PICKFORD - Pickford High School standout Gunner Bennin returned to the basketball court this winter after a lacerated kidney forced him to miss the remainder of the football playoffs. Bennin scored 14 points in his season debut, helping the undefeated Panthers basketball team as they enter the final stretch of the season.
The injury occurred during Bennin’s senior football season, which was trending toward a repeat trip to the state finals following a junior year appearance. After a win over Inland Lakes opened the playoffs, Bennin was sidelined by an internal injury and was forced to watch the rest of the football season from the sidelines.
After the game concluded, Bennin noticed blood in his urine and sought medical attention at the advice of his family and coaches. Hospital doctors diagnosed him with a lacerated kidney and informed him he could not finish the football season on the field. While the injury was severe, Bennin did not require surgery.
Despite his eagerness to return, the recovery process forced him to miss the first two games of the current basketball schedule.
Bennin described the difficulty of watching his team from the bench during those opening weeks of the season.
“Watching practice and I can’t do anything. And then I miss having to miss two games. That was rough,” Bennin said. “That was probably worse than the whole kidney thing. I couldn’t do anything. Having to watch everyone play, I like can’t help or I can’t compete, so that was tough for me.”
He eventually made his debut in the third game of the basketball season, scoring 14 points. Since his return, the Panthers have remained undefeated as they move toward the end of the regular season. Bennin said he has relied on the support of others to maintain his work ethic during the recovery.
“You just got to get through it,” Bennin said. “I mean, there’s a lot of ups and downs with it, but you just got to rely on other people. I mean, it’s never going to be perfect. You’re never going to get that time back. But you just got to like look at the positive outcomes.”