It was the summer of 1997 and Mike Karnas of Brewer was at a crossroads.

Athletically and academically, things weren’t going too well. Due to sagging grades, Karnas was ineligible to play football, his favorite sport, at Brewer High School.

So the junior-to-be started thinking about going somewhere else for school to regain both his academic focus and athletic eligibility.

“I still expected to go back to Brewer, but being ineligible made me look elsewhere,” Karnas said. “My dad had heard about Fork Union and we looked it up on the Internet. I took a visit in July, 1997, and from there, I guess the rest is history.”

Fork Union Military Academy is a private, all-male, military-style boarding school for grades six through 12 in Fork Union, Va. – approximately 44 miles northwest of Richmond. Fork Union also has a one-year postgraduate program.

“After a couple months, I wish I’d come here sooner,” Karnas said. “I didn’t know what to expect with the military angle, but it’s been a better transition than I ever expected.”

He said he needed a rigid, structured environment. He found it at FUMA, which features a “one-subject plan” where the same subject is taught five periods a day – five days a week – for seven weeks before switching to another subject.

“It really helped me getting back to old study habits I had in middle school and before. I just kind of lost focus,” Karnas explained. “I really needed the discipline and they have an incredible football program.”

This season, Fork Union went 10-2 and won the Virginia Prep League state championship for the fifth straight year and sixth time in the last seven years. Its only two losses were to high school powerhouses Dematha (Md.) and Valley Forge (Wayne, Pa.).

After playing his junior season as starting linebacker and backup fullback, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Karnas was a big part of this season’s success as a two-way starter at both positions.

Defensively, he finished with 92 tackles – 68 unassisted and seven for a loss – two pass deflections, and two interceptions. He was named to the Virginia All-Prep Team for his efforts.

“We run a 4-4, where the two inside linebackers are primarily run-stoppers and he was really good in that role,” said 15-year head coach Mickey Sullivan. “They’re probably the best linebacker tandem I’ve ever had. Tate Pittman and he were both all-conference picks.”

Offensively, Karnas only had 66 carries for 440 yards and six touchdowns, but he paved the road to 2,700 yards and 43 TDs for tailback Chris Perry.

“Here’s a great testimony to his ability: He hurt his elbow and came out in a lot of pain one game,” Sullivan recalled. “They wrapped it and told him he could play if he could stand the pain. He said,`I can’t carry the ball, but I’m gonna block…’ He’s my kind of player.”

Karnas is taking a long look at Central Connecticut State, which fields an independent Division I-AA football team. Six Atlantic 10 Conference teams have recruited him along with Citadel, Fairmont State and Lehigh.

It seems Karnas’ choice that summer two years ago was the right one for him.

“It wasn’t really that tough because I knew I needed to get away. I wanted to get into a neutral setting. I needed to get out of the current atmosphere,” said Karnas.

Karnas admits he still wonders what it would have been like had he stuck it out and eventually returned to playing football for Brewer, which suffered through a 2-7 season this fall.

“I didn’t think about being back on Brewer’s team much, but I miss the guys,” he said. “I’m glad I decided to come here though. It couldn’t have worked out much better.”