Mount Vernon’s Adams falls in love with football

MOUNT VERNON - Headphones on and the world around him disappears.

He turns on his music and his heart starts racing. He shuts his eyes and he is envisioning himself doing something incredible to make his adrenaline rush.

Third and ten. Hike! The popping of the pads the linemen make with the defense catches him first. The football is snapped and finally reaches him. He looks up and looks down field to his receivers. He sees a linebacker has broken through the line and is scrambling and panicking. He looks down and sees an open receiver and he fires the football down field.

He instantly gets hit as the ball is thrown, head buried in the turf. The crowd erupts. He slowly gets up to see the herd of offense racing down to the end zone to celebrate.

'Touchdown!” yells the announcer.

This sounds like something out a Mike Lupica book right? This is no fairy-tale story. Sophomore Drew Adams is living this dream in real life. Adams began his dream in his freshmen year, when he was given the opportunity to start as quarterback for the varsity football team. But the story doesn't start there.

Adams has been playing the game of football ever since he was a young child. He worked his way up from the offensive line to quarterback dating back to the Metro Youth Football days. Adams grew up on the meaty side, so he played on the offensive line at right guard during his flag football career. He then moved to tight end during fifth and sixth grade tackle football.

He was finally given the opportunity to play quarterback starting in seventh grade.

'Growing up with my dad and brother, we played catch in the driveway all the time just throwing the ball around,” he said. 'I enjoyed it and thought it was for me.”

Adams is involved with school and summer league basketball, as well.

Adams' dream of being a quarterback now has become a reality. He started seventh grade at quarterback and said it was fun and why he started to love football so much. Adams grew from that point on, learning the ropes of being the leader of the team and the fundamentals of the game and position.

Adams took from what he learned from middle school football to high school and now is at the bottom, a new fish in the water. He was scrawny but hungry to get to the varsity level. Adams started playing in freshmen and junior varsity games. With his talent that didn't last long. He was given the chance to play at quarterback and in a heartbeat he was practicing at the varsity level.

'Not a lot of coaches like to bring up freshmen very often, so I feel honored that I was given the chance,” Adams said.

He didn't start, but he got a couple snaps toward the end of games when the Mustangs were leading by a big margin.

He started his very first game in the first round of the playoffs.

'It definitely was nerve racking at first, but once you get in the game you almost lose focus and you don't think as much,” Adams said.

It was a cool fall evening in 2014 and the Mustangs were playing against Mediapolis. The Mustangs ended up winning, 20-9. Adams not only got to experience his very first start on varsity, but to win the first round of the playoffs was the frosting on the cake.

'The fact you're playing varsity doesn't cross your mind, it's feels like you're just playing football,” Adams said.

The Mustangs lost to a tough North Fayette Valley team in the second round of the playoffs. North Fayette Valley ended up winning the championship. Adams ended his first year of high school football throwing for 668 yards and six touchdowns.

From there the Mustangs and Adams would grow.

Adams now is a sophomore and starting quarterback for the varsity team. which plays at Central Lee tonight in a second-round playoff game.

'The relationships I have built have gotten much stronger,” Adams said. 'I have gotten to know the upperclassman much better throughout my first two years of high school. They help me out when they can, I can't say enough how great they've been.”

He has received two packets from colleges, but hasn't committed to any school yet. While he sees his hard work paying off, he knows he can't let it get to his head. He is looking for a good education and is in hopes of playing football during his college years.

'Football has been number one for me in the past couple months, this season has been an eye opener for me and how much football really means to me,” Adams said.

Adams set a school record for most passing yards in a season with 1,436, breaking a record that dated back to 1996 when Chris Roloff threw for 1,185 yards.