ARTHUR — Ben Carroll’s junior football season at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond wasn’t endangered by a public health crisis.

Rather, a personal one.

“I had gotten hurt the year before, so I took everything way more serious,” Carroll said, “because I didn’t know if my hamstring was going to be able to hold up.”

Carroll suffered a torn hamstring as a sophomore, ultimately playing in just two football games as a result. Also a basketball player and track and field competitor, Carroll returned to coach Ryan Jefferson’s football program in 2019 as an athlete on a mission.

“Every game I was going harder,” Carroll said, “and looking for a chance to make a play.”

Just how many plays did Carroll make? Enough for the 5-foot-9 safety and running back to garner News-Gazette All-Area first-team defense status.

Specifically, he turned in an area-best 10 interceptions as well as 75 tackles for a unit that permitted barely more than 14 points per game. Carroll also added 1,136 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.

But Carroll isn’t receiving the chance to follow up on his football success. At least not right away.

That’s because the COVID-19 pandemic caused the IHSA Board of Directors on July 29 to decide football should be moved to springtime, setting a season of Feb. 15 through May 1.

Carroll’s reaction? Perhaps not what an outside viewer might expect.

“I was excited,” Carroll said, “because at first I had heard that we weren’t going to have sports at all. And then whenever they told us that (they were happening), I was excited because that gives us more time to train.”

ALAH finished 6-4 last season and graduated just seven from its 2019 roster that reached the Class 1A playoffs.

Key athletes set to return alongside Carroll are sophomore running back/defensive back Kaden Feagin (946 all-purpose yards, eight touchdowns; 55 tackles, three interceptions), senior linebacker Jack Martin (83 tackles) and senior running back Billy Fifer (625 rushing yards, nine touchdowns).

“Our team was looking a lot better (this summer), and our practices were running pretty quick,” Carroll said. “And we were learning a lot faster than we did last year.”

Carroll is placing his current athletic focus on readying for a new football campaign. He wasn’t drawn to any of ALAH’s current boys’ fall sports offerings — cross-country or golf, the latter through a cooperative with Arcola — though he does plan to suit up in basketball before the football season begins.

“We don’t have lifting right now, but I just run and train as much as I can at home, outside,” Carroll said. “I usually do push-ups, sit-ups, abs. I go outside sometimes and I shoot baskets.”

The biggest battle is creating a drive within himself to keep working despite many of his efforts happening alone.

“I’m more motivated because it’s more time to train and get ready physically and mentally,” Carroll said. “I can study plays if I need to, go work out. I’ve got a lot more time.”

More time without football will make Carroll’s heart grow fonder for it. It’s a feeling he already had once in his prep career, after he suffered that torn hamstring. A couple years later, without any control over the matter, Carroll again is facing life without a sport he excels at.

“I was looking forward to this year — my whole team was,” Carroll said. “We thought we were going to be able to do something really special.”

Colin Likas is the preps coordinator at The News-Gazette. He can be reached at clikas@news-gazette.com, or on Twitter at @clikasNG.