BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MERCEDES — Lying on a bed in a Corpus Christi hospital, Roger Adame III’s mind raced. The senior linebacker was rushed to an emergency room after breaking his right arm during the third quarter of Mercedes’ season opener against Corpus Christi Calallen on Sept. 1.
“I had mixed emotions about football, my future and life in general at the time,” Adame said. “I felt like it was over. I told my dad (Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr.) that I didn’t want to play football anymore. I was scared of breaking my arm again. Before the (Corpus Christi Calallen) game, I felt like I was unstoppable. I went from feeling unstoppable to stoppable in a second.”
The injury shook Adame III initially, but after successful surgery, his zeal for the game returned. Each passing day of rehab and watching teammates fly around Tiger Stadium at practice made him want to get back to football even more.
The initial diagnosis placed him on a timetable to return to game action in six to eight weeks. Adame III played in his first game since the surgery versus Brownsville Pace on Oct. 14 — 42 days after Mercedes’ season opener.
“There were some moments where we didn’t know what was going to happen (with Adame III),” Adame Jr. said. “We couldn’t tell what the future held, and all we could tell him was to keep his faith and to keep working. He persevered. If anybody could put him in a difficult situation, he is a person who can thrive in it.”
“I heard some good advice my dad gave to someone a few weeks ago: ‘What if the ‘what ifs’ don’t happen?’” Adame III said. “He said that weeks ago, but I’ve believed in that advice when I was in surgery. I wanted to come back and make the rest of the year different. Now I’m here.”
“Here” is Adame III’s Wednesday morning signing ceremony to officially sign his intent to play Division I college football as a preferred walk-on at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio. Adame III previously held offers from Kentucky Christian University, an NAIA school, and NCAA Division III Southwestern University.
UIW entered the picture well after national signing day on Feb. 7. The Cardinals’ coaching staff, led by new head coach Eric Morris, looked through its recruiting class to see if the group had any holes. When the coaches noted that they’d like to have a linebacker who can drop back in coverage as a nickel corner, Adame III became a wanted man.
“(UIW linebackers) Coach (Brandon) Lechtenberg saw potential in me from my film,” Adame III said. “We went on an official visit earlier this month. The school was great. Athletic facilities were tremendous. I could feel the culture change that Coach Morris wanted for the program.”
Adame III is expected to join the Cardinals for summer workouts in July, and he won’t be the lone Valley representative in the program. Weslaco East quarterback Richard LeFevre and McAllen High wide receiver Gunnar Henderson both signed with UIW earlier this year.
“Gunnar and I go back to training at Cavazos Sports Institute last year, and we’ve still kept in touch,” Adame III said. “We had a deal where we used to do a hundred pushups per night, and we’d text each other to see if we both held up our end. I know LeFevre’s potential is great from seeing him play at Weslaco East. It’s crazy how God worked for us to be on the same team.”