“I was done. I was done for the year.” 

Those were the first thoughts that raced through senior quarterback Bobby Fetter’s mind on Friday, September 3 after dislocating his left shoulder in the second game of the season against Norwin. 

Bobby is no stranger to shoulder injuries throughout his athletic career. During his sophomore season in 2019, Bobby dislocated his left shoulder in week 1 against Penn Hills. A quick come back allowed him to return to the field, but he separated his right shoulder in week 9, ending his first season as a starter before he could find his groove. Entering 2020, Fetter made a full recovery only to dislocate his left shoulder again in February. 

At this point, Bobby and his family decided it was time to have surgery on his left shoulder. The surgery, done in March, repaired his labrum and the ball-and-socket joint in his left shoulder. 

After a 4 month long recovery, Bobby was ready to return as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats for the 2021 season. The Cats looked poised for a big season following a strong off-season of practices and a 10-3 record in 7v7 games. 

Entering the 2021 season, the team wanted to “win a playoff game and go over .500” according to Fetter. A massive 61-0 win over rival Derry, in which Bobby threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, showed the Cats looked ready to achieve their goal.

However, during an awkward tackle against Norwin, Bobby felt the same shoulder he thought was indestructible pop out for the fourth time, which changed the outlook for Fetter as QB and ultimately the team.

Although initially feeling like his 12-year football career had come to an abrupt end, Bobby said he knew pretty quickly that was not the case. 

“A week, week and a half after, I knew I could come back,” Fetter stated, “I started therapy at Excela, and they told me I could come back if I wanted to.”

Because of so many prior injuries, overcoming the mental challenges became his lone setback following his injury.

“It was a mental thing because I knew I could come back. After the first surgery, I came back two months early. I knew, physically, I could come back, but I had to mentally get right because I thought the shoulder was locked together,” said Fetter. 

After countless hours of physical therapy and mental preparation, Bobby is ready to lead the Wildcats for their final four regular-season games and put an exclamation point on his senior year. 

The goals have not changed for the team, only the process to get there.

“We want to win out. If we win out, we could host a playoff game. If we host a playoff game, I believe we’d win,” Fetter said.

A playoff victory would be the first for Greater Latrobe since the 1968 WPIAL Championship. Fetter’s main goal is to put an end to the 53-year drought before his high school career ends. 

As he prepares for these final few games, Bobby is also preparing for his post-high school career. He plans to attend Penn State University in the fall with the hopes of being healthy enough to walk on to the football program. Bobby, with the help of his high school experiences, is ready to take on anything life throws at him and will be successful in whichever endeavor he chooses.