By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications
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MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Pop. That sickening, unmistakable sound was immediately followed the worst pain K.J. Cartwright had felt in his life. In an instant, his redshirt freshman season as a running back with the Millersville Marauders came to an end, and his offseason plans changed drastically.
On Nov. 2, 2019, Millersville trailed visiting Bloomsburg 26-21 with 4:26 remaining. Millersville needed 94 yards for a go-ahead score. A completion to Evan Morrill, a 14-yard run by Bryan Malone, and a nine-yard reception by Malone had the Marauders on the move to the 49. Millersville still held three timeouts. Time was not a factor. But on Malone's reception, a Bloomsburg player took the brunt of the collision and a lengthy injury timeout ensued. When play resumed, Cartwright stepped into the backfield for Malone, took a handoff behind the left guard and gained enough to move the chains. But Huskies Aaron Trumino and Alex Findura simultaneously met Cartwright at the Bloomsburg 49 and drove his upper body toward the Millersville sideline while his left foot stayed rooted in place. Cartwright, pounding his fist repeatedly into the Chryst Field turf, knew the severity of the injury immediately. The back-to-back injuries seemingly stalled the Marauders' forward momentum. The drive ended after three consecutive incomplete passes. But Cartwright's thoughts were justifiably elsewhere.
Cartwright was diagnosed with a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments. A week later, while the team prepped for Kutztown, two screws were inserted into Cartwright's fibula and ligaments were reconnected.
The injury came at a time when everything about collegiate football started to click for Cartwright. He spent his freshman season as a redshirt at Duquesne and later transferred to Millersville. A North Penn High School product, Cartwright established a relationship with Millersville head coach J.C. Morgan and offensive coordinator Jeff Tomasetti when the duo was on the Shippensburg staff.
"He was high on our board there; we thought we had a legit shot at him," said Morgan. "In the thick of the recruiting process, Duquesne came into the picture and he chose there. We were disappointed we didn't get him because he was high on our board. But the thing about recruiting is you always want to keep an eye on young men who choose elsewhere, you always want to leave things on good terms, so when the opportunity presented himself and was looking for a school after his first semester, I think our relationship with him was helpful with getting him here."
Morgan and Tomasetti coveted Cartwright's breakaway speed and his ability to catch passes. Morgan calls Cartwright "very natural with the football in his hands."
But above all, as a new head coach, Morgan looked to build a culture, Cartwright was the type of personality that fit.
"He came highly recommended from his high school program because he was a solid young man, a good family," said Morgan. "Especially when you are looking at transfers, there are a lot of unknowns, but having that prior knowledge from recruiting in high school, we were comfortable with him."
"When I entered the transfer portal, Coach Tomasetti was the one of the first coaches to hit me up," said Cartwright. "I was originally planning to play for them because I liked their offensive style and their enthusiasm for the game."
It took time for Cartwright to acclimate to Millersville's system and the speed of collegiate football. Millersville's no huddle offense requires immediate and quick processing. That isn't always easy for newcomers.
"I wasn't upset about not getting touches," said Cartwright. "I was just waiting for my opportunity to make the best out of it. The toughest thing for me was adapting to how fast the plays were called. Everything was so fast paced."
Cartwright totaled 12 carries in Millersville's first five games, but there were glimpses of Cartwright's tantalizing potential.
In the season opener at Pace, Millersville trailed 17-7 at halftime but scored in the third quarter to pull within three. With 4:25 left in the quarter, Cartwright connected with Collin Shank on a flare route for 12 yards and a first down. Tomasetti called Cartwright's number again on the very next play—a read option. With four wide receivers and a five-man protection, Cartwright lined up to Shank's right. Shank read the defensive end and a linebacker coming off the edge to his right and put the ball into the hands of Cartwright. Center Braden Weachter wall off the defensive tackle, Cartwright made one tackler miss, and with the free safety crashing the line of scrimmage on a blitz, Cartwright saw empty space in front of him. A Pace defender tried to close, but Cartwright breezed by with his speed and outran three pursuing defensive backs for a 59-yard touchdown run—Millersville's longest all season. Those two plays were Cartwright's only offensive contributions of the night, but they were significant as Millersville held on to win.
