Jacob Scarfone was not where he wanted to be Sunday morning.
There were 110 players going through drills at Alumni Stadium as the Guelph Gryphons football team opened its 2016 training camp, but the All-Canadian wide receiver wasn't among them.
Last spring Scarfone was participating in spring camp on the same Alumni Stadium turf with some of his teammates. He was running a route he had run hundreds of times before, but when he went to cut left, his right knee gave out.
"I just made a cut and the knee gave out. I heard a pop and I kind of knew right away it was pretty bad," Scarfone said Sunday.
That something was a complete tear of his ACL and a partial tear of the MCL.
"I was really excited. We've got a really good team here. It sucks. No other way to say it really."
Surgery done in his London hometown went well, but Scarfone will not play this season.
"No contact. Nothing. I just made a cut. It's just one of those things. I've had little injuries and problems before, but nothing like that. It's about as bad as it gets."
Scarfone said it's taking a while to come to terms with the injury, and missing the entire year.
"It's something I've never gone through before. Even right now, today, there's different feelings because it's the first time out on the field. Every day is tough to swallow. It's easy to get emotional."
Scarfone burst to the forefront of the Gryphons offence last year.
After a freshman season where he played in five games on special teams, and sophomore season where he made eight catches in six games, Scarfone had 77 catches in eight league and three playoff games in 2015.
His 10 regular season touchdown catches was second best in the league and his 118 yards per game receiving was third best.
Scarfone is eligible to be drafted in to Canadian Football League this year and was looking forward to another banner campaign.
Gryphon training camp continues Monday and Tuesday with workouts from 8 a.m. to noon. Wednesday is an off day then the players are back at it Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.
On Sunday there was a controlled scrimmage against the McMaster Marauders at Alumni Stadium that began at 1 p.m.
The regular season opens Aug. 28 at home in a 1 p.m. start against the University of Toronto Blues.
