Foreign exchange athlete tears ACL in football game, finds positives in new experiences in American high school

In their week three matchup against the Elkhorn South Storm, the Central football team lost one of their most valuable players of the season to injury. Justus Allerup, a foreign exchange student from Denmark, tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus early in the first quarter of the game. “I could feel right away that it was a serious injury and new it was my turn to sit out for some time,” says Allerup. In terms of recovery, it will take 9 months after his surgery before he’s able to get back to playing again.

As was a staring wide receiver and outside linebacker for the eagles, he saw a lot of playing time prior to his injury. He had struggled with a hamstring tear in his first week at Central, which did limit him, but he did manage to shine in the games he played. On offense, Allerup had 6 receptions for 77 yards through three games with one touchdown scored in the team’s week one game against Columbus, and 9 tackles on defense. 

It truly is an unfortune turn of events for him, as he said, “one of the main reasons why I came over here was to play football the American way and see if it could bring me somewhere.” Even with his relatively productive season put to an untimely end, the senior still plans on making his exchange year one to remember. “Besides my injury, I have had a really good start on my exchange year and the Central students have welcomed me very well.”