Serious knee injuries are too much a part of Brad Anderson's life this week.

Anderson, Wayzata's football coach, expects to learn from an MRI on Friday that his daughter, Isabelle, a junior forward on the Trojans' soccer team, will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn ACL.

If Anderson -- who's had five knee operations himself -- is correct, then he will have lost two special athletes in a matter of days. On Tuesday, tests confirmed junior running back Mitch Underhill will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn ACL, a significant blow to the defending Class 5A champions.

"He's a special player," Anderson said. "Mitch has the unique gift of being fearless and hitting a hole hard."

As a 15-year-old sophomore playing in the Prep Bowl, Underhill enjoyed a breakout performance against Rosemount. He finished with 247 yards on 12 carries, including touchdown dashes of 45, 66, 58 and 58 yards.

More than a highlight-reel player, Underhill is an instructional video for how running backs should read and react within the Trojans' zone blocking scheme.

"We use tapes of Mitch to teach other runners where and when to cut," Anderson said. "We're looking for a one-cut runner, and he is textbook in terms of getting into the secondary before the defense has a chance to react."

Two of Underhill's understudies, transfer Antonio Ford and the less-experienced Erik Roti, hope to make the most of additional carries in the Trojans' run-first offense. Their styles provide different looks. Ford, a senior who transferred from Coon Rapids, is a physical runner who operates well between the tackles. Roti, who placed fifth in the Class 2A 100 meters at the state track and field meet last spring, does his best work running outside.

"I wouldn't call it replacing Mitch, I'd just call it something new," quarterback Nick Martin said. "Antonio brings a lot of power, and Erik brings a lot of speed. We're excited to play more with them."

A self-described "north-south runner" capable of breaking big runs, Ford rushed 13 times for 104 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening victory against Prior Lake. Watching Underhill, he said, improved his game.

"I really was taking a close look at his steps going into plays and how patient he is waiting to see things," Ford said.

Though only 5-9 and 170 pounds, Underhill parlays strong legs and a competitive streak to hit holes at top speed and push piles for more yards. Those traits, which led to a memorable Prep Bowl performance, likely played a role in his injury. Giving a second effort on a carry, he got hit by a Prior Lake defender from the side and "torqued his knee a funny way," Anderson said.

He limped to the sideline where trainers became almost certain the ACL was torn. The emotional toll lingers.

An accomplished Alpine skier, Underhill stayed off the slopes for more football training last winter. Anderson called injuries "the part that stinks about sports."

Martin said players "were hoping for the best, but we've been preparing as if we're not going to have him. We're just hoping he can make a recovery and whenever we get him back we'll be thankful."

Even without Underhill, players' goals for the season remain the same.

"Nothing's changed," Martin said. "We want to win a conference championship, a section championship and get to the Prep Bowl and win."