It was something Jacob Griffith had probably done at least a 100 times before during the 2015 Bridgeport High School football season. But on this particular night – Oct. 30 – something turned out different as Griffith was warming up at Wayne Jamison Field for a showdown with Fairmont Senior.

 

Different, in this case, was not a good thing.

 

“We do an offensive drill where we pull up and hit another player, which works on pulling as a lineman for certain plays … I was doing the drill with Noah (Markley), something we’ve done since week one, and it wasn’t anything that was unusual,” said Griffith.

 

That would change in a small way at first. And as it would turn out, a very big way later.

 

“We made contact and my knee just buckled backwards and I went down pretty quickly. I was surprised because it was the same thing I had done I don’t know how many times before, but I couldn’t walk on it,” said Griffith. “My first thought wasn’t that I was seriously injured, but that I’m going to miss the Fairmont Senior game. That’s as big a game for me as any because I used to live in Fairmont.”

 

As it turned out, Griffith wouldn’t play the game despite initially believing that he might be able to play. The reason for his thought process was that the pain had subsided and he was putting weight on his leg that buckled.

 

“The thought was that I hyperextended it and that maybe I could get back in. I took some ibuprofen and did some stretching and eventually they told me that it wasn’t worth it to take a chance of getting hurt so I sat out,” said Griffith. “That was really tough to hear.”

 

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the toughest thing he was going to hear in the next few weeks. Griffith spent the next week doing physical therapy, dealing with a little bit of swelling, but not any serious pain.

 

“I practiced and even got to play in the Preston game,” said Griffith. “I was so happy to be playing again and to be out on senior night, but things went bad.”

 

Just before halftime, Griffith again injured his knee – the same knee. And once again, it came in a situation that didn’t involve a violent collision.

 

“I was rolling off a block and was planting my foot and I felt my knee just completely give out. I guess I planted the wrong way because when it happened I had not made contact with anyone,” said Griffith. “This time I knew it was pretty serious.”

 

For Griffith – as well as the BHS football program – the last thing wanted was to see a key part of the team be in this position. After all, Griffith had opted to return to the football team for his senior year after he admittedly said he was “burned out” from working diligently on two sports.

 

Yet, he began to miss football his junior season almost as soon as the season began. While he was focusing on working out for the upcoming track season, he was already wondering if he should go out his senior year for football.

 

“When you step away from something you don’t realize at first how big of an influence it is in your life. I missed the games, the contact of the sport, being able to release the aggression that is part of the sport, missed being around my teammates and just missed the sport in general,” said Griffith. “Even with that, I still had to think about it this year, but I knew I would enjoy it and it would help with the explosiveness that I need to be successful in track.”

 

And he’s found success in track. Griffith has been a standout during his time at BHS in the shot and the discus. In the shot put, he finished third in the state as a sophomore and fifth last year and was hoping to best both marks during his senior season and football was a great way, he believed, to help him achieve that goal and enjoy himself at the same  time.

 

Eventually, the left offensive tackle on the Bridgeport line that had helped open up more than his share of holes for the Tribe’s vaunted running game began to think about track as well as he lay on the turf at Jamison Field during the Preston game. Along with wondering about whether his football career was over, he began to think about the 2016 track campaign, which would be the final year, sport and time he would be able to wear the red and white.

 

Still, Griffith hung on to hope. The hope was that he didn’t have a torn ACL, but just a strain. By Tuesday, he had an MRI and his worst fears were confirmed.

 

“As it turned out, the knee was obliterated,” said Griffith. “ … It was a complete ACL tear of the left knee.”

 

It was United Hospital’s Dr. Joseph J. Fazalare that broke the news to Griffith’s father Jon – who doubles as Jake’s track coach – and it was Jon Griffith who broke the news to his son. Eventually, the news also made it to BHS Coach Josh Nicewarner and the rest of the squad.

 

“From so many perspectives, it’s the worst news to get. Not only did he work extremely hard to put himself in the position where he was a strong contributor for the team, but he was working his tail off here because he wanted to help the team and help himself get better for track,” said Nicewarner. “I know how important track is to Jake and he just worked and worked this year. When I got the news, I was heartbroken.”

 

There is, fortunately, still more than just a sliver of hope that all is not lost. Griffith will have surgery tomorrow and he said Dr. Fazalare will be handling those duties. And he’s been told that the recovery period with aggressive therapy could be between four and six months.

 

“Four months is right at the beginning of track season so I haven’t been ruled out to be back on the track team. If I do my diligence with physical therapy they think I should make it,” said Griffith.

 

Those comments aren’t a pie in the sky. He is expected to be on the low end of the recovery time frame thanks to the hard work that he put in getting ready for football and preparing for track.

 

“They said my conditioning should help and knowing I have no time to waste is important. The fact that it’s my senior season is a huge motivating factor for me,” said Griffith. “That’s my main thought process and what I’m focused on.”

 

In the meantime, Griffith is still a member of the Indians football team. He served as an honorary captain for the first round game with Independence and hasn’t missed a practice. Now, the goal is to be a member of the track team in more than just an honorary capacity.

 

“I’ll do everything I can do and as soon as I can I’ll be at Bridgeport Physical Therapy to get where I need to be,” said Griffith. “I don’t want to miss the track season. I already know from football what it feels like to sit out and my goal is to not to have to go through that again.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Jacob Griffith prior to the BHS-Independence game as one of the team's captains, while he's shown with mom Heidi and father Jon on senior night; the same night he injured his knee. The third photo is a portrait shot of Jacob Griffith, while he's shows throwing the shot in the bottom photo. Top two photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.