CHICORA — All he wanted was a chance to play football.

The Butler County Bears handed that opportunity to Karns City graduate Jerod “J.J.” Hutchison— and more.

“I wasn't ready to quit playing and I had knee surgery right after my senior season,” Hutchison, a running back-defensive back, said. “I didn't know how my knee was going to respond and I wasn't ready to go to college, anyway.”

So he joined the semi-pro Bears the spring of his senior year and played in their defensive backfield for the past three seasons.

This fall, he became the first Bears player to ever go on to college ball. Hutchison accepted an opportunity to play for Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, a NJCAA school in Lancaster.

The coaching staff saw game footage of Hutchison with the Bears and contacted him.

“At first, I didn't know if I wanted to go,” he said. “They brought me out for a visit and when I saw I could become a certified electrician through their program, I became interested.”

The Bulldogs — champions of the Seaboard Conference four of the past five years — put together a 7-3 season and Hutchison saw plenty of action. He began the season on special teams.

When he first got there, he figured he'd be a running back. Hutchison gained nearly 600 yards his senior year at Karns City.

“They had a bunch of second-year players on the team, especially on offense, so I switched over to defense,” he said. “Some guys got hurt and I was a starter the second half of the season.”

Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dennis Iezzi said the team tried him at a number of positions.

“Jerod was one of our most improved players as the season went on,” Iezzi said. “Besides being a good football player, he's a young man of character and leadership. He fit into our program well.”

Hutchison started one game at linebacker and played strong safety in four games. He had an interception “and I should have had three more,” he said.

Hutchison wound up with four tackles, three assists and the interception was in the red zone during that final game.

“He found a home at strong safety,” Iezzi said. “He'll be penciled in as a starter there if he comes back.”

Hutchison became one of the team's surer tacklers down the stretch as well.

“Nobody on our team gets paid, so J.J. was eligible to play college ball,” Butler County Bears coach Kirk Bergbigler said. “If even one player on our roster was paid, we'd be considered a pro team and no one who ever played for us could play in college.

“The way we're set up, guys can still play collegiate ball if they choose. J.J. is the first one who's done that.”

Hutchison may not return to the Bears next spring, however, because of possible eligibility issues.

“I have to check into that,” he said. “Now that I've played in college, I don't want to screw up a chance to play somewhere else.”

He is considering a transfer to a four-year school to continue his academic and football career.

“Yeah, my thoughts have changed a little that way,” Hutchison admitted. “I love football and I want to keep playing. I'm building a career at the same time.”

Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 190 pounds, Hutchison is hitting the weight room these days as well.

“I need to get bigger and stronger,” he said. “I learned that from playing with the Bears. At that level, the game gets faster, the players are bigger and they have the same passion for playing that I do.

“Every time I got knocked down, I got back up. That's the way it was this fall, too. I'll always be that way.

“No doubt, playing for the Bears helped me out. I wouldn't be going to school now, otherwise,” Hutchison added.