Rivas returns after losing part of his leg in car crash

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn STIFF-ARMING A TACKLER--Aaron Ware, right, tries hard to escape a Kilpatrick defensive player.

Michael Rivas was badly injured in a car crash the early morning of Sat., Sept. 20, just hours after his Oaks Christian High School Lions football team had beaten Village Christian in a game played at home in Westlake Village.

Last Friday at Oaks Christian’s first-ever homecoming ceremonies, Rivas, who had a leg amputated below the knee, returned to the Westlake Village campus for the first time since the accident.

He received a standing ovation from the crowd.

"It’s amazing. I feel so blessed by the way that everyone’s supporting me," said Rivas, who was in a wheelchair near his teammates. "The love that I feel is amazing. I feel so supported—these people here are what’s getting me through this. These people are my family."

Lions head coach Bill Redell said his team was glad to see Rivas back.

"It was exciting to have him back," Redell said. "He’s been through a lot and I think the team really responded well around him. It was a big lift. We knew he was going to be here in the second quarter and we’re happy that he was able to make it back."

Rivas’ teammates agreed it was good to have their teammate return.

"Mike’s a good friend of all of ours," said senior quarterback Joey Halzle. "We love him a lot. This whole night was special."

Aaron Ware, a junior running back, said, "That was the biggest boast that we’ve ever had. When I saw him I almost came to tears. He’s such an inspiration to all of us. It really touched our hearts to have him back."

Rivas described the rehabilitation process he’s been undertaking.

"I can’t weight-bear on my right leg, yet," he said. "So I can’t get a prosthesis (yet). But I’m doing well." Rivas said he’d be back in school this week.

"I should be at school for a little bit on Monday," he said. "And then, I should go to my first class on Tuesday for like an hour. It’s going to be good to be back."

He thanked his family, too, for their support.

"They’re doing an amazing job," he said. "They are always there for me and are just being very encouraging."

Rivas didn’t really get a good look at the Lions win over Kilpatrick because he was besieged by well-wishers who gathered around him. But he’s looking forward to supporting the Lions the rest of the season.

"I didn’t really get to watch this one, just because everyone’s around me," he said after the homecoming ceremonies. "But the ones (games) later, I’ll be watching. This was really exciting. It’s homecoming and this is my home."

—Wayne Harrison