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rom the sideline, Archer Senft understood the gravity of the night as well as anybody on the field. With a father and two older brothers who played lacrosse at Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association schools, the sport, particularly as played in Baltimore’s prestigious prep league, had been integral in his upbringing.

Now, his McDonogh Eagles were 2016 MIAA champions.

In the aftermath of the title-clinching victory over Boys’ Latin, McDonogh coach Andy Hilgartner plopped a game ball and soon the championship plaque in Senft’s lap. Then, the rest of the Eagles swarmed his wheelchair in a mass of jubilant celebration.

Of course Senft was the center of attention after McDonogh conquered the brutally tough conference for the first time in more than a decade. From the outset of the 2016 season, this group pledged to be #ArcherStrong.

Senft grinned ear-to-ear as the party kicked into gear, soaking in a moment he had dreamed about for years.

“It was just cool to kind of be a part of that energy,” Senft said.

Senft’s playing career effectively ended Aug. 5, 2015, when a freak accident at a New Jersey beach brought on much bigger concerns. He dove into the ocean that day, hit a sandbar and fractured the C5 vertebra in his neck.

Senft should have been preparing for his junior year at McDonogh. Instead, he was fighting for his life. He spent the next six months in a hospital hooked up to machines and grinding through intensive physical therapy. He remains paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Senft, who turns 19 next Thursday, has maintained his connection to lacrosse through two years of recovery. The former attackman provided a lift during McDonogh’s 2016 championship run merely with his presence on the sideline, and he was able to be with the Eagles even more this spring.

It’s just another way Senft has adapted to his new normal. He has used his passion for digital design to produce a clothing line and an art exhibit, with help from an iPad connected to his chair.

Along the way, he worked diligently to catch up on his school work to be able to graduate on time, a goal that finished with his speech at McDonogh’s commencement last month.

In a few weeks, Senft will begin his next chapter studying engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

“It’s been pretty amazing,” McDonogh coach Andy Hilgartner said. “The kind of spirit that Archer has shown has not only got him to where he is now, but I really think it’s inspired and instilled an incredible spirit in anybody that’s come in contact with him over the last two years.”

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enft didn’t have much choice but to get into lacrosse.

The fourth of five children, he had a stick in his hand as far back as he can remember. He learned the finer points of the game playing for his father, Bill, with Maryland Lacrosse Club, and later he moved on to the competitive circuit with clubs sponsored by Lax World and Greene Turtle.

At McDonogh, a stacked varsity roster relegated Senft to play junior varsity as a freshman and sophomore. He made an immediate impact there, earning a reputation for his creativity around the net and willingness to ride. His coaches appreciated his laid-back approach and quick wit. Most times.

“Some guys get kind of uptight and tense on the field,” Hilgartner said. “That was not his way about life or about his style of playing lacrosse.”

Senft was in the student section cheering in 2015 when McDonogh fell in the MIAA final. He expected to make the jump to varsity as a junior, where he’d try to help the Eagles take the next step.

Then, the accident changed everything.

Senft suddenly was battling for his life. He bounced from hospital rooms in New Jersey to Georgia to Maryland. At first, he could only communicate with blinks and by clicking his tongue. It took months before he was even able to breathe on his own without a ventilator.

Once his condition started to stabilize, Senft would spend eight to 10 hours a day in rehab trying to rebuild strength in the few muscles he could control and the many more he couldn’t. One session at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute even included an exercise that had him manipulating a child’s soft-toss stick attached to his arms to fling bean bags at a target.

Senft, who also played soccer and basketball at McDonogh, credited his athletic background for keeping him going, even when progress was excruciatingly slow.

“You just kind of have to go in every day or week-by-week and put your best foot forward and see what you can do,” Senft said. “Gradually, things got better and better.”

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uring that time, the lacrosse community — around Baltimore and beyond — stepped up to donate thousands to help pay his medical bills. The coaches at rival Calvert Hall quickly put together a fall tournament in his honor and other MIAA foes offered their support, too.

The #ArcherStrong hash tag on social media helped raise awareness for fundraising and boosted Senft’s spirits in the hospital. One day, a video arrived with about a dozen local high school teams shouting “Archer strong” and showing off gear with the same message. Coaches from Duke, Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Loyola and many more sent signed jerseys or helmets.

“Everybody came together,” Senft said. “It didn’t matter what school I went to or who I played for in the past. Just the fact that I was a lacrosse player from Baltimore had so many people wanting to do whatever they could to help me out.”

Senft finally was cleared to return home Feb. 6, 2016. Less than a month later, he attended a McDonogh lacrosse scrimmage. He returned to campus in March 2016. Hudreds of McDonogh students assembled around him in an auditorium to celebrate his return to the school.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SENFT FAMILY

Hilgartner urged his players that day to play for their teammate who wished he could be out there with them. When the Eagles matched up well against Pennsylvania power Haverford School, it was an unmistakable sign to the coach that it might be a special season.

“That year, one of the big focuses on our team was just talking about being grateful,” Hilgartner said. “Just being grateful for the opportunity to walk onto the field every day, for the opportunity to have a hard practice, for the opportunity to be around our teammates. Archer was a big reason why our guys had that attitude throughout the year.”

The Eagles would finish 2016 at 18-1, including a handful of wins over nationally ranked opponents. They went unbeaten in MIAA on the way to their first title since 2005.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SENFT FAMILY

Senft attended as many games as he could, usually watching from the same spot near the Eagles’ bench.

“That was a big thing for me, especially early on,” Senft said. “They really made me feel like I was a part of what they were doing and really embraced me as a teammate, even though I wasn’t on the field.”

Along the way, #ArcherStrong became more than just a motto on their shooting shirts.

“I’d say it to myself, and it’d give me more energy,” Eagles goalie Ollie Abramson said. “Just because the fight that he put up with his injury was so inspiring to our entire team. Everything that we did was for him.”

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his year, Senft was able to return full-time to McDonogh.

He had started his post-accident tutoring in an Atlanta hospital room learning calculus on a white board when he could barely keep his eyes open after exhausting rehab sessions. He continued schoolwork through last summer, allowing him to get back on schedule with his classmates.

That meant Senft was able to spend more time with the lacrosse team, on and off the field. He missed just one game, as McDonogh returned to the MIAA final and earned a No. 9 national ranking.

Senft even hit the road for McDonogh’s spring break trip to North Carolina. His first hotel stay post-accident was another of the many small milestones in his recovery.

“I didn’t have any other big spring break plans,” Senft deadpanned.

Senft has plenty more on his plate, though.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SENFT FAMILY

Long an artist interested in drawing and painting, he discovered digital design during his recovery. He was discouraged with art therapy that had him struggling to draw by hand with charcoal. His iPad allows him to use Adobe Illustrator to produce graphics with the precision he craved.

Senft launched his Slimeyard Slimes line of shirts and ties last summer, a parody of the Vineyard Vines brand with a distinctive snail logo. Through the end of this month, several of his prints will be on display at a gallery a few blocks from his family’s home in Baltimore. His subjects range from rappers to Greek mythology.

“When I went down there,” Hilgartner said, “I was just blown away.”

All the while, Senft continues rehab in an effort to get stronger and more independent. He now has a specialized stationary bike that allows him to do much of his exercise at home.

The next challenge is college. Senft picked Penn because of its engineering program and handicap accessibility, including the state-of-the-art dorm in which he will reside.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Quakers have a fine lacrosse program. Coach Mike Murphy already has reached out to Senft.

“I’m sure I’ll be involved in some capacity,” Senft said. “I’ll see what I can do.”