By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Carter Olson's junior season in both football and basketball was a lost year.
Olson suffered an ACL injury in Shawnee Heights' 2020 season-opening football game, an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of football season and the entire 2020-2021 basketball season.
That's the bad news.
The good news is that the 6-foot-6 senior continues to make up for lost time and is enjoying every minute of it.
Shawnee Heights senior Carter Olson (22) battles for a rebound against Leavenworth in last Tuesday's 66-44 UKC win over the Pioneers. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Olson earned second-team All-United Kansas Conference recognition and All-Shawnee County honorable mention in football for 5-5 Shawnee Heights and has played a major role on the basketball court for the T-Birds, who will take a 7-1 record into Tuesday night's Viking Classic tournament opener against Wyandotte at Shawnee Mission West.
Olson was solid in the early going for the T-Birds, but stepped up his game last week with back-to-back double-doubles in lopsided United Kansas Conference victories over Leavenworth and Turner.
Olson's big breakthrough was a 14-point, 11-rebound performance in last Tuesday's 66-44 win over Leavenworth.
"To be honest, it really did take me to this game to get back,'' Olson said. "It took me awhile through the summer and until now just to get prepared and now the game of basketball again. I'm glad to be back.''
Olson followed that game with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Friday's 82-58 win at Turner, with the T-Birds winning their fourth straight game.
Senior Carter Olson has registered back-to-back double-doubles for Shawnee Heights, which is 7-1 on the season. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"I feel more confident, more smooth with the ball and am just getting better and better every week and I'll just keep practicing,'' Olson said.
Olson said that making it through the entire football season healthy helped prep him for basketball.
"Being out for six months really got me out of shape and playing football and getting back in that sports mentality, it was fun,'' Olson said. "That was just that confidence boost I'm gaining every week from practice and getting to know that my knee's going to be OK. I'm just getting the confidence I need to be out there.''
Olson wore a knee brace during football season but discarded the brace for basketball.
"I talked to the doctor and he said it was fine to not wear it for basketball,'' Olson said. "I wore it for football because I know it's more of a contact sport, but I trust my knee and it's holding up so far.''
Hall of Fame Shawnee Heights coach Ken Darting said Olson has provided a big boost for the T-Birds after missing a ton of playing time early in his career.
"He probably missed four or five games the year before -- ankles twice, knees -- so he's played very little,'' Darting said. "He's been great. Carter is a hard-nosed competitor and hard-headed as he is hard-nosed and he's absolutely interested in one thing and that's winning.
"He goes after rebounds like crazy. He goes from right wing to left block rebounding.''
Olson has helped lead the way as Shawnee Heights has already surpassed its win total from the entire 2020-2021 season.
"We're having a lot of fun,'' Olson said. "We're having fun at practice, getting along real well. The freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors are all getting along and we're just a big family.
"No one gets down on each other. We pick each other up and we're doing good.''
