Douglas Santo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Basha High School for AZPreps365.com.

Jack Bleier, a senior linebacker for Basha, had his season end when he tore his ACL in the first week of October against Hamilton.

“I definitely felt the pop and it felt different than any other injury I’ve had. I knew the season was definitely going to be over for me,” Bleier said. “It really didn’t feel real, it sucked.”

Bleier is a leader on the Bears’ defense and a key piece of a team trying to defend its state championship. He is not with the team as Basha gets set for another playoff run.

“The worst thing couldn’t have happened to a better person. [Jack] is a true leader by example,” Basha’s defensive coordinator and linebacker’s coach Brandon Johnson said. “He has no problem voicing his opinion when he’s right, and definitely doesn’t have a problem admitting when he’s wrong, which is really big.”

Bleier had surgery on October 18, and began rehab in the first week of November. His doctors said he can begin walking without crutches about two weeks into rehab.

“The doctor said that as of right now I’m ahead of schedule with my range of motion and authority of muscle I had built up before I tore my ACL,” Bleier said. “They are hoping seven to eight months, at the most eight months [of recovery] if I can really focus.”

Bleier already is looking ahead to the next time he can get back on the field. His goal is to meet the recovery timeline and be playing again. Bleier, a senior, will be a freshman in college by that point, but he’s not letting that stop his determination to get back on the field, ready for whatever his role may be.

“I know I’ll come back stronger, and I’ll be suiting up in full [pads],” Bleier said. “Whether that means redshirting and being on the practice squad or actually working my butt off and getting some playing time as a true freshman, just getting back on the field any way I can.”

As a senior, this season was Bleier’s final chance to show the talent he possesses to college scouts. However, many have assured him they’re confident he’ll come back without any limitations.

“Coaches are telling me that none of them are worried that I’m not going to come back 100 percent or 110 percent and be better than I was before,” Bleier said. “It actually maybe showed me who cares about me more than some other schools, which I appreciate for sure.”

Even though Bleier’s season might be over, he knows his team still has big goals for this season, and is doing what he can to help his teammates accomplish those goals.

“The fact that he still shows up to practice every day, I mean, he knows the gameplan just as well as the guys that are going to suit up on Friday,” Johnson said. “That’s huge for our program.”

Bleier not only is another coach on the sideline for his team, but he’s getting to experience the game from a coach’s eye. He’s learning the game from a different perspective, to add to his game when he returns.

“It really enhances your knowledge of the game when you can just sit back and learn it, and taking a year off in the game of football is not always bad,” Johnson said. “It can give other parts of your body a chance to heal. It can give your neck and spine and your hips and ankles and all that stuff a chance to rejuvenate.”

Although Bleier is now helping the team in new ways and coaching up younger players, his presence on the field is still missed. The coaches have entire units to focus on, so Bleier is watching for individual areas where the team can improve, which coaches might not notice. But Basha’s defense had to adjust with him out.

“The playbook got a lot smaller without Jack out there. We were doing a lot before his injury,” Johnson said. “He was getting everybody lined up, reminding them of their responsibilities; he’s a real student of the game.”

Bleier has been a three-year varsity starter for the Bears who had the opportunity to play alongside and learn from two upperclassman in his first two years on varsity. Now Bleier wants to be able help the young players who will be filling his shoes the same way he was helped.

“As a sophomore, having Jackson [Browning] and Wyatt [Milkovic] really helped me when I needed it and put me in my place when I needed it, and told me when I was wrong when I needed it,” Bleier said. “Now I’m just trying to be that guy to them and when they need that help, I want to be there for them.”

The Bears’ defense now has two sophomores starting at linebacker as the team heads into the playoffs. Eli Cramer-Cronin started alongside Bleier all season, but totaled 14 tackles, a season high, the first game without Bleier. He followed that with a 13-tackle game with his first sack of the season against Chandler.

“[Jack’s] taught me a lot just by being around him and being able to look up to him as a senior,” Cramer-Cronin said. “At the beginning of the season, I definitely didn’t think I’d be where I’m at right now.”

Dante Bruley, who now plays beside Cramer-Cronin, has put together 24 tackles and two sacks in the first two games since Bleier’s injury.

“Seeing them step up and seeing how they’ve taken on the roles of being leaders on the defense has definitely made me proud,” Bleier said.

The first game Bleier was at after his injury was Basha’s biggest game of the season, against Chandler. The Bears won the game, 47-42, to take over first place in the 6A premier region.

Basha’s quarterback, Demond Williams Jr., ran for his second touchdown of the night midway through the third quarter and celebrated with Bleier, who was seated behind the endzone.

“Having an injury like this when you’re dedicated to the sport really destroys you,” Bleier said. “And having people behind you, knowing that they’re there for you and that you’re still part of this team, that everything they do, you’re right there with them even if you can’t suit up on Fridays means a lot. It’s something that helps motivate me to push through this rehab and get better.”

Even with Bleier out, Basha still is among the favorites to make a run in the playoffs and defend its state championship. If anything, the Bears are even more motivated now.

“That pushes us a lot more,” Cramer-Cronin said. “It pushes us more because we can do it for him.”