"Once I got to the line and saw how the linebackers were playing, I thought it had the potential to be a big one," said Cartwright. "I was just excited to be able to do my part."
"At the time, we were starting to get some traction with the run game," said Morgan. "Byan and (Christian) Smith were sharing carries at that point and did a great job moving the ball. This was a standard zone play. The way Pace was playing, they were very exotic with their run fits, bringing the secondary down to fit the run. On that play, the line did just enough to give him a crease, he found it perfectly and took it from there."
K.J. Cartwright showed big-play ability before his injury in 2019.
It wasn't until Millersville's win over Lock Haven on Oct. 12 that he earned his first start of the season. He totaled 57 yards and caught two passes. He showed his explosiveness once again with a 32-yard run.
"At times last season, we had to remind ourselves that he was still a redshirt freshman, playing his first college football," said Morgan. "He was banged up at times, and just like everyone else, learning the game. We still had high hopes for him. You could see he was starting to get it. That Lock Haven game was where we saw him and said 'wow, like at him.'"
Cartwright's athletic ability was always there. He was put into football in second grade by his parents after they saw him run away from a dog at his grandma's house. As his comfort level in the offense grew, so did his playing time and workload. But two weeks after his first start came the season-ending injury, and all of a sudden, he had to question if that same speed and elusiveness would return.
Doctors gave him no official timetable for a return to football activities. It was more based on his when he felt ready. He stayed in bed for the first week after surgery. He worked his way up to crutches, then a boot. Walking stayed uncomfortable for a long time. In February, four months after the injury, he started to jog again.
"The biggest struggle during rehab is probably the mental aspect," said Cartwright. You want your body to be able to do things that it is used to doing but now can't do. It was frustrating."
"As a coach, you want to let him know that he's still a part of what we're doing," said Morgan. "We've got big plans for him, and we, as coaches, are here as a resource. If he needs anything, we are here to support him, and when he was at home for surgery, supporting him academically to make sure he was still on par with his academic course load."
Cartwright stayed convinced that he would return to 100%, but when remained the question.
Then came the pandemic. He likely would not have been cleared had spring practices been held, but finally feeling somewhat healthy, Cartwright took advantage of quarantine in his home gym, lifting every day and going to the park to run sprints. He believes that being at home proved beneficial. He removed all distractions and focused on getting healthier, faster and stronger.
"We had that time away from him during the pandemic but you could tell he put in a lot of work to getting back to 100%," said Morgan. "You worry about a younger player emotionally dealing with injuries, but he worked hard and came back to campus in August in great shape."
Cartwright has impressed Morgan in the small group workouts the team is currently conducting, and Cartwright feels few lingering effects of the injury.
"I'm feeling really good right now," said Cartwright. "Sometimes after the surgery the ankle feels a little bit tight, but for the most part I feel better than I did before. I feel faster."
"The last workout we had, we got to challenged him to do some things that he hadn't done before, and he was excited and gave it a great shot," said Morgan. "It's going to help his development as a player and allow him to grow more in our offense…He's really starting to develop the way we thought he would."
Millersville's running back room is crowded. Cartwright's return puts him alongside of Malone, the leading rusher in 2019, Smith and sophomore Nasir Best—both of whom played extensively in 2019. The Marauders also added Will Lawrence (Northeast High School) and Jaheim Morris (Cedar Cliff) in recruiting. Morgan sees the challenge of competition as a benefit. As a former running back and longtime running backs coach, Morgan has a fondness for the position, and the Marauders' offense needs versatile, multi-skilled playmakers in the backfield. Cartwright not only had Millersville's longest rush in 2019, he also led running backs in receptions.
"We call it being a triple threat," said Morgan. "You want them to be able to run the ball, block and contribute to the passing game. K.J. is no exception. He's developing and will continue to work."
With a painful setback overcome, the Marauders remain excited about Cartwright's possible contributions in 2021 and beyond.
