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When Stephen Anderson steps onto the turf at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Sept. 4, the U.S. Military Academy senior will have completed one of the toughest 10-month stretches of his 22-years of life.

The Damascus High graduate will take the field for Army's opener at Eastern Michigan for the second straight season as the starting middle linebacker and team co-captain. That was in doubt after a November knee injury.

In the late stages of a blowout loss to the Air Force Academy, Anderson, in the midst of a career-best 16-tackle performance, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. After sitting out spring practice for rehabilitation, Anderson says he is 100 percent and returned for fall camp to his customary place at the heart and soul of the Black Knights defense.

"I'm able to cut and explode," Anderson said. "I haven't missed a tackle yet. ... I don't see any problems."

Throughout his college career, the 2005 state champion has been a key contributor for the Black Knights defense. Entering his final season, the two-year starter and three-year letterman has amassed 180 career tackles in 18 starts. College football guru Phil Steele named Anderson a 2010 preseason All-Independent First Team linebacker.

"Whatever he lacks in athletic ability, he brings to the game in enthusiasm and leadership," Army linebackers coach Payam Saadat said. "That was known by [the coaching staff] before. He was on field as freshman and rightfully deserves to be the captain of the team. ... He makes my job just a little bit easier."

However, The Gazette's 2005 Defensive Player of the Year was not highly recruited out of high school. Listed at just 5-foot-10 and 222 pounds, Army was one of the few Division I schools that came calling. He spent the 2006 season playing and getting used to military life at the USMA's prep school in Fort Monmouth, N.J.

A year later, he moved to West Point, N.Y., and immediately earned playing time. Life on the gridiron was easy, relatively speaking. Adjusting to life in school and the military structure was not.

Anderson and the rest of the Cadets on the football team wake every morning at 6:30 for formation and dress in the uniform of the day. With each Cadet taking an course load of 18-20 credits per semester (the typical in-season NCAA Division I student-athlete registers for 12), they attend "three or four classes a day" until 1:30 p.m. Football-related activities fill the rest of their day until homework in the barracks begins at 7:30 p.m.

"There's a lot of stress on the body," Anderson said. "I've learned how to become a time management guru and every minute of the day is efficient. ... I've been taught skills to be [commissioned as] a second lieutenant in the Army."

After graduation in the spring, Anderson will serve a minimum two-year active duty commitment that he hopes will be in the "artillery arm of the officer corps." Then he will apply to the Army's law program and work for the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG) before eventually practicing civilian law. His major is American Law and Legal Studies.

"Knowing what I know now, I will take any West Pointer in any facet," Saadat said. "It could be a lawyer or doctor. I don't care. ... Their example as humans, young men and leaders is something I want my kids to follow."

But prior to entering a law career, Anderson hopes to pursue a National Football League career. The chances are slim, but he has beaten the odds before. Two years after graduating, he can apply for early release from active duty and finish out his commitment as a reservist.

Naval Academy alumnus and five-year NFL veteran fullback Kyle Eckel, the most notable service academy graduate to play in the NFL in recent memory, won a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints last year.

"It's always been an aspiration of mine," Anderson said. "A few teams have shown interest, but the main thing right now is the ACL. ... The reason for coming [to Army] is to see the bigger picture in life."

While any potential professional football career plans must be put on hold, Anderson and the rest of the Black Knights have a singular goal for 2010 in mind: Beating Navy. Army has not defeated the Midshipmen since 2001 or been postseason bowl-eligible since 1996.

"It's been a long journey," Anderson said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything. My teammates are my best friends. ... Everyone talks about Army-Navy; Army-Air Force. The years of them dominating Army football is over. Two thousand ten is the start of a new decade."

kzakour@gazette.net