JEFFERSON TWP — The ice secured to his right knee is nothing to worry about.

"No big deal," says Knoch junior running back Alex Whisler. "It's just a bruise."

That prognosis is a good one for Whisler, who has had his share of bad ones over the last 12 months.

Last year as a sophomore, the Knights running back was just coming into his own. Through four games, he was the leading ground gainer with more than 300 yards and the leading receiver with more than 100 yards.

But in the first half of a televised game against Highlands, he was hit hard and instantly knew something was wrong.

At halftime, he really knew something was wrong.

"I pulled my fullback (Josh McGowan) aside and told him my kidney is bleeding or something," Whisler said.

But he played the second half, even though he could barely warm up before the third quarter kickoff. He played through pain enough to catch a 54-yard touchdown pass fromJordan Shoop with less than two minutes remaining and booted the extra point to give the Knights a 13-12 win.

After that, his season was over with a lacerated spleen.

What followed was agonizing months of inactivity while his teammates fought for a WPIAL Class AAA playoff spot and a first-round postseason exit.

"It was horrible," Whisler said. "That first game I came back, I couldn't even go down to the locker room. It was the most frustrating time of my life — ever."

But Whisler is back this season and nothing, not a bruised knee or a tweaked hamstring, is going to slow him down.

In Knoch's 34-0 rout of Ringgold last Friday,Whisler intercepted a pass on the game's second play, rushed for 125 yards on 17 carries and scored on runs of 2, 7 and 4 yards.

In the first quarter, Whisler hit the holes hesitantly, but then he started hitting them with a burst.

"I noticed that," Whisler said of his hesitance. "I just had to get back into the flow of the game. I hadn't played in, what, nine, 10 months."

Whisler played a week earlier againstMontour with mixed reviews. He did rush for 72 yards on 12 carries, but he also lost a costly fumble.

Last Friday was the first time Whisler felt he was in football shape.

"It takes a while," Whisler said. "But once you get in, it feels great."

Knoch coach Mike King saw first hand how tough it was for Whisler to sit out most of last season.

King said missing time in camp with a nagging hamstring injury didn't help, either.

"It's sort of like a Sampson thing," King said. "You see this big, strong guy go down with something.

"There was a glimpse of this last week. If he can do this week after week for us, we're going to have a pretty strong offense, I think."

Whisler dedicated himself completely to football after basketball season ended inFebruary.

He skipped track season and hit the weight room hard, packing on 20 pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-2 frame.

"I just worked on building up my strength," Whisler said. "I don't want to get hurt again."

What King saw when Whisler returned this summer was a player bent on coming back stronger than ever.

"You take a thoroughbred and, heck, you can't even keep him in the gates. He has a high-string personality and he just wants to get out and go," King said. "That's (Whisler). That's what you want in a kid. You want the kid who says 'I can't wait to get in there. I have something to prove.' And he did that."