South Christian reserve RB perseveres and inspires through numerous injuries: ‘The type of teammate you look for’

BY SCOTT DECAMP

For Michigan Sports Radio

BYRON CENTER – Running back Kyle Naklizki took the handoff from quarterback Houston Wildeboer, found a seam to his left, and sprinted into the end zone.

Naklizki’s 7-yard touchdown run put the finishing touches on Grand Rapids South Christian’s 35-14 season-opening victory over Grand Rapids Christian Aug. 28 at East Kentwood’s Falcon Stadium.

It was more than a reserve getting a carry in mop-up duty, however. It was a moment that made Naklizki’s trials and tribulations all feel worth it.

“It was great. It felt like everything just lifted off my shoulders. All the stress, all the weight,” Naklizki said.

In the last couple of years, the 5-foot-8, 195-pound junior has suffered numerous stress fractures in his lower leg and even injuries to metatarsals, but he endured and vowed to return to the football field.

To this day, Naklizki, 17, still does not have a diagnosis but mother Tracy Naklizki said her youngest child has suffered eight or nine fractures in his lifetime.

Through three games this season, Naklizki has only nine carries for 12 yards. But with him, it’s not about statistics or becoming the star player. It’s about the big picture.

Naklizki’s story is one of persistence, perseverance, toughness, the love of football and being with his friends, and becoming part of something bigger than himself.

That touchdown, his lone score of the season thus far, was a personal victory for him.

“Him scoring that touchdown, we were like, ‘Yeah … .’ It was probably the biggest deal ever. To other people, it was just like, ‘OK,’” Tracy Naklizki said. “To us it was like, ‘OK, he’s made it.’ He’s gotten this far and it’s all good.”

That’s not to say it’s been easy. Far from it.

Kyle Naklizki was born with a kidney issue, his mom said, and he underwent kidney surgery at 3 months old. At age 5, he was cleared by a kidney specialist.

Several of Naklizki’s fractures have happened in the last year and a half. 

In the summer of 2025, an MRI revealed a new stress fracture in his right leg. Tracy Naklizki is a nurse, so in addition to her motherly instinct, she grew more suspicious and began digging a little deeper  into what was ailing her son. Numerous doctor and specialist visits kept resulting in “We don’t know what’s wrong.” 

Kyle Naklizki played on the varsity football team last year as a sophomore. His mother said her son would routinely come home and say, “My leg hurts, my leg hurts,” even though nothing showed up on X-rays. Regardless, Kyle wanted to work through the discomfort and finish the football season with his team.

This February, the Naklizkis met with a specialist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, which has a metabolic bone clinic. 

Kyle underwent every genetic test known to man, his mom said, and none of them showed anything. Tracy said her son does not have osteoporosis, but he started receiving infusions that help increase bone density. 

The Naklizkis have made several trips to Columbus, staying overnight at the Ronald McDonald House. 

“He would get these infusions and then he would feel terrible the next day and bone aches and all the things that went with it, but he wanted to get back (to the field). I think that’s the story behind it all,” Tracy Naklizki said.

The doctor appointments, the long car rides to Columbus, the infusions, the sickness, the pain, the walking boot, the uncertainty: Were they worth it?

Absolutely, in Kyle’s mind. Scoring that touchdown proved symbolic. It was a personal triumph.

“Man, there were a lot of mental battles. Like, ‘Should I do this?’ Like, ‘Why? Why am I doing this? Why am I putting myself through this?’” he said.

“I had outside noise, people telling me, ‘Just be done. This isn’t worth it. You need to probably first prioritize your body.’ So, I mean, it was just like proving everyone wrong; proving myself wrong, too. All those doubts in my mind kind of just washed away and it was just a surreal feeling.”

The Naklizkis are “a football family,” in Tracy’s words. Her husband, John, played college football.

Kyle Naklizki has been playing the sport since third grade. He transferred from Byron Center, where his older siblings attended, to South Christian prior to high school. The 3.9 student said he felt a pull to South Christian and, hearing him talk, he’s very spiritual.

Naklizki lost a portion of his freshman season on the Sailors’ junior varsity football team because of a stress fracture. In January 2025 while doing winter training for lacrosse, he fractured metatarsals in his left foot.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

This summer, Naklizki was cleared in June to begin running in time for football conditioning. Doubts persisted, though.

“There were many conversations this summer, ‘I’m not going to play,’ and I get it,” Tracy Naklizki recalled. “He’s like, ‘I have tried to come back so many times and every time I come back, I’m back in a boot.’”

Naklizki continued pushing forward. He calls the football field, even the practice field, his “happy place.”

It’s going to take a lot more to keep him from it.

“I mean, it gives me a sense of comfort. It gives me a sense of excitement,” he said during a recent South Christian practice. “I find the joy and just the grind here. Coach (Danny) Brown touched on it when we came into fall camp: We need to fall in love with this place right here, with the practice field, because this is where it’s all built.”

That may mean different things to different people.

To Naklizki, it means he’s present, in the moment, part of a brotherhood.

“I think it’s a huge deal,” Brown said. “I’m a huge proponent of sport obviously because it’s fun to compete but just the life lessons you can learn and just being part of a team. I mean, I don’t think that quits after you get done with high school, whether it’s a job or being part of a family, raising a family, any of that stuff. 

“To have a kid that loves the game, wants to compete, and just can’t get there because of something he cannot control … I think it’s been awesome to just see him run around smiling and doing something he loves.”

Naklizki brings that never-quit spirit and he’s very supportive of his teammates, which they clearly appreciate. “He brings the juice,” senior teammate Charlie Vermaas said with a big grin.

When thinking about Naklizki’s impact on the South Christian team, consider the movie “Rudy,” although the solidly built Naklizki is not the longshot to get on the field as Rudy Ruettiger was.

“Kyle loves football. He loves the team. He’s just a guy that you love to be around,” Vermaas said. “There’s games last year Kyle maybe didn’t play as much as he wanted, but he’s one of the biggest cheerleaders. He’s looking out for you and he’s just a guy you want on your team. If you have 60 Kyles on your team, there’s no one stopping you. He plays his butt off. He roots for you. He’s just the type of teammate you look for.”

Naklizki said there have been times when he was afraid he may not make it back to the field. Before his most recent infusion last month, he did not know if football was in his future. 

He’s a blue-collar type of person, who is interested in the trades and construction management for a career, so he’s not afraid of hard work.

Naklizki admitted becoming emotional during pregame and the National Anthem for South Christian’s season opener. Being on the field, scoring that TD, was a full-circle type of moment.

“His brothers, they were posting stuff (on social media) the next day, like, ‘You can’t teach tough. This is tough.’”

Naklizki is doing it for himself, but he’s also doing it for his football brothers.

“These guys, these coaches, this community – they took me in. They’ve just been so welcoming. … I just want to be there for them,” Naklizki said about finding his fit at South Christian. “Even if I wasn’t able to play this year, I still could be part of this thing because it just makes my heart happy.”

Featured photo at the top: South Christian junior Kyle Naklizki is pictured during practice Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at South Christian High School in Byron Center, Mich. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)