EMMETT, Idaho — Emmett High School senior Jax Banuelos is heading to Division I football at Idaho State University — a milestone that felt far from certain after a devastating leg injury nearly ended his career last August.
Banuelos, a wide receiver and outside linebacker for the Emmett Huskies, broke his fibula and tibia, dislocated his ankle, and tore tissue from his calf during a football camp last summer. The injury was so severe that at the hospital, he was told doctors did not know if he would ever walk again — or play football.
Head football coach Rich Hargitt was there when it happened.
"I've done this a long time, and it was, it was horrific. I don't, I don't know a better word than that. When I walked up to the actual spot where he got hurt, I actually thought they'd, they'd ripped his foot off. It was bent behind him," Hargitt said.
Hargitt said he would not let Banuelos look at the injury because of how bad it was — and that the moment at the hospital that followed was the one that defined what came next.
"He got to the hospital, and somebody told him there, they said, we don't know if you'll ever walk again. We don't know if you're able to play football again. I just remember waiting until they left, and I said, are you gonna take that? And he's like, no, I'm, I'm playing again. I said, well, then that's the answer. Nothing else matters. That's the answer," Hargitt said.
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The road back included surgeries, heavy medication, and months of physical therapy at Rocking Armor, where Banuelos credited his physical therapist as a key part of his recovery. Coaches Seth Condor and others at Emmett High School, along with teammates and friends, supported him throughout.
"I definitely couldn't have done it without any of them," Banuelos said.
Despite missing his junior football season, Banuelos pushed through physical therapy and was able to compete in a limited number of track races.
"When I saw everyone was getting offered this, offered that, it was kind of getting me upset because I felt like that's where I should have been. And then at that time I just really trusted God and His plan for me, and I said like I'm going to make it one way or another," Banuelos said.
Hargitt said watching Banuelos stay connected to the team during his recovery — serving as a coach on the sideline — made the moment he returned to the field all the more meaningful.
"To get to see him kind of take the full circle all the way back around to starting both ways in the football game, actually, three ways, right? Starting special teams, offense, defense, a year later, and then obviously we win. It was just really cool," Hargitt said.
"I felt like we closed the circle, so to speak, last Friday night. And it was, it was really neat to see him out there playing with his friends again," Hargitt said.
WATCH: Emmett senior goes from devastating injury to Division I football offer
The Division I offer from Idaho State came together in a moment that Hargitt described as something close to a fairy tale. The Huskies returned to a camp in American Falls — the same camp where Banuelos was injured — and Hargitt reached out to Idaho State defensive coordinator Grant Duff ahead of time with a specific request.
"I said, if you're going to offer him, please offer him the night of the first day of camp. And he said, why is that? I said, because he was at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello being told his future was over one year ago that night. I said, so bring him to Pocatello and offer him," Hargitt said.
The moment Banuelos and his mother arrived in Pocatello made the offer even more striking.
"If people know where ICCU Arena is, the Portneuf Hospital where he spent the night is towering above the dome. So we literally pulled up, and his mom and he looked up, and they were like, wow, one year ago, and they walked up, and he got offered a Division One football scholarship," Hargitt said.
"It's kind of a little bit of a fairy tale ending, you know, or I guess it's not an ending, it's a new beginning, right? He's gonna play college football, but it's a really, really cool story," Hargitt said.
Banuelos said Idaho State had been in contact with him since his sophomore year, and that the program's culture sealed the decision.
"It's close to home, you know, everyone always talks about Idaho State, you know, it's one of the Idaho schools. It's a Division One school. It's a great football program, and Coach Duff was like a big, big reason for me and Coach Hawkins, the head coach. Both of them, they're just big, family-oriented guys, and I saw the way they talked to their players, the way they just talked to us at like the camps and stuff like that, and that's what I really wanted for myself," Banuelos said.
Hargitt said the injury has largely been moved off the front burner as the team focuses on the season ahead.
"That person got hurt a year ago. This is a new and improved person," Hargitt said.
Banuelos has embraced that mindset and carried it into the locker room.
"It's not Emmett versus Moscow, it's not Emmett versus Preston, who we played this week, it's Emmett versus Emmett. It's all about Emmett versus Emmett. It's trying to be the best version of us we can possibly be," Hargitt said.
The team's motto this season is TGF — Team Glory Friday.
Emmett opened the season with a win over Moscow and faces Preston this week. Banuelos said the Huskies are not taking anything for granted.
"We have Preston this week, and I think they're going to be a better opponent, so we have to make sure we buckle up and can't take them for, you know what I mean, you can't take anything for granted. We can't underestimate them, and we have to play our hardest," Banuelos said.
The community support heading into the season has been notable. Hargitt said the number of well-wishes he received before the team's trip to Moscow was unlike anything he had seen before.
"Usually I get two or three texts, like my mom will text me, right? I had like 25 texts, like, good luck, we're so excited. Former players that played last year and the year before, they're like, we're praying for you. We hope nobody gets injured, you know, go do the job, all that stuff. It was just really neat to see how many people are kind of behind the scenes rooting for us," Hargitt said.
Throughout the journey, Banuelos said his faith was the foundation of his comeback.
"From coming from the injury to this, it couldn't have been done without God. Like I truly believe he healed me, and the relationship with him is like really why I'm here today and just building that, yeah, so like all praise to Jesus," Banuelos said.
He also said the experience changed how he views showing up for others.
"I'm always going to try to be there for people because like I know like what that meant to me when I needed it," Banuelos said.
As he prepares to close out his high school career and move on to Pocatello, Banuelos said he hopes his story sends a message to young athletes in Emmett and beyond.
"A lot of people say, oh, you can't go play big-time football, you can't do this, it's just like a little farm town, like don't listen to people. Dream big and go chase it because you can really do it. That's the big reason I like stayed here in Emmett, did the things, and I was really just thinking, I want to show all the little kids they can do it too," Banuelos said.
"I'm hoping I set a standard. Win championships, and go play college football. I think that's what Emmett can be," Banuelos said.
The Emmett Huskies host their home opener Friday at 5 p.m. against Preston High School.
