THE SECOND oldest of six children, Brice Njezic grew up in Lebanon. Following in his parents’ footsteps, he loved sports. Baseball swooshed into his life at 5 years old. Basketball and football came into the picture soon after. After participating in all three sports in elementary school, the activities continued into Lebanon High School, where he began to shine.

The young athlete played safety and receiver in football. He went through every position in basketball. In baseball — his true love — he handled shortstop.

“When you put in that work, you don’t do it alone,” Njezic, 18, said. “So every single day, when you’re struggling, you’re working hard, you’re in pain — there’s somebody next to you who is also struggling, working hard, in pain. There’s a bond right there you won’t feel anywhere else.”

Having an average build and being 5 feet, 11 inches tall, Njezic would tell people that he does not exceed in height or speed. Just ask coach Will Wakefield, who described Njezic as respectful and always willing to move against the crowd, not caring about the latest trend but only doing what’s best for his game.

The year 2024 marked Wakefield’s sixth year serving as the high school’s head baseball coach. With a coach’s eye, Wakefield saw past what Njezic lacked in physical appearance.

“He makes up for it because he is extremely intelligent and extremely hardworking,” Wakefield said.

One day, however, Njezic’s whole world fell apart in a split second. Running down the basketball court during his junior year in high school, Njezic had been attempting to steal the ball away from the opposition.

“And I lunged for it, and I guess my foot stuck in the ground and hyperextended, and it tore my ACL,” he recalled.

Njezic had no control over his leg and did not know what had happened, so he hopped to the bench to straighten the leg out. Unfortunately, he never returned to action. With nothing else to do, he spent the entire baseball season on the bench, watching his younger brother play sports — depressed with the itch of doing what he loved but unable to scratch it. Wakefield knew about the pain plaguing his young athlete.

“You can tell it bothered him, but I could tell he handled it about as good as any high school kid could,” Wakefield said.

Njezic had lost his life’s cornerstone — something he turned toward whenever joyful or troubled. But through the season of pain, he found a new cornerstone. He had been attending church forever, checking all the boxes by going to service, reading the Bible, and saying his prayers. Earlier, at 15 years old, he had begun to realize there was something more, and his older brother, deciding to become a preacher in Knoxville, served as the driving force behind his epiphany.

“I see him go through that, realizing it wasn’t just like a ‘check-the-boxes’ kind of thing,” Njezic said. “It’s a daily way to live your life — made me realize that it’s more serious than I was making it.”

This understanding later strengthened and aided him in his recovery as he grew closer to God. He remained active in assisting the baseball team, with Wakefield even describing him as an “extra coach.” Njezic credited his athletic trainer, Jacob Woodward, as someone who helped him through the hard months.

“Romans 5:3-5 reminds me that when we go through troubles and rough situations, it just trains us to be better, and it makes us stronger or smarter in the long run,” Njezic said.

After seven months, Njezic fully recovered and returned to play all three sports his senior year — an endeavor people noticed.

“His name should be remembered at Lebanon High School for a long time for that reason,” Wakefield said, adding that Njezic became the baseball team’s best player that senior year, leading the team in almost every offensive category.

The coach would also remember Njezic going off alone before every game to sit in the corner and pray, staying true to his values. Wakefield said the memory will stay with him for a long time.

Preparing to continue his athletic career at Pellissippi State in Tennessee, Njezic left behind one piece of advice for other players.

“Keep your head down and keep working. It may not get noticed right away, but eventually, it will pay off.” GN