Lynden's Charlie Ayres seizing opportunity after health scare nearly ended football season

What turned out to be a bout of severe dehydration had Lynden High School senior co-captain Charlie Ayres – and the rest of the town's football community – thinking his athletic career was over.

After every game, Lynden football coach Blake VanDalen checks in with their trainers to see how the Lions came out injury-wise.

Following the Lions’ game at Archbishop Murphy on Oct. 6, VanDalen was told they came out of the game clean, but quarterback Brant Heppner exited the locker room and informed him something wasn’t right with Ayres.

“I follow Brant back in the locker room and Charlie comes walking around and he's trying to drink a bottle of water, but he can't keep the water down and tosses it back up and is taking short, choppy breaths,” VanDalen said. “And so I said, ‘Hey, just breathe.’ I sent my brother to go get Duane Korthuis, our trainer, and I said, ‘Just breathe with me.’”

Once Korthuis arrived, VanDalen called Ayres’ parents asking them to turn around and head back to the stadium in case anything happened. When he turned back around after talking to Ayres’ parents, Korthuis told VanDalen to call 911 because they felt Ayres needed oxygen and didn’t have any tanks with them.

“The aid car pulls in at about 9:48, so, this is like 18 minutes after the whole thing started and that was when things got really scary because then his breathing kind of stopped,” VanDalen said. “His eyes kind of rolled back and even (with us) slapping his face he wasn't responding.”

The whole time Ayres said he was aware of what was happening.

“I knew what was going on, but I couldn't get my body to respond,” Ayres said.

Ayres was transported to the hospital where after four days of tests, he was told his season with the Lions was done – and possibly his athletic career.

“I like to say I'm a pretty controlled human, but I was not controlled in that environment,” Ayres said. “I lost it. I just lost control of my emotions and was not very respectful to the doctors. (I was) feeling fine. After they get me rehydrated, I'm feeling fine and like I can go out and play, but something that I can't control is holding me back. It was a horrible, horrible feeling.”

Doctors suggested Ayres could seek a second opinion at the University of Washington, which the family did Oct. 17.

They met with Dr. Jonathan Drezner, director of the UW Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology and team physician for the Seattle Seahawks, OL Reign and Washington Huskies.

After running more tests, Drezner delivered the first bit of good news Ayres had heard in more than a week. He told Ayres it was a severe case of dehydration, but he was perfectly healthy and cleared to return to action.

"His body shut down and that caused his heart to be irregular, so (Drezner) said he doesn't really blame (the other doctors) because they're all seeing a teenage boy with a heart that wasn't beating exactly right," VanDalen said.

For Ayres, it marked the end of an emotional 12 days.

“I honestly just broke down in tears when I got into the car,” Ayres said. “I tried to try to hold it until I got out of the clinic. It was tears of joy as I was driving home. A weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I could go out there back with my team and not worry about wearing a heart monitor or not worry about my heart failing.”

Ayres told VanDalen the good news on his way back to Lynden, and even made it back in time for practice. He was greeted with a loud roar from his teammates as he jogged out onto the field with a helmet and pads on after spending the last week of practice in shorts with a heart monitor strapped to his chest.

“I don't think that I've ever been that excited to practice,” Ayres said. “I love practice, but that one was special.”

VanDalen said he got goosebumps when Ayres told him he was cleared to play.

“My whole body got goosebumps because there was a moment at about 9:48 on Friday night of the Archbishop game where I saw a very grim future,” VanDalen said. “In my 27 years of coaching, I've never been in a situation where I went, ‘Holy s— that aid car needs to get here now.’ (It was) the polar opposite emotions of the depth of a coach’s worst case scenario nightmare to we just got our two-way starting captain back.”

While Ayres was unable to practice, VanDalen and the Lions were trying to figure out how they were going to move on this season without their starting linebacker, top running back and backup quarterback.

In line to take Ayres’ place was ninth grader Malachi Koenen who is also the team’s starting kicker.

“We were still down (backup running back) Luke Human, so our backfield was a freshman and a sophomore,” VanDalen said. “We were ready for Burlington (Edison), but it was going to be interesting.”

Ayres returned to game action last week against Lakewood where he recovered and returned a fumble for a touchdown and had a 5-yard rushing score.

Up next for the Lions is a showdown in Lynden for the 2A Northwest Conference title against top-ranked and undefeated Anacortes.

For Ayres, it’ll be his last game at Rollie DeKoster Field after a roller-coaster 12 days of thinking he wouldn't get the opportunity to play in one final game on the field.

(Featured photo courtesy of Randy Small Photography)