Bo Knows Football?

Senior Bo Adkins one of the top players on Hurricane's baseball team this past season decide to come out and play football this season.

Coach Taylor and the Redskins are thrilled to have him, but the transition has not been the smoothest at times. "Its totally opposite of baseball," Bo commented recently, "I'm still getting used to it." He credits several friends on the team for convincing him to play and singles out fellow seniors Noah Craddock, Payton Lunsford, and Michael Watson.

As a service to Bo let's look at some difference between baseball and football:

Baseball is played on a Diamond in a park. Football is played on the Gridiron.

Baseball is played in the Spring-the season of new life. Football is played in the Fall when everything starts dying.

Football is played in all elements; cold, rain, snow wind, mud......Baseball is not played if it rains.

In baseball the defense wears a cap..In football they wear a helmet.

Football is based on downs.."what down is it?" Baseball is concerned with ups..Who's up? I'm not up, he's up.

Football specialists come in to kick...Baseball specialists come in to relieve someone.

Football has the blitz, hitting, blocking, unnecessary roughness, and personal fouls. Baseball has the sacrifice, bunts, and the fielder's choice.

The object of football is for the field general, or quarterback, to be on target with his aerial assault, hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy, despite the blitz even if he has to use the shotgun! With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing his assault with a sustained ground attack, which punches holes into the enemy's defensive line so that he can get his team into the end zone......The object of baseball is to be safe at home.

Anyway on Friday night's first play against Winfield, Bo was given a fast and harsh welcome to football. "The opening kickoff came to me, I was frozen for a second but I grabbed it and started to run....and I got absolutely crushed." He laughed and recalled laying on the ground thinking "Did I pick the right sport?"

Bo admitted to the awesome feeling he had walking through the stands and onto the field among the huge crowd Friday night. "I hear there were 7,000 people there, words cant describe what that felling was like for me."

Adkins plays receiver for the Redskins and did have a catch on Friday night for a short gain, but still heard the huge reaction from the large crowd. "It was awesome." Bo sees his role as helping Curon Cordon and Dakota Williams do what they do, by drawing as much defensive attention away from the top 2 threats of the Redskins' offense. But with his size and speed if opponents forget about him, he is ready to make them pay. "they cant defend all of us."

Bo has another role on the team and that is serving as the holder on field goals and PATS. A role he was not always prepared to perform Friday night. On a couple of occasions Hurricane's kicker Tim Mccutchen was ready to kick the PAT....but had no holder on the field, as Bo was nowhere to be seen. "I totally forgot, he admits, "everyone was screaming Bo, and I was just chillin' on the bench, thinking they were yelling for Bomani (Brooks), yeah like I said I'm still getting used to all this stuff."

Adkins has set no specific goals for the season and talks like a veteran when he offers, "our goal is to beat Paintsville, after that our goal is to beat Cabell Midland." Bo knows football!