BUTLER TWP — Being a mobile quarterback and a third-year starter, Cole Harvey is used to dodging tacklers.

But those were tacklers he could see.

The incoming Butler senior nearly saw his final football season with the Golden Tornado sacked by Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel illness that attacks the intestines.

Harvey was diagnosed with Crohn's at the end of April. He wasn't cleared for football until mid-July. He had a whole lot of work to do in between.

"He had flu-like symptoms at first and I had just gotten over the stomach flu," his mother, Lori Harvey, said. "I figured he just caught it from me.

"Cole kept getting sicker. It got to the point that they brought in specialists to rule out cancer. They finally diagnosed him with Crohn's."

There is no cure for the disease, only treatment. Harvey underwent surgery and had seven inches of a perforated intestine removed.

"The first thing he asked the doctor was 'How does this affect my sports?,'" Mrs. Harvey said.

"I had a couple of doctors suggest that I not play (football)," Harvey said. "I wanted another opinion and we eventually got it."

If Harvey rebuilt his strength, he'd be good to go.

He weighed 191 pounds when he went into the hospital. When he got out a week later, he was down to 155. Harvey's weight dropped as low as 145 pounds and he's six feet tall.

"I could chew on three ice cubes a day for the five days I was in the hospital," Harvey said. "That was it."

Besides working out and gaining weight, his recovery includes drinking protein shakes, eliminating junk food and taking vitamins and supplements.

"Cole takes 18 to 20 pills a day now," Mrs. Harvey said. "He's a kid who never took an aspirin when he had a headache."

When Butler's football camp started, Harvey weighed in at 195 pounds.

"When I look at what he went through just to come back and play ... It made me more hungry to play," senior wingback-safety Eli Christy said. "The guy lost 40 pounds and was really sick.

"Seeing that determination to get back on the field and be with his teammates, you can't help but be inspired by that."

Harvey said he feels stronger than he ever has.

"I was forced to change my lifestyle completely," he said. "I watch what I eat now and follow a strict diet. My body just feels better."

Tight end Brian Jendesky said he's amazed Harvey is back in uniform.

"I saw him a couple of weeks after his surgery, how thin and frail he looked, and figured ... no way," he said. "But when the rest of us were lifting (weights), he was running.

"When he was cleared to lift, he went at it 100 percent. Seeing what true commitment can do ... We have to tansfer that to the football field as a team now."

Harvey combined to gain 986 yards and six touchdowns rushing and passing last season.

The respect he's gained from his teammates may count for a whole lot more.

"Cole wanted to be out here with us," Christy said. "What he did to get back on the field, nobody could demonstrate leadership more."

Harvey impressed his mother as well.

"I learned a lot about character, desire and guts through him," Mrs. Harvey said. "When he was first diagnosed, he asked, 'Why me?' I just told him none of us are given anything we can't handle.

"He read up on the disease. He learned about it. It's life-changing, but he's making the adjustments. And the other athletes are providing him with a great support system."

Butler coach Jeff McAnallen said Harvey "appreciates the game more than ever. He wants playing time at safety. He wants to be on the field all the time."

Now that Harvey's won his personal battle, he said it's time to win on the field.

Butler is 3-15 in his two years as starting quarterback, 0-10 in section play.

"We're capable of running or throwing the ball," Harvey said. "I don't care which way we go. It's time for us to get some wins.

"I don't want to just make the playoffs. I want to win the section. We're capable of it."

And if Cole Harvey says they're capable of something, his teammates will likely believe him.