The hit came from the blind side, a devastating blow that left Zach Schrader wondering if he would play football again.

But this knockout didn't happen on the field. Instead, it came in the Western Washington University Student Union during an emergency team meeting last January.

A few hours after receiving a text message to attend the mandatory gathering, Schrader and his teammates heard the stunning news.

After 98 seasons, the school was dropping football.

"I was shocked, kind of numb to what just happened," said Schrader, then a starting safety for the Division II Vikings. "I was with my best friends, kids I grew up with playing football.

"What do I do now? Am I going to finish school and just stay here? Or am I going to continue on in a sport that I love?

"I sat down with my parents the week after and spent some time thinking about it. I finally decided a week after."

His choice? Schrader, who had played football since he was a young boy, wasn't ready to leave the helmet and shoulder pads behind.

Klayton Adams, then a Western Washington assistant coach, figured as much. He'd called Sacramento State coach Marshall Sperbeck and Hornets defensive coordinator Lou Baiz to let them know Schrader was worth a look.

The Hornets followed up, and found themselves a starting strong safety. Schrader provides toughness, good football instincts and leadership for Sac State, which takes a 2-3 overall record and a 2-1 Big Sky Conference mark into Saturday's league game at Weber State.

He also leads the Hornets, and is tied for second in the Big Sky, in tackles per game with an 11.0 average.

"He's been a great addition to our defense," Baiz said. "He's really given us a toughness and an attitude. Hard worker. He's a winner.

"It's been a blessing."

Ironically, Adams, the coach who recommended Schrader to the Hornets, is now on Sac State's staff coaching tight ends and offensive tackles.

He, too, was stunned when Western Washington pulled the plug on football.

"I was sitting in the office setting up a recruiting visit for the next day," Adams said. "The athletic director and the president walked in.

"We had to call all the players and get them out of class. … It was a really, really dramatic scene. Players were crying.

"We had a really good group of guys on the team who really cared about each other and really liked being there. It was a really sad thing, like a family member died."

Schrader, who played at Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash., a Seattle suburb, said he was "pretty upset" about Western Washington's decision, which school officials said was made for financial reasons.

"It really hit me hard," said Schrader, whose team went 6-5 and won the Dixie Rotary Bowl in its final season. "It was just out of nowhere."

He said he's adjusting well to life in Sacramento after two seasons in Bellingham, Wash.

"Now it's starting to get more my weather," he said during Tuesday's storm, which knocked out power to Sac State, forcing the Hornets to spend part of their afternoon indoor practice in the dark.

"In the summer, that 100-degree weather was killing me."

Now, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior said he's focused on helping turn around the Hornets' program.

"That would mean a lot to me," he said. "I want to win. That's all that matters."

Schrader, a communications major, downplayed his contributions, crediting good coaching.

"I thought I knew my stuff," he said. "When I came here, I thought, 'I won't have to learn too much.' I've learned so much here."

Schrader's coaches have discovered they've landed a winner.

"He has a contagious attitude," Hornets defensive backs coach Anthony Parker said. "He's really taken a leadership role. He's done a great job with that.

"He's very inquisitive. He's into the schemes. … He wants to know why we're doing things."

Adams, who describes Schrader as quiet, intense and intelligent, gives an assist to Zach's parents, Paul and Ellen Schrader.

"He's a really good kid," Adams said. "He's been brought up the right way. He wants to do the right thing."

And he still wants to play football, no matter where that passion takes him.

Call The Bee's John Schumacher, (916) 326-5523.