SAN MARCOS, Texas -- As an eighth-grader, Demarcus Hall began to feel shoulder pain one day after throwing the football around.

A few weeks of icing and resting it and the pain did not go away. A trip to the doctor finally prompted more tests to be done and the discovery that he had Stage 3 large B cell lymphoma.

At the age of 14, Hall now faced 6 months of chemotherapy and severe pain. However, the chemo worked and Hall received word from doctors that he was cancer free. He’s been in remission the past 4 years.

During his treatments, doctors told Hall that he wouldn’t play football again. It’s something he never chose to believe because he felt he was born to play sports. As a sophomore he returned to the football field and is now a senior starter at cornerback for the San Marcos Rattlers. He’s a big reason they’re enjoying one of their best seasons in program history, winning a district title and a first round playoff game.