YODER – Southeast senior Kaden Malm earned postseason recognition for his efforts on the gridiron, but not for what he did with a helmet and shoulder pads on.

A right shoulder injury kept Malm off the field during his senior year, but he still stuck with the sport, taking on almost a coach’s role. Sticking the with the sport, despite the disappearance of playing time, earned the Cyclone the courage award from the Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

“I’m really grateful for it,” Malm said of the postseason honor. “It kind of seems weird because it’s almost like I’m getting recognized for my injuries, but just to have the opportunity to be recognized just means a lot.

“Always trying to give as much as I can in sports and always wanting to participate in everything I can, but maybe not always having the opportunity to do so because of injury – it means a lot to know that there is still recognition out there.”

Malm’s injury list started during his freshman football season, where he dislocated his shoulder on the first defensive play of his Cyclone career. He sat out five games due to the injury, which he originally thought was just a stinger, before returning during the season. The same thing happened during the season finale in the same year.

Malm went into the basketball season during his freshman year looking to contribute on the court. The season was going fine until he dislocated the same shoulder for a third time, which resulted in a surgery.

Malm had a bit of a reprieve from injury during his sophomore year, when he was healthy and able to play football, basketball and run track for the Cyclones, but during his junior year, injury struck again. During the quarterfinal game in the football playoffs, Malm dislocated his shoulder for the fourth time.

“It was kind of sad that it was something I almost got accustomed to,” Malm said.

Following his fourth dislocation, Malm was sidelined for a lot of the action during his junior year. He missed his entire junior season of both basketball and track. Heading into his senior football season, Malm made the decision to take on a different role with the team. He did not want to risk inducing more trauma to his shoulder.

“It was more the choice of not playing. It wasn’t like college football was my No. 1 idea,” Malm said. “It was the idea of having a working shoulder for the rest of my life without a shoulder replacement.”

Malm went from patrolling the defensive backfield as a safety for the Cyclones to patrolling the sidelines, helping out the coaching staff.

“I got to help out with the DB’s and safeties this year and some of the receivers and running backs,” Malm said. “That was nice to still be able to be a part of it.

“Being able to help kids along and getting to help them and give them the pointers that I maybe needed my freshman and sophomore year to get me to where I was – that was a lot of fun just to get to help them out in their growing,” he said.

Although Malm spent most of his senior season on the sidelines, he still got a swansong, playing in a few special teams plays in the playoffs against Cokeville. He kicked off to start the second half and played on the punt team.

“I was more told to avoid contact and be a warm body on the field,” Malm said with a laugh, but him returning to the field did not go unnoticed by his team. “It didn’t seem like there should be that much hype about somebody kicking a few balls. It was pretty fun.”

Malm took his talents to the basketball court for his senior season and was a pillar for the Cyclones, who won the consolation championship at the state tournament. During the postseason, Malm averaged 8.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game, helping the Cyclones to a 14-13 record.

“Basketball was really just lay it all out there,” Malm said of his favorite sport. “It was my last season and I wasn’t really looking to go play college basketball anywhere.”

Malm is also a key piece of the Cyclones’ track team this spring. He is a leg of Southeast’s 1600-meter relay team which recently finished second at the prestigious Best in the West Classic in Scottsbluff, Neb. with a time of 3:31.16. Malm is joined by Chase Lovercheck and Brant and Brady Fullmer on the relay team.

“Just getting to be back out there after missing last year and not being able to compete in track is great,” Malm said. “Being able to come back and fill one of the spots on the state championship 4x4 that won last year and hopefully put us in the same position this year is really big.”

Despite his recent athletic success, Malm plans to hang up his cleats, high-tops and track spikes at the end of his high school career. After four shoulder dislocations and two surgeries, including one where a screw was put in his shoulder, Malm plans to head to college for a less physically taxing team. The All-American livestock judger plans to join a livestock judging team at the collegiate level and major in animal science.