CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A cheap shot that filled his mouth with blood put linebacker Sam Groff in a terrorizing frenzy in a recent game against Wilmington.
Groff, of Baldwin Wallace, mangled Wilmington's offense. He finished with a season-high 12 tackles, and two tackles for losses.
"A kid got under my facemask and punched me," Groff said. "[The blood] brought out a little of my dad in me -- that old school mentality of football where you messed with the wrong person today. From that moment on, I went into a zone where it didn't matter who was blocking me or what play they ran. I just wanted to hit somebody hard."
Baldwin Wallace went on to victory against Wilmington and the play of Groff impressed new Yellow Jackets coach Jim Hilvert.
"He was all over the football field," Hilvert said. "His production was through the roof. "
And the visual of blood running down Groff's chin was over the top.
"I came off the field and the guys on the sideline think I'm crazy," Groff said. "It looked like I bit someone's neck off. It was disgusting to them but to me it was awesome. But I wanted to show them how we talk about the blood, sweat and tears and now it's a reality, and we're playing for each other so let's go out and dominate the opponent."
His teammates got to see an example of the perseverance and dedication that Groff did not always have. This is the same Groff, who will graduate in December with a degree in Communications, who flunked out of school and missed a year. The same guy who's leading the Yellow Jackets in tackles for the third straight year.
But Groff would not have been in this position until he refocused.
"I came to Baldwin Wallace more for football than academics and I had to learn the hard way," Groff said.
Groff took off a semester after that horrible academic freshman year. He and his father John, who is a member of the Baldwin Wallace Alumni Athletic Association Hall of Fame for football and wrestling, had a conversation.
"My dad looked at me while holding a check and asked if he paid for my classes would I return to Baldwin Wallace and play football again," said Groff, who wrestled at Sandy Valley High School and for one season at Baldwin Wallace. "I said yes and ever since then it's been coming down to this -- graduation in December."
Groff did not disappoint in the classroom or on the football field. His grades rose to his current 3.0 overall GPA and he dominated on the field with a team-leading 76 tackles. He led the team last season with 86 tackles and made the All-Ohio Athletic Conference second team.
After losing two of their first three games this season, the Yellow Jackets have won three straight. Baldwin Wallace (4-2) has a key OAC game at Otterbein University (4-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The game is another step toward another goal shared by Groff and his teammates.
"We want to keep this roll going so we can have the best chance of the playoffs at the end of the year," Groff said. "It's been 14 years since Baldwin Wallace has made the playoffs and it disgusts me because of the rich tradition we have here."