Life has been totally unfair to Justin Dolley this year.

First his father died, taken away suddenly this past August by a heart attack at 51.

Now Justin has a torn MCL that will prevent him from playing for the Marion Indians Wednesday night in their playoff game. He wants to cinch his brace as tight as possible and get on the field, but there's no way he can. He has no lateral movement.

He loves playing football for the Indians with his friends and for Coach Tony Perkins. They were the people who helped him survive the tragic loss of his father. They are his buddies and he wants to head into battle with them.

If anyone has the right to say, "Why me?," it's Justin Dolley.

Instead, he looks despair in the eye and keeps moving forward, thanks to family, friends, teammates and inner strength.

But yes, he has wondered "Why me?"

"Yeah, I've thought of that," he said Tuesday while his teammates practiced at Marion. "But the team has helped me with it - helped me mentally stay sane, I guess you could say.

"They've been there for me, and I've been there for them."

Justin hurt his knee last Friday during Marion's 17-16 loss at DeWitt Central. His doctor said it will take at least four weeks to recover, yet Dolley wants to play, not Wednesday night but perhaps deeper into the playoffs.

Perkins admires his tenacity and dedication, but at this point will not allow it, fearing further injury. If Justin were to get hit on his knee again, he could face severe damage.

"This is a young man that needs to live the rest of his life with two legs, not one," Perkins remarked. "I'm not willing to put any kid in that position."

SCOTT DOLLEY died unexpectly on Friday, Aug. 3. He played football at Marion High School in the late 1970's. Perkins, in fact, was one of his teammates.

He served in the U.S. Army and worked as a technician at Mediacom for 30 years. He left behind three children - Mitchell, Jenna and Justin - and his wife, Sheryl.

Mr. Dolley was well-known by the Marion football players.

"My dad has always been there for the football team," Justin said. "They all know him. We don't live too far (from school). Pretty much everyone on the team had been around the house."

All of Justin's teammates came to the visitation for his father. He knew they planned to come to the church services as well, but he didn't know they planned to walk two-by-two from the school to the church, in silence, holding hands and wearing their red football jerseys.

He was touched by their support.

"I was actually sitting with my grandma and my mom kind of in the back room," he said. "I looked out the side and I saw a bunch of red coming in. I was like, 'Oh, man.'"

Coach Perkins has been a tremendous source of strength as well, starting with the day Scott Dolley passed away. "The night it all happened, he was at my house until about 4:30 that morning, sitting and talking with me," Justin said.

Football helped Justin survive the ordeal. He quickly returned to practice, rejoining his friends and teammates.

"If I didn't have something driving me ..." he began to explain, his words trailing off. "You see kids kind of slip a little bit. I don't think I would do that, but it kept me really on track and made me want things a lot more."

Perkins said it was important for Justin to rejoin his football family after his father's death.

"Football was a must for him," the coach said. "It's a big part of his life. It really is. He loves the game, he loves being around his teammates.

"His teammates are going to miss him, even more than he's going to miss being out there Wednesday night."

ONE OF the things Justin wanted was to help the Indians have a good season. And he succeeded, a source of strength on the offensive and defensive lines all year.

Marion tied for its district title, compiled a 7-2 record during the regular season and has the No. 1 seed for Wednesday night's Class 3A playoff game against Western Dubuque at Thomas Park.

Justin helped them get this far, but now he'll have to support his teammates from the sideline. Trev Biery, one of his good friends on the team, admires the way Justin has handled life's ordeals this year.

"He's a very tough kid," Biery said. "I don't know how he does it.

"He knows we're here for him, especially Coach. I know he's talked to him quite a bit."

Perkins has tried to help as much as possible, but hasn't been the only one.

"If he didn't have as strong a mom as he does in Sheryl, and if he wasn't as strong a kid mentally as he is, it would be devastating," Perkins said. "You could lose a kid over two dramatic things in his life like this.

"We sat down and we've had a lot of talks. He is to the point where he said, 'That's life.' Life isn't fair sometimes and you just have to come through it.

"And that's what he is. He's a true fighter," Perkins said. "He's a strong kid, emotionally. He's held it together more than anyone else I've ever seen."

Justin dedicated the season to his father. "He always told me to play for myself, but I knew I had to play for him, too," he said.

He was looking forward to the playoffs after the Indians failed to make the postseason tournament last year when he was a junior. He's clinging to the remote hope of playing again, but Perkins does not think it's possible.

Perkins is confident Justin will be OK.

"Sheryl will get him through it and his teammates will get him through it," he said. "He's a great kid, and it's sad to see that happen."

Justin knows Perkins doesn't think he can play, but he has not accepted the verdict. He still thinks it's possible.

"I'll do anything to get back," he said. "I'll do my best to get back as soon as I can.

"Coach knows that I'd do anything for this team and for Marion. If there's anything I could do to get out there, I would. I'd give everything to play."