Oliver Fieber knew something was wrong in the spring of 2024 as a sophomore while bolting out of the starting blocks at a high school track meet. Unfortunately, it was the better part of a year before he was in that much of a hurry again.
Now that he’s a standout senior receiver for the Deuel High School football team in Clear Lake, South Dakota, the only detectable trace of that injury is a small scar on his knee.
If you watched him run last spring at the 2025 state high school Class A track meet – a year after he tore his meniscus – you might conclude the injury, surgery and painstaking rehab actually made him faster.
He has a Sanford Health physical therapy staff in Clear Lake to thank in part for that. Encouragement and expertise from that team, combined with Oliver’s own resolve, made his tough circumstances worth the trouble.
“No matter when I was down, they’d try to just keep me up,” said Oliver, who was recently named homecoming king at Deuel High School. “They would just keep me working at all times. If I couldn’t do something, they’d make it a little easier and make me feel more comfortable.”
A healthy spring
His recovery began in earnest with a steady flow of late summer rehab sessions. It was not enough to get him back on the football team yet, but being healthy for spring track season remained a source of motivation.
As a sprinter, he wasn’t going to have an opportunity to “take it easy.” In races like the 100 and 200 meters, you’re either able to go all out or you’re better off sitting out.
His first race back was a third-place finish in 100 meters at the Scott Underwood Invitational, an indoor meet at South Dakota State, with a time of 11.22 seconds. Thereafter, all but one of his races at that distance were under 11 seconds.
“Right after that first race I knew I was back to where I was (before),” Oliver said. “And then I was just back to doing my normal track stuff and getting stronger, working on getting faster. As the season went on, I ran a 10.48, which at the time was the second fastest in South Dakota history. So that’s kind of when I knew. God is great and he made a big impact on my life. Believing in him really helped me.”
Three races, three titles
Given his times early in the 2025 season, it came as little surprise when a healthy Oliver went on to win the 100 meters, the 200 meters and anchored the winning 400 relay at the state Class A meet last May at Howard Wood Field.
He earned co-MVP honors for those efforts and has not slowed down since then as a dangerous receiver for a Deuel football team that had an outstanding season.
Getting back to this point involved two Sanford Health physical therapists and a Sanford certified athletic trainer collaborating with Oliver, who resiliently handled setbacks on the way to his recovery.
Physical therapists Luke Johnson and Karen Sievers at Sanford Clear Lake Medical Center and Kyle Johnson, a certified athletic trainer for the Sanford Sports Performance team in Sioux Falls, all played a prominent role in bringing Oliver back to MVP status.
“He’s just a humble, hardworking, kind kid,” Johnson said. “If you talked to him, you wouldn’t know that he was the state 100-meter, 200-meter and relay champ. He’s just one of those kids that you cheer for. He was very inquisitive, always engaged and willing to give 110% all the time.”
Clear Lake is full of surprises
While working with Johnson and Sievers in Clear Lake, Oliver had access to blood flow restriction therapy, a treatment that helps patients avoid atrophy in their muscles without lifting heavy weights. Essentially, it convinces your muscles you are working harder without the accompanying strain.
“I feel like sometimes people are surprised that in Clear Lake that we are able to offer a treatment like that,” Johnson said. “I feel pretty fortunate that we can offer that here.”
Oliver’s work with Johnson led to more sessions with Sievers, who had her own history with knee injuries in addition to being the mother of four elite athletes.
“She went through a lot of the same stages,” Oliver said. “She thought she could help me, and she did that. My knee was getting better. Then I went to work with Kyle for a little bit harder program that was more advanced.”
Bringing it home
At the conclusion of the process were three state track titles and a memorable football season. Given the ever-increasing collection of credentials he is assembling in those two sports, college athletics is very likely to follow.
Knowledgeable and dedicated Sanford physical therapists and athletic trainers have been part of the path to recovery.
“It’s neat that you can offer treatment that you would traditionally think you would need to get in Sioux Falls or Fargo,” Johnson said. “It just shows that Sanford is invested in making sure that our rural communities have access to some high-quality treatments that you might not find elsewhere.”
For his part, Oliver is grateful. And more importantly, he’s healthy.
“They’re the reason this happened,” Oliver said. “I don’t think I’d get to where I was if I didn’t have those people, I’m not going to lie. … It was a lot of PT but it was worth it and I’m glad I got to do it with those people.”
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Posted In Clear Lake, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation & Therapy, Sports Medicine
