Josh Adams on the Football Field and at School

Josh+Adams+tackles+a+football+like+he+tackles+school%21+Photo+from+Art+Gentile+via+The+Intelligencer

Josh Adams tackles a football like he tackles school! Photo from Art Gentile via The Intelligencer

With seemingly endless hours of training and practice, CB South Senior Josh Adams’s world revolves around football. The football team’s vigorous practices range in long lengths of time, and on game days, the team can be at CB South until 10:00pm.

The practice starts off by warming up. Then the players practice at individual stations, while Adams works with fellow running backs. Afterwards, they work on passing and techniques like a blitz period. Finally, practice ends with a team period.

Being in South football takes a lot of time in the week. Mr. Hetrick, CB South football coach, said the football players practice 15-20 hours a week, usually closer to 20 hours. Adams also trains outside of school and said “there is no clear number” on how much time he puts into football; however, football takes up “the majority of [his] time.”

Even in the summer, Adams still practices. He came to South and ran around the track, ran hills, and did ladder drills to stay in shape.

All of his training has paid off. Fellow senior and co-captain, Dan Young, said “He’s been practicing, and he improved his talent.”

Evan Becker, another South senior and football player, agreed with Dan. “[Adams has] played so much he can see the field better.”

Mr. Hetrick, Young, and Becker all agreed that one of Adams’s strengths is his vision. Having good eyesight in football is crucial because players need to be able to see the field and where the players are. His vision helps him see open space and where his “lanes are green,” said Mr. Hetrick.

Mr. Hetrick also said Adams’s other strengths are his patience and his speed. “When he takes off, you’re gonna have a hard time catching up,” Coach Hetrick said. He added that another one of Adams’s strong points is the fact that he is “a gifted athlete.” CB South senior and teammate Dikembe Wilkins agreed, saying, “He’s always just been great.”

Adams has been playing since seventh grade and has been on a few teams since then: Tamanend, the Pioneers, Mt. Airy, and of course South. He even tried basketball his freshman year, but decided to stay dedicated to football.

Adams chose football because he wanted to try to do his “own thing” and “make a name for himself.” He wanted to “focus on helping others while doing [his] best.” Adams said another reason he chose football is because “it’s fun and something new and a lot of excitement.”

Football is indeed filled with excitement, and one of Adams’s favorite memory from this season was beating North Penn. He said, “I got to relive when we beat them sophomore year.” Although he has had some fun memories against North Penn, during his sophomore year, he unfortunately tore his ACL when playing against them.

This season has been memorable with six wins and only two losses. In a recent game against Abington, CB South’s football team won 23-7.

Next year, Adams will be attending Notre Dame College. Adams does not have to pick a major until his sophomore year, though he is leaning towards psychology. He said, “I am trying to build a future at Notre Dame and hopefully go into the draft after.” If he could choose an NFL team to play for, he would pick the San Diego Chargers.

Adams was looking at several other colleges like Boston College, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Rutgers. However, Adams chose Notre Dame because he had a great time at the visit, and Notre Dame opens many doors for his future. So far, the Fighting Irish are 5-0 for this season. “There are also many well-known alumni from there,” he said.

Adams does not know where his life would be heading without football. “I don’t believe in backup plans,” he said, “because then it’s hard to focus on the first.”

Adams thinks a lot about his future, and one of his goals is “to do a good job at Notre Dame, earn a spot on the team and make a difference.” He plans to start college having a positive attitude.

Adams is extremely well respected at South, and many people love him because of his aspirations and his success in football. Mr. Hetrick said, “He is a good kid and does stuff the right way.”