Friday Night Lights: This Wildcat can fly down the field

The Harlem Wildcats have a strong tradition of athletic excellence, across the board, in many sports. Yet, one sport the Wildcats haven’t been so successful in is football.

Like many Native American schools, football has been a struggle for the Wildcats. Many times in recent years, Harlem has won one game or, in some cases, it didn’t win any.

However, this season, the Wildcats have already got two wins under their belt, thanks not just to triumphs over Rocky Boy and Poplar, but also thanks in large part to the spectacular play of Damon Adams.

Adams, who is a three-sport athlete at Harlem High School, has already proven he can do great things in the athletic arena. Last spring, as a junior, he finished second at the Class B state track meet in the 200-meter dash. He also finished fifth in the 400.

On the football field though, Adams was looking for more.

He was talented as a junior and proved to be one of the few bright spots on a team that went 1-7. However, that wasn’t enough for Adams, who was determined to get the Wildcats multiple wins this season, which they did after defeating Poplar 46-30 last month.

In that game, Adams not only made an impact, he was the star. He scored three rushing touchdowns early on that broke it wide open. Playing on his home field, in front of his hometown fans, Adams treated them to spectacular runs, ones that covered 43, 77 and 33 yards respectively. And thanks to his scoring outburst, Harlem built a 30-0 advantage, before hanging on to win 46-30.

“I just had a lot of nervous energy before the game,” Adams said following the win. “I was just really worried that we weren’t going to be ready, but we came out and it was great, it meant a lot for us to get that win. It has been a long time since we have had multiple wins in one season and it feels really good to be a part of a team that was able to do that.”

While Adams credited much of his big night to his offensive line and his teammates, there is no question that part of the reason for his production, was his incredible speed. Adams, who also plays varsity basketball for the Wildcats, is just a great all-around athlete, yet sometimes, that doesn’t always translate to the football field.

But, as evidenced by his play on the field this year for the Wildcats, both as a running back and a linebacker, that obviously isn’t the case with Adams.

“I guess I just get the ball and if I see something open, I try to run,” Adams said. “I don’t really have juke moves or anything and I am not really a power runner. I just try to get on the outside and go.”

Adams was huge in the Wildcats win over Poplar with 209 rushing yards and four touchdowns. But, he was also instrumental in Harlem’s other win over Rocky Boy, after racking up 147 rushing yards and another score in a 38-22 victory.

Of course, winning two games was great for Harlem, but Adams and his teammates are hoping to get even more. That will certainly be difficult with remaining games against the likes of Malta and Conrad.

Yet, even if Harlem can’t upset either team, Adams and the Wildcats have already achieved plenty this season and Adams, who is closing in on a second straight 1,000-yard season, for one, is hoping those achievements will get even more Harlem kids playing football in the future.

“Hopefully, this gets more people excited about playing football,” Adams said. “Hopefully, they will see the success that we had and that we were able to win some games and that will want to make them play and help us keep getting better in the future.”

Adams and the Wildcats will celebrate senior night tonight when they host the Malta Mustangs tonight at 7 in Harlem.