VIDALIA — Something didn’t feel right when his foot hit the floor, and Julius Wilson knew it.

The Vidalia senior remembers the moment like it happened yesterday.

“I went up for a rebound and just came down wrong,” Wilson said. “It had a lot to do with my foot being crooked, so it is kind of hard for me to land.”

The result — a torn tendon in his ankle and a lengthy rehab stint.

“The doctor told me I had to wait because I couldn’t risk further injury,” he said.

So Wilson went to work, just like he had done his previous season on the court for the Vikings. He was coming off a year where he was the team’s top scorer, averaging more than 15 points per game, but now, he had to quickly become the team’s biggest cheerleader.

“It was tough just coming to the games and having to watch them go out there without me,” Wilson said. “It really took a toll on me. I was dying to get back out there.”

Vidalia head coach Robert Sanders was also anxious to get his point guard back.

“When he settles in and plays within himself, he is the driving force of our team,” Sanders said. “He was constantly begging me to get back into the lineup and I know he worked hard on his own trying to get back as soon as he could.”

Now, Wilson is back, sporting the No. 25 like always, and calling the shots on the court.

“It just feels great,” he said. “I really was expecting to come back and make a change. We’ve still got some work to do, but it feels good to be a part of it.”

But seeing Wilson jog onto the court wasn’t the easiest thing for Sanders to watch, with nerves constantly getting the best of him.

“I was nervous the first couple of games,” Sanders said. “He kind of re-tweaked it in a game against Madison and that really scared me, but the doctors said he was fine and we haven’t had any problems since then. But every time he drives to the goal, I cringe a bit.”

For Wilson, though, the key is blocking out the injury and doing what he does best on the floor.

“Of course I try to keep it out of my head and focus on the game,” Wilson said. “But all in all, I’m just thankful to be back and in the swing of things now.”

The Vikings are creeping up on .500, and Wilson said he believes he and his team are close to breaking through.

“We have to go into district strong and can’t let up,” he said. “I’ve got faith in my team. We’ve been to the playoffs two years in a row now, and it just wouldn’t feel right not going back.”