NORTH OGDEN — Zac Christensen was preparing for what he thought could be a great senior year as a player on the Weber High baseball team this past winter.

Nobody could say he hadn’t put in the time. From his time at North Ogden Junior High where he played from the seventh through the ninth grade to his first two years at Weber when he bounced back and forth from the junior varsity and varsity teams, Christensen was a mainstay on the baseball field.

Nobody could say he hadn’t shown potential. He was the only seventh grader to make the junior high baseball team, led the team in numerous statistical categories as a ninth grader and played in roughly a dozen varsity games as a sophomore.

Christensen admits his junior year was ‘rough,’ only starting a handful of games on the varsity team, but that wasn’t deterring him.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Christensen was cut.

The place where he had grown accustomed to spending so much of his time would now be a place he’d only be allowed as a spectator.

“I was like, ‘Wow. I just don’t know how this could happen,'” Christensen recalled.

To make matters worse, Christensen doesn’t believe coach Trevor Howell, who just finished up his first year at Weber, ever offered him a full explanation why.

Howell didn’t respond to the Standard-Examiner’s requests for comment.

“He wouldn’t give me and my grandparents a straight-up answer,” Christensen said. “My grandma called him and was asking and the only thing he said (was) he just wouldn’t see me getting a lot of playing time.”

For what reason, Christensen still can’t say.

“I just don’t know,” he said.

Christensen’s grandmother, Jan Higginson, never felt like she got an answer either.

“I asked him the reasons he cut Zachary and his answer to me was, ‘I am the head coach and with my approach – the way I’m seeing things – he just isn’t going to be a good fit for the team and he won’t get a lot of playing time,'” Higginson said. “I said, ‘So are you telling me all of the kids that made the team including the freshmen are more skilled at baseball?’ He said, ‘No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying I don’t see him getting a lot of playing time on my team.’ He just danced around that. He never would give me a reason. I didn’t understand.”

Higginson’s claims could not be corroborated because Howell did not offer his perspective.

Baseball is Christensen’s dream, though, and getting cut wasn’t going to keep him from continuing to pursue it.

Two weeks ago, Christensen’s dedication paid off following his performance in the annual baseball showcase at Lindquist Field. Christensen received an offer from the head baseball coach at Dawson Community College located in Glendive, Montana – a small town of roughly 5,000 people nearly an hour’s drive from the North Dakota border.

“I was just sitting at home – I was playing some NBA2K – and I was just like, ‘I don’t know’ and I get a call from the coach at Dawson – Aaron Carroll … he just told me, ‘I really liked what I saw and I’d like for you to be my shortstop next year,'” Christensen said.

Christensen plans on visiting the college next week and is “confident” the offer will be finalized.

Christensen, who takes his cue from a star professional basketball player, says the situation affirms the power of perseverance.

“My role model is James Harden, even though I play baseball. One thing he said is if you have a dream, go chase it no matter what the doubters say.” Christensen said. “People doubting you – just go for your dream and go achieve it. That’s what I live by because just this last year (I said) I’m going to get it and then I got the call.”

Former teammate Alex Johnson, who was cut along with Christensen, believed in Christensen’s talent in part because of what happened at the end of a game last season.

“There was one game last year he hit a walkoff for us and won the game,” Johnson said. “His batting’s really improved – just his overall skill has gotten sharper.”

Trent McCauley, who was Christensen’s baseball coach at North Ogden Junior High, admitted to being “shocked,” “disappointed,” and “hurt” by the news of Christensen being cut, but told him it didn’t have to mean the end and said his efforts proved his resiliency.

“He’s not going to let one tough call detract him and ruin a dream that he’s had probably since he was 4,” McCauley said. “He said, ‘I’m just going to use this as some fuel and motivation and he did it.”

Although Howell didn’t respond to requests for comment, Weber football coach Matt Hammer – who was an assistant coach on the baseball team last year – believed because of his own observations and accounts that he was given that Howell made the correct decision.

“After he’d been cut he sat on the hill watching his teammates, his former teammates, his friends – supposedly friends – and was laughing at them and making fun of them because they couldn’t make a baseball play,” Hammer said. “That to me showed his pure character of who he is and why Trevor made the right decision.”

According to Hammer, the aforementioned incident was witnessed by both Ted Petersen, the school’s athletic director, and Teri Spiers, the school’s vice principal.

Hammer doesn’t know why specifically Christensen was cut and admits he never asked Howell, but claims incidents of “throwing helmets, pouting… moping around, being uncoachable” last year also helped confirm to him that Howell’s decision was correct.

Hammer went on to say that after Christensen was cut, Higginson proceeded to shop around to seek a transfer.

“You know what the grandma did after he got cut? Called the Fremont baseball coach. ‘We’re looking to move, things aren’t working out here at Weber.’ Completely lied to (former Fremont coach Jeff) Messerly… He tried to transfer to Fremont, Ben Lomond and Ogden after he’d been cut. Trying to work the system and screw coaches over, making the coaches look like they’re the bad guys. I could go on and on about this kid.”

Higginson denied ever communicating with Messerly, but she did acknowledge contacting officials at Ben Lomond and Ogden – although she denied those conversations involved seeking a transfer.

Contact Standard-Examiner sports reporter Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @RyanComerSe and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RyanComerSe