BUFFALO TWP — If you missed the announcement prior to the coin toss last Friday night, nothing was out of the ordinary.

A player in a navy blue No. 22 jersey flew around the gridiron, making momentum-shifting plays when Freeport most needed them.

Only, it wasn’t senior Jacksen Reiser wreaking havoc in those digits.

Rather, he was standing on the sideline in charcoal gray threads, cream-colored shorts, and with a brace on his left knee. The one who was suited up in his jersey, the public address announcer divulged while listing the team’s captains, was Reiser’s stepbrother and fellow senior, Zach Clark.

The former is presumably out for the rest of the year.

Reiser’s injury occurred in his team’s preseason scrimmage with Slippery Rock the week before. He was covering an assignment that wasn’t even his. With a feeling of how that play would unfold, he asked fellow middle linebacker Sean Selinger to switch places.

The Rockets’ screen pass went precisely where Reiser anticipated and, giving chase, he reacted to the ball carrier's cutback by planting his foot. Then, his left knee gave out.

“Whenever he went down, sometimes you can’t see and somebody says, ‘We got one down,’” Yellowjackets coach John Gaillot said. “You start going out and see him rolling on the ground holding his knee. I saw the 22 right away … It was a sickening feeling.”

However, the pain only lasted a few moments, and the standout defender breathed a sigh of relief.

“I actually ran off the field, so I didn’t think it was anything too severe,” Reiser said. “When I got off the field, I was like, ‘I feel like I could go back in.’”

He decided to play it safe and wait until the Yellowjackets’ opener against Indiana to get back on the field. That was until his knee swelled the next day.

After undergoing tests last Tuesday, his doctor told Reiser his ACL was most likely torn. The results of an MRI confirmed the extent of the injury Monday. The issue isn’t as much the discomfort as a limited range of motion.

“My first thought was how this would affect the team, most importantly,” he said.

He also reflected on what he strives to do in the future. High on that list of plans is the desire to suit up in college. Reiser has talked to coaches in Division III, as well as the PSAC.

His toughness is something that figures to draw interest at the next level. Last fall, he played through a dislocated right shoulder, opting to postpone a surgery that kept him out for the prep basketball season.

“My goals haven’t changed,” he said. “It’s obviously going to throw me off track a little bit, but I think I’ll still be able to get recruited somewhere and go to the next level.”

Meanwhile, getting set to play in front of a packed crowd at home, Clark decided to pay tribute.

“He said, ‘Would you care or would you like if I wore your jersey?” Reiser said. “It made me very happy, especially with the big game he had.”

“That was awesome,” Gaillot said. “It doesn’t surprise me, just with the way they were raised caring about each other … I didn’t even know. (Zach) came in and got it. That was special.”

Making the occasion even more memorable was the fact that Clark opened the contest’s scoring in the first frame. Late in the ensuing quarter, he blocked an Indiana punt and recovered it for another score. With under six minutes to go, he threw for a touchdown that put the game on ice.

“Zach had a career game there,” Gaillot said. “That was the best game I’ve seen him play in all aspects … He was amazing Friday night. He’s trying to pick up the slack.”

Clark stepped in at middle linebacker, something he’d never done before. Prior experience on that side of the ball made the adjustment a little smoother.

“He’s played safety before, so he really knows how to run and track down the ball and find the alleys,” Reiser said. “The only thing he really needed to get down pat was being the leader of the defense.”

Reiser plans to stay around the team as a mentor. His father, Nick Reiser, assists on Gaillot’s staff.

“I’m trying to go for the Coach of the Year award,” Jacksen said.

The fact that his high school playing career is likely over has yet to set in for Reiser. Watching Clark represent him so well, he longed to hear something familiar over the stadium loudspeaker.

“I was hoping the announcers would say my name when he made a tackle,” he admitted.

Clark will go back to wearing his No. 1 jersey against South Allegheny on Friday night. He’ll wear Reiser’s threads again on senior night, which will come on Oct. 28 against Deer Lakes.