August 5, 2009

Olin Buchanan
Rivals.com College Football Senior Writer

Hands clinched and breath was held as the linebacker braced for a goal-line collision.

None of that angst came from the linebacker, though. Sam Maresh was thrilled to be on the field, preventing a charging running back from reaching the end zone.

But in the stands during Minnesota's spring game, Bill and Julie Maresh were braving the loops and jerks of an emotional roller coaster while watching their son play football less than a year after he had open-heart surgery to repair a congenital disorder of the aortic valve.

A roar came from the crowd when the public address announcer identified Maresh as the tackler. But while everyone else cheered, his parents were nervously squeezing each other's hands as their son walked gingerly to the sideline.

"You know your son," Bill said earlier this week by phone from his home in Champlin, Minn. "I knew he was not walking right. Julie and I are holding hands thinking, 'Oh, goodness, what's wrong?' The trainer came over and they're stretching him a little bit, and in my mind I'm asking, 'Is it his chest? His sternum?'

"The first thing I do after the game, I'm asking him what was wrong. He hurt a rib, but I've got my hand on his chest asking, 'Do you hurt here? Do you hurt here?' "

It has taken a great amount of courage for Sam Maresh to work his way from the operating room to the roster. But his parents also have shown courage. They brought Sam into the world, nurtured and raised him. Heart problems have prematurely ended the careers of players ? most recently, USC freshman linebacker Frankie Telfort ? and the Mareshes had to give their blessing for their son to continue playing.

A parent doesn't love or worry any less just because a child has reached adulthood, and the concern Bill and Julie felt during the spring game will be repeated when the Gophers open the season at Syracuse on Sept. 5. The level of concern may lower with each game, but it's still going to be lurking.

"There is always going to be some worry," Bill Maresh said. "But he performed well, made some tackles, some hits, so you've got to let that worry go and say, 'Go get 'em.' "

Sam, 20, says he is ready to go. He has no illusions of stepping directly into the starting lineup, even on a unit that ranked 80th in the nation last season.

He's not as experienced or quick as Lee Campbell, a senior middle linebacker who tops the depth chart. Sam's timing was off in the spring; he often reached to make tackles rather than explode into a ball carrier, and he needs more repetitions to raise his level of play.

But there is always room for a player such as Maresh ? a 6-foot-3, 247-pound former four-star prospect with the reputation for being a ferocious hitter ? and he does feel he can make a legitimate contribution this season.

"Obviously, it's real personal for me," he said. "I think I can make a big contribution to the team as a [backup] or just on special teams. Hopefully, I can be a No. 2 guy and see the field in some packages.

"I think it all comes down to what's inside you and what you feel you can do. Coming out of high school, I was a four-star recruit and thought I could be competing for a starting job. Then, all that stuff happened. You've just got to have the right mindset."

Maresh signed with Minnesota in February 2008 and his heart condition was discovered during a routine team physical in early June 2008. He had surgery later that month.

Then, eight months after the surgery, a tumor was found in his left calf in mid-February of this year. Tests later showed that it was benign.

"After heart surgery, it was a tough recovery process," Sam said. "I got to camp and went through workouts, and then my leg starting bothering me. I was thinking somebody up there doesn't want me to play.

"I got down, but that's passed over. I'm 100 percent and ready to go. People get hurt all the time [in football]. It just so happens my [injuries] are pretty serious. But things happen in life you can't do anything about. You hit it head on and deal with it, and everything will work out."

Maresh worked out hard this summer. He made sure to get extra work in on weekends by doing anything from extra running and weightlifting to playing softball.

"I have to get in the best shape I can," he said. "If you put in the time, you can be successful."

Bill Maresh, who is the wrestling coach at Champlin Park High, isn't surprised by his son's intense desire to get back on the field. He's seen that intensity from the youngest of his four children for a long time.

"The baby has got to fight for what they want," Bill said with a laugh. "We'd go to the wrestling room and he'd fight with intensity. There was something inside of him.

"When he was 3, he was a mean kid. One time, the boys were rolling around wrestling. When I looked up, he had one boy down and hit him. I had to discipline him. Sammy never had a problem with intensity."

He's ready to show that intensity when the Gophers start camp Monday. His parents are getting ready, too.

"We've got to be courageous for him," Bill said. "If we're worried and scared, that could hinder him. He's going to play and he's going to go 100 percent. If a player pulls back, that's when he gets hurt.

"He'll be fine. But maybe my wife and I will be holding hands when he's not watching."

The Edge

This week, it's Florida State vs. Penn State, as requested by Jerome Staverosky of Aurora, Colo.

Every week, we match up teams to determine which has the edge in various categories. Got a matchup you want to see? Send it to olin@rivals.com and we'll work on it.

Olin Buchanan is the senior college football writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at olin@rivals.com.