Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the 22 best high school football players in Southern Arizona, in no particular order.
Name: Sebastian Adamski
The rundown: Adamski is a 6-foot, 233-pound senior linebacker at Walden Grove High School.
Who he is: Adamski wasn’t on anyone’s radar a year ago.
Walden Grove head coach Corey Noble described his linebacker as “a well-kept secret for us.”
“Not intentionally; we weren’t trying to hide him or anything. … We knew what we had when he was a freshman but the way it worked out, he didn’t get a chance to really showcase himself and what he could do until last year,” Noble said.
Only two players in Southern Arizona had more tackles than Adamski’s 130 in 2019: Walden Grove teammate Rick Avelar and Cholla’s Matthew Velador, both of whom graduated in the spring.
Adamski and Avelar, a fellow linebacker, combined for 292 of Walden Grove’s 718 team tackles in 2019. Both were named to the Class 4A Gila Region All-Defensive Team in 2019.
“Me and Rick have always been that 1-2 punch,” Adamski said. “I’ve known him for over 10 years now so we’ve always had a relationship. We always knew wherever the other guy was and we just knew how to play with each other, which made life so much easier. … We’re like brothers off the field.”
Adamski now looks to be the catalyst for Walden Grove’s defense at the “Mike” linebacker spot, the position Avelar played last season. He took on the new leadership role during the offseason, gaining muscle weight while honing in on his speed for pass coverage.
Adamski got the best of both worlds in his offseason training. For footwork and mobility, he trained with Tucson Sugar Skulls cornerback and former Pima College standout Cam Gaddis, who’s trained a number of high school football players around Tucson.
For muscle growth, he lifted weights with Gary Pantilla, who competed in multiple strong-man competitions around the country. Pantilla’s workouts were everyday power-lifting workouts sprinkled in with strongman exercises, such as lifting 300-pound sandbags and stones.
“(Quarantine) wasn’t much-needed, but I benefited from it,” Adamski said. “I worked out three times a day and even during practice now, I can tell how much better I’ve gotten. It helped out a lot.”
Proof he’s good: Adamski was named the Class 4A Gila Region Defensive Player of the Year last season.
After his breakout ’19 season, Adamski received a football offer from Drake University of the Pioneer League and multiple Division III schools. Adamski hopes that a big season could garner attention from the hometown Arizona Wildcats.
“As a fan, I grew up dreaming of going to the U of A,” Adamski said. “I used to paint my whole body when I went to games and was known as ‘Zookeeper Jr.’”
He said it: “He’s violent, he’s explosive and very instinctive, but he is violent. He brings it on every snap. … He plays the game of football the way defense was meant to be played. He’s that guy now and I expect him to have another stellar season that’s going to be an improvement to where he was last year, and he expects nothing less.” — Noble
