It must have seemed like some sort of cruel joke.
After navigating every imaginable twist or turn, bump or obstacle along the way, 2004 Douglas High grad Jake Peterson was primed and ready for what he hoped would be his impact season at the college level.
Already, he'd voluntarily taken two years off to go on a Mormon mission after entering the program in the fall of 2004. As a freshman, he had been an under-sized
linebacker who ranked as the youngest out of 15 other linebackers on the roster. He was the second youngest in the entire 112-player program.
Upon returning from his mission, he tore the meniscus cartilage in his knee just three games into what was technically considered his sophomore season. A week and a half later, he tore the medial colateral ligament in the same knee, ending his season on the spot.
Despite a strong recovery - He won the Penn football program's Iron Quaker award for his performance in the weight room the following spring - he spent his junior season mired deep on the depth chart. He played in just three games as a part of the Quakers' deep and talented linebacking corps.
Entering his senior year last August, it seemed everything was looking up.
That is, until Peterson found himself not being able to look at much of anything at all.
"I could see colors ... that was about it," Peterson said. "I was super sensitive to light, a person could be standing right in front of me and I couldn't focus on them. There was no depth perception whatsoever.
"It just started, no reason, right before fall training camp was about to start. I tried going through camp with it at first, but playing football blind, obviously, is not the best situation."
So while Penn went on to have an enormously successful season - losing only twice, both times to nationally-ranked opponents (including eventual NCAA Division I FBS national champion Villanova) while capturing the school's 14th Ivy League championship - Peterson spent most of the season visiting eye specialists.
"They just weren't sure what was going on," Peterson said. "I was going to the No. 1 eye institute in the country and they couldn't figure out what was going on."
Setting aside the disappointment of the apparent end of his football career, Peterson was still faced with keeping up with his Ivy League education without the benefit of his eyesight.
"It was definitely an interesting experience," Peterson said. "My teachers were all really helpful and I got some help from the student disability center.
"I was given extensions on my assignments and everyone was real understanding. It was a tough, tough situation."
Peterson came back home to Carson Valley for Thanksgiving and said he was blessed by his grandfather and his father, Clay, who also played at Douglas and later at BYU.
And just like that, his vision returned.
"I'm not one to question what happened, I was just glad I could see again," Peterson said.
In the meantime, Peterson's coaches had petitioned the NCAA for a medical redshirt, which was granted, giving Peterson one more year to continue his career as a student-athlete.
Peterson took the news as a second life, which breathed new energy into his training routine.
"I've got one more chance to play, so I started thinking I might as well go out on top," he said.
Heading into Penn's spring practices, Peterson won the Iron Quaker Pound-for-Pound award, lifting a total of 1,285 pounds between his bench, squat and clean lifts. Based on his 6-foot, 245-pound frame, he scored a pound-for-pound index of 699.
He also posted the program's top overall squat at 565 pounds.
And once he got back on the actual field for contact practice, he began seeing time with the first-team. By the end of spring ball, which culminated with the team's spring game on Sunday, he was working out exclusively with the starters.
"We'll see what happens," he said. "Now that spring ball is over, it's just a matter of hitting the weights as hard as I can, doing the work and keeping it up in the classroom.
"My body feels amazing. It's a new chance. I'm in the best shape of my life right now, I had fun in spring ball and now I have one more chance to play football and hit people.
"I'll take any chance I can get with that. I'm looking forward to the season."
Penn will begin its Ivy League title defense Sept. 17 at home against Lafayette.
Joey Crandall can be reached at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.
