NO. 2 IS No. 1. In Steve Devlin's heart, that is.
Devlin is the coach of the abundantly, even overwhelmingly, talented football team at Archbishop Wood High and the guy wearing jersey No. 2 is Kyle Adkins.
Perhaps you've never heard of Adkins and, if that's the case, you are forgiven, seeing as how he is not one of the six senior Vikings already committed to Division I-A programs.
Let's see. Tight end Colin Thompson is bound for Florida. Rusher Desmon Peoples and lineman Brandon Arcidiacono are tied to Rutgers. Lineman Frank Taylor has said yes to Boston College. Rusher Brandon Peoples, Desmon's first cousin, will be a Temple Owl. And just last Tuesday, defensive back Nate Smith cast his lot with West Virginia.
But now, digest the thoughts of Devlin, on the matter of Kyle Adkins' importance . . .
"If I were going to start a football team, Kyle Adkins would be my first draft pick," Devlin said, with no hesitation. "He hasn't come off the field since he was a sophomore, and he does everything you ask him to do. He's a great leader and tremendous kid.
"He's not the flashiest guy, but he gets things done."
Yesterday, one of those "things" was a crazy touchdown.
As Wood entertained a large homecoming crowd by doing a 49-6, Catholic AAA number on Monsignor Bonner, in mostly beautiful weather at William Tennent High, the 6-foot, 185-pound Adkins posted seven tackles and three of those produced losses.
He also scored on a 1-yard fumble return.
If Devlin had closed his eyes just before the play, and someone had told him afterward about the result, he almost certainly would have blurted out, "Kyle did it, right?"
"He's always around the ball," the coach noted. "He finds ways to get there."
The play occurred midway through the first quarter and allowed the Vikings to double a 7-0 lead. At Bonner's 35, quarterback Jim Haley dropped back into a shotgun formation and, oooooops, the snap was so high over his head, it would have cleared a two-story building.
From his linebacking spot, Adkins gave chase. While dueling with Haley, he eventually gained control along the home sideline just before the end zone, which he entered with a mini-dive.
"When you see it that far away from the quarterback, you break off from your assignment and try to make a play on the ball," Adkins said. "You have to assume the ball won't be picked up [by others] and keep going after it. That's what happened.
