GROVE CITY - Jack Vallely likes to make contact - violent contact - with the opposition on the football field.

He doesn't care how.

Fortunately for the Grove City High senior, he's been given plenty of opportunity to run full speed into quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends and even linebackers, defensive backs.

"I do like hitting people," the 6-foot, 200-pound fullback-linebacker said. "When I run the ball, I just stick it up in there. I'm not the quickest back."

He's not stopwatch quick, but football quick, particularly at linebacker, where he is among the team leaders in tackles.

Last year, Vallely didn't carry the ball very often for Grove City. His main task was chasing people down on defense. But this year Grove City coach Jeff Bell has used him as his fullback with solid results.

In five games, Vallely has rushed for 235 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 4.9 yards a carry.

Only Jesse Alfreno, with 343 yards, has gained more on the ground.

"That opens things up for our halfbacks," Bell said. "He does a real nice job, and he's a good receiver out of the backfield."

Vallely also has three catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.

He's also a ferocious lead blocker.

"Blocking is just like playing defense," Vallely said. "You just find someone and hit them. I like blocking."

Vallely, though, made two position switches early in the season.

At the beginning of the year, he was not the starting fullback. That job belonged to Danny Wise. He also started the season at defensive end but now plays outside linebacker, where he is free to roam and hit more people - to his and his coach's delight.

"After the Greenville game, we thought he was better suited for outside linebacker," Bell said. "We thought he would make us a better team there and he has."

Since the switch, Grove City is 3-0 and has allowed just 14 points after starting the year 0-2 while giving up 55 points.

Vallely made two big goal-line stops against Slippery Rock to thwart a Rockets drive and help the Eagles to a 24-0 win.

"I think the first two weeks - that wasn't us," Vallely said. "I thought we were much better than that."

Vallely can put things in perspective a little better than most because of an incident two years ago.

While on a camping trip toward the end of his sophomore season with the Eagles, Vallely was burned badly on his left leg. At first, doctors at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh thought the leg would have to be amputated at the knee.

It took nearly a month for Vallely to begin walking and months more of grueling physical therapy before he could run.

"At that time, no, I never thought I could come back and do what I am doing now," he said. "I had a lot of physical therapy. I did everything you can imagine."

Even last year he wasn't at 100 percent. He pushed through, scoring a touchdown in his first game, but carried just five times for 22 yards.

His real contribution was on defense.

"Of course I was nervous playing that first game," Vallely said. "But now, when I'm out on the field, I usually forget about it."

This week, Valley and his teammates are gearing up for a make-or-break game against Wilmington at 7 p.m. Friday.

The loser will more than likely miss the playoffs.

"The pressure is on," Valley said.

But football pressure is nothing compared to the pressure he faced recovering from his burns.

"Getting burned - it's not fun," Vallely said. "But there are worse things that can happen to you."