Senior football player and Lehigh commit, Andy Tatsch, had never imagined his senior season would come down to just one game. But after a preseason scrimmage sidelined him for longer than he expected, Tatsch had one goal: to play at least one more game as a Wildcat. 

The heart-wrenching injury during the Wildcats’ scrimmage against Penn Hills on Rossi Field realigned the path of his senior season. “I heard a pop in my hip when I made the tackle, and my brother had the same thing [hip avulsion] during his junior year, so I immediately knew what it was,” said Tatsch. 

Although no one knew the severity of the injury immediately, the results were revealed the following day. “It was not until the next day that we found out it was going to be a lot worse than we thought, and my heart sank in that moment,” said Coach McIntyre. 

“The day that I found the news, I was at his house, we sat on his couch, and he said, at some point this year, ‘I want to play football,’ and that was a goal he had, and we didn’t know how realistic it was at that point,” said McIntyre. 

While the average recovery time for his injury is 12 weeks, Tatsch was eager for one last game at Memorial Stadium. “When I got checked out by the doctor, I told him my goals for recovery, he told me eight weeks might be a little bit rushed, but I made that my goal,” said Tatsch.

During his time away from the field, he attended physical therapy twice a week and lifted on other days. Tastch’s brother, Alex, went through a similar process in his senior year, as he was out with a shoulder injury. “We went through a lot of the same stuff, and he gave me a lot of good advice and helped me out mentally and physically and gave me tips for physical therapy,” said Tatsch.

Despite the devastating setback, Tatsch refused to let his injury define his senior year. “At first it sucked, but I just had to look on the bright side of things. I knew I had an opportunity that I might be able to come back and play, and I did. So, that was exciting,” said Tatsch. 

From the sidelines, he became a vocal leader, motivating his teammates through practices and Friday night games.  “Andy was almost like another coach for us this year. He came to practice, coached kids, and sometimes even led drills. So he was still very involved, which certainly helped fill that void that was there with him not being in the lineup,” said

Coach McIntyre. 

While Tatsch remained an important player on the team, he also admitted that being on the sidelines was tough and something that felt unusual for him.  “I wanted to play, and I’ve been playing the last few years without being sidelined from injury, so it felt weird and something that wasn’t natural for me,” said Tatsch. 

After countless doctor’s appointments, therapy sessions, and visits to the trainer, Tatsch felt prepared in every way to play on his senior night. “I was getting treatment every day in the trainers, easing my way into practice, just progressively adding more reps as the week went on, and shutting it down Thursday just to make sure my body was primed and ready for the game,” said Tatsch. 

Not only were his doctors a huge part of getting him back onto the field, but also Greater Latrobes’ athletic trainers, Nick Krisantz and Kaitlyn Knopsnider. “I am pretty close with them, so it helps having them there for treatment, but it’s also nice having people to talk to every day,” said Tatsch. 

On Monday, October 13, Tatsch was cleared to participate in his first practice since the injury occurred at the beginning of the season. His presence at practice and in the locker room that week became a source of energy for the Wildcats. “The week leading up to the game, Monday through Thursday, just him being at practice, it kind of injected some life into us, just him being around,” said Coach McIntyre.

Senior night, October 17, 2025, became Tatsch’s debut for his first and last game of his senior year. Not only did he walk out with his parents on senior night, but he also walked out in orange and black, prepared for the game. “I was happy that he was able to walk the field with his parents on senior night. Obviously, his brother wasn’t able to do that last year, and I think that was something that worried him,” said McIntyre. 

Going into the game, Tatsch felt all the emotions going into his first game post-injury. “I really wanted to get at least one game in and help my team out, so I felt like I was ready, but still nervous,” said Tatsch. 

“The other coach’s eyes were all on him in pre-game, because I don’t think they expected him to be out there, and when they saw him, they all took notice,” said McIntyre. 

While no one was quite certain of how long Tatsch would be able to play that night, by the end of the game, everyone was astonished by his performance on the field. “His performance on the field Friday was incredible after not playing for eight weeks, and I’m sure he wasn’t at peak game shape, like he would have been in the summer, but he changed the game,” said Coach McIntyre, “I was just really proud and really excited to see him achieve that goal and be able to go out there and do that on his senior night.”

Once Tatsch was on the field, the nerves eased, and there were no regrets about playing that night. “When he was out there, he pretty much went full go until he really couldn’t anymore,” said Coach McIntyre.

In the last quarter of play, Tatsch came off the field after feeling like he had tweaked his hip. He was erring on the side of caution, making sure he did not further injure himself. Unfortunately, that was Tatsch’s last game of the season after almost getting a full game in. “He worked hard, and he deserved it. I know he’s going to have a lot of football games to play in his future. But to get one more in the Wildcat uniform at home, it was pretty special, I think,” said McIntyre. 

Tatsch’s relationships at Latrobe through football are something he will miss after graduation. “The coaches are a lot more than football coaches for me. I am pretty tight with them and talk to them about anything. I am not sure I will have anything like that later in life, but I felt it was unique and really fun to experience,” said Tatsch. 

While his time in a Wildcat jersey has ended, Tatsch’s football story is far from over. Next year, he’ll suit up for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, where he will play football and likely pursue a business career.  “I definitely want to get on the field my first or second year and make an impact there and see how far I can take football,” said Tatsch.