Providence senior Silvio Gkizas is determined to make up for lost time.

After scoring 13 goals as a freshman, the forward missed nearly all of his sophomore year with a concussion and all of his junior season with a broken left leg.

“It’s truly amazing to be back out here playing for Providence,” he said. “Last summer, I basically had to learn how to walk again. Now, to get one more year back out here with these guys, a lot of them I’ve been playing with since I was 8, it’s a great feeling.”

Gkizas has returned with a vengeance. He scored 11 goals in the Celtics’ first five games, including nine over the last two against Marian Catholic and Brother Rice.

“Silvio is a game-changer,” Providence coach Dan Potempa said. “If we had him the last two years, we could have done a lot more.

“Some kids, after big injuries like that, they’re just never quite the same. I think he’s even better than before. It says a lot about his work ethic that he was able to come back even stronger.”

Gkizas had gotten past the concussion symptoms that sidelined him for all but three games as a sophomore.

He played for a club team in the spring of 2016. He then was primed for his junior season before suffering a devastating injury during a casual soccer game with members of his church.

“I was just out there for fun, I went for a 50-50 ball and I got kicked hard in my left leg,” Gkizas said. “It’s my dominant leg and it broke in three different places.”

A lengthy rehab process followed.

“I couldn’t walk for two months,” he said. “I was basically on the couch the whole time. I slowly started going out, seeing friends. Once I started walking, I knew I didn’t want to give up on my sport.

“I started playing in January and it was rough. Over spring break, I was up at 4 a.m. every day trying to get back in my groove. It’s paying off now.”

Dog days: Senior forward Michel Ortega-Cervantes has been a captain for Richards since his sophomore season, so he has plenty of experience as a leader.

“I feel like I’m well-equipped to help this team go far,” he said. “I know how important it is to be a good captain and lead by example and I put in a lot of work over the summer to be ready.”

With Ortega-Cervantes and 12 other seniors on the roster, the Bulldogs are ready to surprise some teams this season and could be a factor in the South Suburban Red race.

Richards’ 2-1-1 start included wins over St. Rita and Chicago Christian, and a 0-0 tie with Bremen on Tuesday.

“A lot of our guys have played together the past three years on varsity and they’re starting to meld together,” Richards coach Dan Scanlan said. “We have kids who believe in this team and they’ve put in extra work to be ready for this.”

Golden anniversary: St. Rita is ringing in its 50th season. The Mustangs’ soccer program began play in 1967, five years before the sport became IHSA-sanctioned.

“I think we’re one of the original schools in the state to play soccer,” St. Rita coach Bob Kellam said. “We’re going to celebrate that history a bit this year.”

The Mustangs will hold their 50th Anniversary Celebration Game at 5 p.m. Saturday against U-High.

“We’re hoping to get most of the 1967 team out, and a bunch of other alumni, and have a fun night,” Kellam said.

Steve Millar is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.