The first time Connor Fruits tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, it didn’t get inside his head.
The second time, it definitely did.
"One time, you’re like, ‘Okay, it’s a fluke,’" Fruits said, "but two times, you’re like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to be careful.’ When I got back to playing the first time, I honestly never thought about it. But the second time … it kind of screws with you a little bit."
Despite that, the Indian Creek senior has managed to recover to the point of being one of the most effective running backs in the state. Fruits has been the offensive linchpin for a Braves team that takes a 5-2 record into tonight’s Western Indiana Conference showdown with visiting Sullivan.
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Since arriving at Indian Creek as a midseason transfer last fall — he rushed for 94 yards against Ben Davis in a Center Grove uniform and then gained 135 for the Braves the following week in a win over Triton Central — he’s been the unquestioned workhorse back, toting the ball as many as 35 times in a game.
Fruits has been able to handle that workload despite an injury history that would have made many a player just walk away from the game.
"He’s just a kid that’s had to overcome quite a bit there and has put himself in a pretty good position to do some really big things for us this year," Indian Creek coach Steve Spinks said. "He’s going to rush for a lot of yards and a lot of touchdowns, and he’s the focal point of what we’re doing. So I think it’s just a testament to who he is to be able to overcome so much negative that has happened."
Fruits suffered his first ACL tear in a freshman game, when he was playing for Center Grove against North Central. He ran a sweep play that took him out of bounds, and he popped it trying to avoid the crowd of people near the bench.
After having surgery and rehabbing in the offseason, Fruits was starting to see some action in Center Grove’s varsity backfield as a sophomore. But against Pike, he went through the hole on a run play and got hit the wrong way.
Not only did Fruits tear his ACL for a second time, but the meniscus as well.
"That one was harder mentally, because it was demoralizing," he said. "I was starting varsity at the time, and I was just getting into the swing of things. …
"I just freaked out, because that one, you knew it happened. You’re like, ‘Oh, crap.’"
Once the second injury happened, Fruits and his family left nothing to chance. They contacted Dr. James Andrews, one of the best-known orthopedic surgeons in the world, and flew down to the Florida panhandle to have the knee repaired.
Andrews first gained notoriety after working on the shoulder of Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens in the 1980s, and he has since treated the likes of Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Jack Nicklaus and Peyton Manning.
"I never thought in a million years he’d be the one doing my knee surgery," Fruits said.
Fruits did some of his rehabilitation on site down south, flying there periodically to work out alongside NFL players such as Bryce Love And Jay Ajayi. Andrews and his team also coordinated with Fruits’ high school trainers, first at Center Grove and then at Indian Creek, to make sure Fruits stayed on track when he was back at home.
Center Grove athletic trainer Dave Buchholz actually accompanied the Fruits families on two trips to Florida so he could be on the same page with the folks at the Andrews Institute, particularly physical therapist Rich Peterson, through the six to eight months of rehabilitation.
"It was all pretty straightforward," Buchholz said. "There were some things that he was doing down there that I don’t get to incorporate here because we don’t have the equipment at the high school, but we modified things a little bit to try to get it as close to what they were doing down there — and the Fruitses helped out by purchasing some rehab equipment to facilitate his rehabilitation here."
Andrews operated on Fruits again about a year ago after a freak incident on a cold night resulted in a second meniscus tear ("He ended up just having to clean it out," Fruits said). The doctor, who still checks in remotely from time to time, remains impressed with the diligence that the Indian Creek senior showed through the rehab process.
"Two patients that I’ve operated on that come to mind when it comes to how hard they work and what kind of effort they put into it, maximum — and that’s Connor and Adrian Peterson," Andrews said. "Adrian holds the record in my mind from the NFL standpoint, and this kid holds the record for working hard and rehabbing and coming back, in my mind, from a high school level.
Two years removed from his last ACL tear, Fruits finally feels like he’s back to 100 percent physically. He ran for just over 1,000 yards as a junior, when he played four games for the Trojans before transferring to Indian Creek midseason, and he heads into tonight’s home game against Sullivan with a good chance to hit the milestone again; he currently has 910 yards on the ground and 15 total touchdowns (13 rushing, 2 receiving).
Where he’s not quite 100 percent is mentally. He’s comfortable enough with his knee that he’s stopped wearing a brace as this season has progressed, but even though there is less hesitation with each passing week, the psychological effects of the two major injuries still linger in his mind just a little bit.
"He’s still needing to trust his body more, which is really hard for anybody that’s been through as many injuries as he’s been through," Spinks added. "He’s already an obviously great talent. Once he starts fully trusting himself, it’s over."
The hope is that Indian Creek has enough games left on its schedule for Fruits to fully show out. The Braves face an uphill climb through a sectional that includes Class 3A No. 5 Danville as well as perennially solid teams in Tri-West and Cardinal Ritter.
They are, however, dead set on making an impact after last season’s surprising first-round sectional exit.
"Last year was a fluke, I feel like, with West Vigo," Fruits said. "They were not near as good as us, but we just threw that game away or something. We were all expecting to be up (big) by halftime and just overlooked them."
After everything he’s been through to get back to where he is now, don’t expect Fruits to overlook anyone or take anything for granted the rest of the way.
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Franklin at Greenwood, 7 p.m.
Center Grove at Lawrence North, 7 p.m.
Whiteland at Plainfield, 7 p.m.
Sullivan at Indian Creek, 7 p.m.
Rock Creek Academy at Edinburgh, 7 p.m.
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