By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — While reviewing film of PSJA North’s 2015 season, coach Marcus Kaufmann came away thinking Bo Adams was a gifted athlete, capable of making “insane catches” and very willing to navigate an offense at quarterback, given his arm, leadership and knowledge of the playbook.
Yet, as the Raiders thrived in that system, averaging close to 400 yards and 30 points per game en route to their second straight playoff appearance, Kaufmann saw room for improvement when he took over the program earlier this year. He installed a new system, veering away from the spread offense to multiple formations, and moved Adams to the backfield.
“Last year, they ran a lot of pistol spread and he’d get 5, 6 catches a game,” Kaufmann said. “But if he’s your best athlete, you need to give him the ball more. I didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting more touches.”
After playing quarterback the final four games of the regular season, Adams now finds himself settling into a new role as an every-down running back for PSJA North, which opens the season against Mission High at 7:30 tonight.
As a junior, Adams opened the year as a receiver, only to shift to quarterback after George Olivarez transferred to Edinburg Vela and Darren Fuentes sustained an injury during the eighth game of the season against Edinburg Economedes. That’s when Adams went under center and connected on a 40-strike on his first down before finishing with two touchdown passes in a 31-15 PSJA North victory.
Following a 5-6 season and 4-2 in district, coupled with a first-round playoff appearance, coach Jorge Peña retired, and North hired Kaufmann, who was previously the offensive coordinator at McAllen Memorial.
Looking to become a more forceful runner this year, Adams dedicated himself in the weight room, going from a 220-pound bench press to 300 pounds. In the process, he filled out his 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame heading into two-a-days.
“We’re a power running team,” Adams said. “We’re not going to spread it out like we did last year. We’re going to hit people in the mouth.”
From the moment Kaufmann took over, Adams watched old film of McAllen Memorial’s running attack on YouTube. The Mustangs had churned out stud running backs like Bradley Stephens and, most recently, Trevor Speights, the Valley’s all-time leading rusher. But Kaufmann instructed Adams to study Patrick Granchelli, a standout from the late 2000s who went on to play at Trinity.
“I told him, you can watch Trevor when he hits the alley, but not when he’s going 80 (yards) and making guys miss (tackles),” Kaufmann said. “Watch what the offense did for Trevor. That’s what we’re trying to get him to do.
“He reminds me a lot of Patrick, because the running style is that of a tough, hard-nosed kid who’ll do what’s asked of him. And he’s a good leader, too.”
Following an offseason filled with film study, Adams is now better able to find where the alleys, bounces and cutbacks are supposed to occur, and can better identify blocks.
When Kaufmann first took over, he noticed players wouldn’t attack holes until it opened. He urged them, however, to anticipate where openings might present themselves and attack it before it closes. Adams, he said, was the quickest to pick up on that, understanding the fronts and slants.
With more downhill, power blocking, Adams expects the opportunities will be plentiful this year.
“Our line’s changing a lot and the style of game is changing a lot,” Adams said. “So I think it’ll impact all of us in a positive way.
“It’s different seeing things on the field from this perspective (as opposed to quarterback or wide receiver). You’re not in control of things. But it helps having Darren out there, as well as my full back (Rene Ramirez).”
The three have played together for years. In fact, Adams and Ramirez have been friends since preschool, and both went on to join varsity as sophomores. Now they’ll carry the load in the backfield for a PSJA North team looking to rebrand itself.
“He was underused at first, tremendously,” Ramirez said, pointing to Adams’ role as a receiver. “Once he got in at quarterback, he had more opportunity to run the ball and he did very well. When that happened, there was no turning back. That’s what we’re trying to do now, just getting to the goal line.”