The Ava Bears are known for their tough ground game, and behind every good running offense is a good running back.
In the backfield is where Hunter Adams thrives, and he turned some heads during his freshman season.
“When you’re talking about a 15-year-old kid playing 18-year-old guys it was amazing to watch,” said Ava head football coach Casey Merrifield.
As a freshman, he was a 1,000-yard rusher for the Bears, setting high expectations for year two.
“I really wanted to take over and be one of the best running backs in the state,” said Ava junior Hunter Adams.
However, Hunter’s sophomore season didn’t go as planned.
“I had two touchdowns and just under a 100-yards rushing in the 3rd quarter and my body had had enough,” Hunter said.
“He plants to try and make a tackle at linebacker and goes down,” Merrifield said.
“I tore my ACL, both meniscus’, I fractured my femur, bruised bones, I tore all the muscles pretty much, and then the sprained PCL, LCL, MCL and about everything in there,” Hunter added.
Just like that his sophomore season was over.
“It obviously really sucked; it takes a mental toll on you, but I had so many people there for me,” Hunter said. “My teammates did a good job of rallying around me and supporting me.”
More support came from two guys that have been through the same injury, Hunter’s older brothers.
“That’s probably what got me through it the most because it was kind of a mental battle,” Hunter said. “They wanted nothing more than for me to come out here and prove that even though something happens to me I’m still a great football player.”
A few months after surgery, Hunter returned for track season, and shortly after began getting ready to play football again.
“It was really hard for me to put him in for the first full contact, and it was actually him that said ‘Coach I’ve got to get ready and in order to be ready for contact I have to feel some,’” Merrifield said.
“There was some swelling in my knee, but other than that I wanted to jump right in and go full speed because I don’t want this injury to define me. I wanted to be the same player I was freshman year,” Hunter said.
Through four games in his junior season, he’s exceeding those expectations. Hunter is averaging more than 150-yards a game.
“It’s the greatest feeling ever to be back around everybody and not be watching from the sidelines but be a part of it, and especially being the biggest contributor that I can,” Hunter said.
“When it happened there’s always that doubt of ‘Will he ever be the same again?’ We feel like he’s better now than he was when he got hurt,” Merrifield said.
“It was just a little blockade on the way, and I knew that I was the same player I was,” Hunter added.
