Grubbe lives up to hype for Devils

Lowell's Brandon Grubbe is the Post-Tribune, 2008 offensive player of the year.
(Leslie Adkins/Post-Tribune)

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As injured senior tailback Steffan Peck lay on the Inferno turf in Lowell's season-opener against Crown Point last season, there was a great sense of unease among the Red Devils faithful -- a sense that the season was over before it began.

But among a few boosters and administrators in the press box, that fear was tempered with borderline giddiness.

Wait till you see this Grubbe kid.

One play and one 66-yard touchdown later, everyone got the idea. The Brandon Grubbe era had begun.

"He was kind of a special talent as a freshman," said Lowell coach Kirk Kennedy. "He stuck out from some of his teammates."

Two seasons, 3,500 yards, 48 touchdowns and two deep postseason runs later, Grubbe has lived up to the hype -- and then some. The junior tailback recovered from a gruesome broken arm suffered at the state championship game last fall to pile up 2,009 yards from scrimmage -- 1,831 rushing and 178 receiving -- and scored 26 touchdowns in leading Lowell to the semistate.

And this year, he did it without the element of surprise. Not that there's ever really any surprise at Lowell.

"Playing tailback in the I-formation, you're going to have a big bull's-eye on your back," Kennedy said. "And playing tailback here in the I-formation, the bull's-eye gets even bigger. It takes a special kind of kid to accept that role and thrive in that role. He's done it now for two years, and that has set him up for a heck of a senior year, and a heck of a finish to his career."

Yes, we're talking about next year, already. But if anyone's used to expectations by now, it's Grubbe. After all, he had to top a 1,675-yard sophomore season --?and he did.

"I?guess this year, I?was under some pressure because of last year," Grubbe said. "A lot of people were putting a lot on my shoulders, so after last year, I?kind of had to come out with something even better."

That, according to Kennedy, is what sets Grubbe apart. At 6-foot, 175 pounds, he's not the biggest guy --?though he can run over people when he has to. With a 4.8-second 40-yard dash, he's not the fastest guy --?though he regularly outruns the secondary on long TDs.

No, it's Grubbe's fiery competitive nature, his desire to have the ball in his hands at all times, and most importantly, his mental toughness -- his "steadiness," as Kennedy puts it --?that allowed him to reach the potential he showed on the freshman team, to surpass the breakout season he had a sophomore, and to presumably top himself once more as a senior.

"As a freshman, that was just potential," Kennedy said. "You have to develop that in order to continue on that path. Same thing for next year. Right now, that's only potential, and what he does this offseason in preparation for that will make the difference."

And with Lowell graduating so many seniors -- including much of the offensive line that, as Grubbe puts it, allows him to get 3 yards "guaranteed" on every play before he has to do anything himself -- Grubbe will take on a new role next year. That of a leader.

And his biggest challenge? Helping his teammates do what he did so well --?reach their potential.

"Next year, with me being a senior, I'm going to take a leadership role," he said. "Whatever it takes, we're going to have to do. We've got to work hard in the weight room, and we've got to get the young guys in there working, too. We've still got a lot to do."