KARNS CITY — The first play from scrimmage last Friday night at Karns City High School didn't appear to be anything special.

Gremlins running back Glenn Toy sprinted forward, opened his arms for a handoff and rumbled ahead for a 1-yard gain.

For Toy, the significance couldn't be measured merely in yards.

It was the senior's debut in a season that seemed to be lost before it started.

In a preseason passing scrimmage, Toy had a knee-to-knee collision, which caused it to buckle as he went to the ground. The standout running back — who led Karns City with 1,340 yards and 15 touchdowns on just 150 carries as a junior — tried to play through the pain.

“I thought it was just a little bruised,” said Toy. “The next day it got really bad, so I went in and saw the trainer and he got me a doctor appointment.”

The diagnosis was a torn ACL and the required surgery would have sidelined Toy for the remainder of his high school football career.

“I was devastated,” he explained. “I worked so hard for senior year. I was looking forward to it. … It was hard.”

It was also tough on those who care about him, like Karns City coach Ed Conto.

“I walked over afterward and said, 'There's nothing I can say Glenn. There's nothing I can say to make you feel better,'” said Conto. “That's probably one of the worst parts about coaching is when a senior gets hurt.

“You don't want to see anybody get hurt, but when a sophomore gets hurt, you know they'll more than likely get a chance to come back,” he added. “When a senior is done, this is it for him.”

Not for Toy.

He elected to delay surgery until after the season in an attempt to salvage his senior campaign, no matter how bleak the situation seemed.

“I talked to my trainer and a lot of people. There's been kids that played with it before,” Toy explained. “Tomorrow, I could be in a car accident and never walk again, so I kind of figured it was worth the risk going out and playing.

“My family and coaches and everybody supported me,” he continued. “I felt like I owed it to my team to give it a shot.”

The determined Toy returned to practice two weeks before Karns City's homecoming game on Friday and showed enough progress to start at fullback for the Gremlins.

“It was great. It was one of the best feelings in the world,” said Toy. “It took a lot of hard work to strengthen my leg up.

“I was hoping I'd get the ball, but it really didn't matter to me,” he added. “I was just happy to be out there.”

Toy ended up as the Gremlins' second-leading rusher on the night with 32 yards on five carries, including a 19-yard burst on a fourth-and-4 in the second quarter. He provided a lead block on the following play, springing Zach Moore on a 13-yard gain to set up a 3-yard touchdown by Wyatt Everetts to give Karns City an 18-13 lead over Union. The Golden Knights eventually prevailed by a 28-18 margin.

Although Toy was unable to move laterally with his usual effectiveness, he could run straight ahead and absorb hits without discomfort.

“When they tackle me and twist up on (my knee), it didn't bother me at all,” he said.

However, Toy's knee gave out on him while trying to cut upfield on a two-point conversion after the Everetts touchdown and he was forced to hobble off the field.

“It tweaks on me a lot,” said Toy. “It really hurts for about a minute or so, then it starts feeling better.”

The senior's willingness to endure the pain comes as no surprise to his coach.

“Bottom line, it's his character. He's a foxhole guy,” said Conto. “If you're going to be in a foxhole, you want to be stuck with him.

“He's a great kid and he'll get through it because he is that type of kid,” the coach elaborated. “Whatever he does in his life when he moves on, he's going to be successful at it.”

Toy scheduled surgery shortly after the state championship game, because as he put it, “you never know.”

He hopes to play college football, but his first priority is contributing to the Gremlins.

“There has been a lot of D-II and D-III schools that have been interested in me,” Toy said. “I'm probably going to look more into it after the season. This right now is really my main focus; getting back out there and playing.”

Conto believes the combination of Toy's talent and attitude makes him a worthy addition to any squad.

“He's one of those guys … if you're putting a team together, you pick him,” said Conto. “He's the first guy you get.”

Toy will likely miss tonight's nonconference game against Franklin to rest his knee, but he plans to eventually return to action and give the Gremlins whatever he has left in the tank.

“I'm going to give it a shot,” Toy explained. “I don't know about this week, but toward the end of the season is when some of our big games are.

“I'm going to do everything I can to get back out for those games.”