want to play — but he’s going to have the opportunity to do so if he wants to. They just love his tenacity. It was really pleasing to have guys come up and ask about him. Really cool.”
Reading has also impressed teammates like senior safety/linebacker Griffin Van Tichelt, a Purdue wrestling recruit.
“Watching Austin play offensive lineman is one of the most eye-catching things I have seen,” Van Tichelt said. “Every other play, he has someone pancaked on the field, and this all starts on the practice field and weight room. Austin makes sure we stay true to ourselves and put the work in.
“Austin is also a key leader to our team with how much energy he brings to the table. If our defense makes a big stop, he comes running up to you ready to head-butt you to congratulate you.”
Van Tichelt added, “No matter the setback, Austin is always smiling and ready to keep moving forward.”
Reading has started up front alongside right tackle Nolan Cicero, a Ball State recruit, for two seasons.
“Austin is not just our right guard, he’s the heart of our offensive line and one of the best leaders you could ask for,” Cicero said. “On and off the field, he’s someone you can always count on. The bond he builds with his teammates goes way beyond football. It’s about trust, respect and brotherhood.
“I’ve known Austin since middle school, and from day one, he’s been the kind of person everyone wants to be around. He does everything the right way and then some. His work ethic, attitude and leadership set the standard for the rest of us. I’m lucky to be taking snaps with such a great player and an even better person. Austin’s the type of guy that makes a team feel like a family, and we’re all better because of him, for sure.”
Reading has taken such responsibilities seriously.
“Our group looks up to me as a leader, so I have to make sure I’m always doing the right things, not messing around,” he said. “Some of our younger guys follow under me and Nolan on the O-line, so we have to make sure we’re always doing the right things, take them under our wing so they can learn too.
“I’ve really stepped my game up in being vocal and trying to help lead the offense. I can talk more, help people through things and just be a leader.”
Buzea described each member of Crown Point’s offensive line, including Reading, as having a “mean, ornery” attitude on the field. He recalled Reading as an eighth grader.
“He started off with us as an H-back type of guy before we moved him to the offensive line,” Buzea said. “At first, he was a little undersized, but he was a terrific puller. With what we do, he fit us perfectly, and now obviously he’s filled out and can hold his own.
“He’s a relentless competitor. He’s one of those kids who plays nasty but always has a smile on his face.”
Reading smiled about his fifth-place finish in wrestling last winter. He had been the runner-up in the sectional, regional and semistate rounds. At 190 pounds as a sophomore, he also was a sectional and regional runner-up, but he lost in the opening round of the semistate.
“It was tough going in there last year,” Reading said. “The year before, I was ranked top eight in the state my sophomore year. I was supposed to go down to state, place at state. But I got upset in the first round of semistate.
“So going into the postseason last year, I didn’t want to have any regrets. I just went out there and wrestled as hard as I could and made sure I was making it to state and wasn’t getting upset again.”
In January, Reading’s mother, Shannon, died of brain cancer at the age of 46. He missed the DAC Tournament to spend time with her.
“I knew she was with me, had my back, to help propel me through the rest of that postseason,” Reading said. “It was tough, but she helped me get through it to where I wanted to be.”
Buzea said Reading “probably has a chance to win the state title in wrestling” in the upcoming season. That’s the scenario Reading envisions.
“State champ — that’s my goal,” he said. “I’d like to go out with a state championship under my belt — maybe two of them, football and wrestling.”
Buzea is certainly rooting for Reading to make that a reality.
“He’s had a tremendous amount of adversity in the last year,” Buzea said. “He’s been through a lot but always has a smile on his face and just perseveres. He’s a fantastic kid and a terrific, terrific football player.
“He’s just one of those kids you love to coach and hate to lose.”
