Whitney Johnson, with his untucked grass stained SF State soccer jersey, hobbles over to team trainer Brandon Jones. Jones wraps a bag full of ice with Saran wrap directly on Johnson’s right knee. His face starts to wince, but he continues to look on with complete focus on the “wrapping job.” It’s a process he’s all too familiar with.

“I still experience a lot of pain,” said Johnson, a senior BECA major. “When I rotate it, I can feel it grinding.”

Johnson, starting forward on the SF State men’s soccer team, tore the meniscus in his right knee, twice. After two surgeries, numerous attempts to return to the team and a roller coaster of a collegiate soccer career, Johnson, who is nicknamed “Whit,” has climbed to sixth in goals per game and ninth in points per game in the CCAA. He also leads the Gators in both total goals and points.

“He definitely brings a lot of passion, a lot of perseverance and desire to be successful,” said head coach Joe Hunter. “I can’t say enough about a guy that had a lot of setbacks. It says a lot about him.”

The 22-year-old first injured his right knee during his freshmen year in fall 2000, an injury that cost him the season after only eight games. Johnson had surgery the following May in which, according to him, 30 percent of the cartilage in his knee was removed.

“It’s been tough,” said teammate Chris Martinez, who is also returning this season from an injury. Martinez has known Johnson since the 8th grade, and the two are now housemates. “We’re there for each other, and we motivate each other.”

After his surgery, Johnson started training and working out while rehabilitating the knee. But the injury bug bit him again less than a year later.

Two weeks before the start of the 2001 season, Johnson re-injured the same knee during off-season training. Again, on the shelf for the season, he went under the knife to remove even more cartilage the subsequent November.

“The doctors said that I probably wouldn’t play again,” Johnson said. “I kept trying to come back and come back.”

Over summer of 2002, Johnson made regular visits to his doctor in which he received cortisone shots and knee drainage. But even though he was named to the roster the following season, he didn’t see any game action because of the knee.

“I thought this just wasn’t going to happen,” Johnson said. “I was still involved with the team and came out to the games.”

With the injuries beginning to mount, Johnson didn’t even bother trying out for the team and sat out all of last season. But he participated in intramurals and pick-up games on weekends, activities he credits to have re-ignited his love for soccer.

“I just missed it so much,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t just walk away from it. I also felt I could help the team.”

Johnson conditioned himself into better shape over the winter, trained with the team in the spring and went injury-free. He tried out, made the team and evolved into a team leader.

“He’s been like a mentor to me,” said freshmen forward Scottie Hand, who substitutes off the bench for Johnson. “He has lots of leadership and vision.”

“We look up to the older players,” said freshmen Benno Nagel. “We feed off his energy.”

According to Johnson, he only has about 50 percent of the cartilage left in his right knee. He said he still experiences swelling and flare-ups regularly, especially after games. He used to wear a custom-made knee brace, but switched to a knee sleeve for comfort and more give.

“There are a lot of movements I can’t do anymore,” Johnson said. “Even coming to a complete stop hurts. Everything hurts.

“In practice, I’m a lot more conscious of it. In games, I don’t feel it that much because of the adrenaline. After the game, I’ll ice it, and you’ll see me limping around.”

Although he realizes he could be doing additional damage to his knee, Johnson isn’t coming off the field until after the season.

“I probably have to have another surgery after the season,” Johnson said. “I don’t care as long as I can play the rest of the season. I have to make up for four years of not playing.”