After injuries, Lake Wales grad Luke Hiers getting back to form at Warner

LAKE WALES — When Luke Hiers stepped onto the practice field at Warner University last fall, he did so with a cautious excitement. He was happy to be back on the football field for the first time since he graduated from Lake Wales in 2015.

Two shoulder injuries derailed his career at the University of Central Florida before it really got started.

When he left Lake Wales, he was rated as a three-star recruit by ESPN. Hiers went to a recruiting fair at Lake Wales in search of another opportunity in college football. He was a center that nobody wanted. There were times where he wondered whether he could still do it.

Only one coach showed interest at that recruiting fair: Rod Shafer, his former head coach at Lake Wales.

“They’re like family,” said Shafer, now the head coach at Warner. “They live in the same neighborhood (as us) and his mom was one of my favorite students that I ever had.”

That first day on the practice field ended quickly for Hiers. Forty pounds below his playing weight, Hiers pulled a hamstring during the first rep of conditioning. It was a blessing in disguise, as he spent most of the season getting his body right and regaining his size and strength.

“I had that the whole year, and I ended up playing in the last two games. I played here and there,” he said. “Right now, I still don’t feel like I did in high school. I feel OK, but the strength aspect — I lost all of it. I haven’t quite got it all back from what I had, and I don’t think I will.

“I just have to deal with what I’ve got.”

Originally, Hiers injured his shoulder during his senior year. He missed a few games and Shafer sat him until the postseason, allowing him to play a “dozen or so” plays in the regular season finale against rival Bartow.

He committed to Kentucky in May 2014. His Lake Wales teammate, Marcus Walker, committed to the Wildcats in July. Hiers never played a down for Kentucky, de-committing in August.

After taking a few visits to UCF that fall, he signed in September. Two years removed from a Fiesta Bowl win, the Knights finished 0-12 in 2015. Former Knights head coach George O’Leary, who brought Hiers in, retired after that season.

Scott Frost, now at Nebraska, took over in 2016. He cleaned house and Hiers said he was the only member of that 2014 class that Frost offered to keep. But after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2014 and 2015, UCF disqualified him medically.

“I knew he always wanted to continue to play, but really Central Florida didn’t clear him, which made no sense,” Shafer said. “Really, it was just to the point where, I think, they weren’t sure he was going to get ready and get healthy so they just disqualified him.”

That led Hiers home. He reached out to Lake Wales head coach Tavaris Johnson, and that eventually led to Shafer and Warner.

“He struggled in the fall because he had hamstrings and fat-strings,” Shafer joked, adding that he’ll play guard this season. “I tell you what, he fought through them. I always tell him right now, he’s back to where he was as a senior. Now, in the spring, he took a step. He’s starting to be the kind of football player he should be. “

Hiers is just happy to be back on the field. The on-field experience late last season was nice, but working as one of six linemen in the spring was big. He’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t fun at times, but churning out 80 to 90 reps per day has been huge as he’s worked to get back to where he was.

There aren’t any big stadiums at Warner, and the football locker room is currently three portable classrooms near the practice field. It’s far from UCF, but that’s alright. Hiers missed the camaraderie. He missed being a part of a team.

“I feel like I’m put here for a reason,” he said. “I’m glad to be a part of a team. Even these new guys are great, the new offensive linemen. I haven’t met everybody yet, but I already feel better about it because in those portables, we’ve all got to struggle together.”

“Hopefully I can get through this camp without messing something up,” he added. “Getting to play a full season would be nice. Getting to experience that and not have to watch almost three-quarters of it.”

SCHEDULE

Aug. 25;at Georgetown (Ky.);1:30 p.m.

Sept. 8;KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN;1:30 p.m.

Sept. 15;REINHARDT (Ga.);1:30 p.m.

Sept. 22;at Pikeville (Ky.);1:30 p.m.

Oct. 6;EDWARD WATERS*;1:30 p.m.

Oct. 13;SOUTHEASTERN*;1:30 p.m.

Oct. 20;at Keiser*;Noon

Oct. 27;WEBBER INTERNATIONAL*;1:30 p.m.

Nov. 3;at Faulkner (Ala.)*;Noon

Nov. 10;at Ave Maria*;7 p.m.

*Mid-South Conference game

**Warner’s game against Reinhardt will be played at Lakeland Christian School's Vikings Stadium. Their other four home games will be played at Legion Field in Lakeland.

WARNER UNIVERSITY ROYALS

2017 RECORD: 4-6 (2-3, Mid-South Conference)

HEAD COACH: Rod Shafer (36-37, 19-22 at Warner)

ANALYSIS: Few teams at the NAIA level will face a tougher schedule than Warner. The Royals, coming off a disappointing year, face four teams ranked in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll: No. 2 Reinhardt (Ga.), No. 7 Georgetown (Ky.), No. 11 Southeastern and No. 24 Faulkner (Ala.). Injuries and inconsistency put any dreams of competing for the Sun Division title to rest early in 2017. The Royals lose a bevy of seniors — including QB D.J. Davis, OL Dajshon Oliver and RB Bryant Benton — but quite a bit returns offensively. Shafer is still looking for a standout in the backfield, but the staff likes freshman RB Ralph Hughey. It could be a big year for WR Jeff Suarez. Lineman Luke Hiers, Cody Cox and Donald Carruthers return. The race to replace Davis at QB will come down to four players. Andre Tommie and Ryan Grow, the backups last season, have experience in the program. Look out for sophomore Michael Young, a transfer from NCAA Division II St. Augustine’s (N.C.), and freshman Reginald Anthony. The defense has some holes to fill, but the strength will be the line. DE Will Bethel (41 tackles, 4 sacks) is rejoined by DE Drew Clark (41 tackles, 8 sacks in 2016), who missed all but one game last season. The coaches have high hopes for converted TE Chayce Armbruster at DE, too. Emmanuel Bien-Aime (72 tackles) leads a young LB group.