By Jackson Teal
In Greek mythology, the warrior Achilles was nearly invincible until one seemingly minor weakness brought him down: his “Achilles’ heel.”
Now, more than 3,000 years later, that same weak point has resurfaced in Indiana sports, sidelining two of the state’s premier athletes.
Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton collapsed on the court in Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones crumpled to the gridiron in Week 14 of the NFL regular season in November.
Their seasons ended not due to lack of preparation or skill, but because of one vulnerable tendon. The myth of Achilles has now respawned, haunting the lives of Indiana sports fans.
Although it may not have been the story of Achilles’ intended theme, it has taught us a valuable lesson: no player is untouchable.
This is true for Delta High School athletes as well.
“Although all wrestlers, or any athlete for that matter, are at risk of getting injured, it doesn’t stop us from competing,” junior wrestler Jensen Boyd said. “ All we can do is prepare our bodies and pray for the best.”
Boyd was a fourth-place finisher at the IHSAA state finals in his freshman season. He was projected by many to follow that up with another high finish on the podium in his sophomore season.
These predictions were invalidated when Boyd suffered a season-ending injury at the Carnahan Memorial Invitational in December 2024 in Crown Point, Ind.
At this tournament, Boyd was lifted in the air, and as he got slammed back down, he extended his arm to catch himself. This resulted in a broken and dislocated elbow and lasting nerve damage.
Boyd, now looking back on the injury, recognizes that although it was one of the hardest times in his life, it taught him valuable lessons about injury prevention.
“I take care of my body way better now, whether it’s strengthening tendons and ligaments with my strength coach, or just stretching and using my massage gun,” Boyd said.
He returned this season to finish State Runner-up at 132 pounds in the IHSAA finals on Feb. 21.
Another tool Boyd and many other Delta athletes utilize is having an in-house athletic trainer, Jen Detweiler.
Jen has worked as an athletic trainer in both the collegiate and high school scenes for the past 25 years.
In Jen’s time at Delta, she has treated many varying injuries, such as concussions, ankle sprains, dislocated joints and back injuries. In her time, however, Achilles injuries haven’t been at the top of that list of common injuries.
An Achilles injury can be either a strain or a tear. These are most commonly caused by overtraining and then a sudden increase in activity.
A tear or strain of the Achilles tendon can require surgery and long periods of limited physical activity, depending on the severity of the injury.
This was a risk the Pacers’ Haliburton was ready to take to compete in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He did not reap the benefits of this risk, ultimately tearing his right Achilles tendon and losing the game.
This injury has caused him to sit out the 2025-2026 season to rehabilitate his leg, making this a questionable decision.
“He’s an adult in a professional sport, so he knows his body and its limits and also his personal pain level,” Jen said. “If he passed the functional test to play, I would allow it.”
However, Jen believes that there is a way to prevent these injuries in the first place.
“Proper warmup before activity, good mechanics and techniques in the weight room, and recovery are all key to injury prevention,” she said.
Jen is not the only one who plays a role in injury prevention in the school. Fitness teacher John Finley also does his part.
He is in his first year as the strength and conditioning coach for Delta.
Finley previously served as a graduate assistant strength coach at Ball State University where he helped with numerous sports and headed the baseball team’s strength training program.
Here at Delta, Finley pulls his weight on teaching his students proper technique to prevent injury while also building muscles, growing athleticism and training speed.
A big part of developing these areas of the body is prepping tissues and ligaments.
“My program makes a stronger body, and a stronger body is a healthier body, so I think that alone will help a lot of our athletes prevent injury,” Finley said.
