New faces hope to lead Adams Central to another deep postseason run

HASTINGS, Neb. — It’s a new era for Adams Central football, but it’s the same grind at Patriots practice.

Josh Lewis is the new head coach, taking over for Shawn Mulligan who stepped back from coaching, but he’s not new to the program. He has coached football at Adams Central for 12 years and spent the last eight or nine as defensive coordinator.

The players say the transition has been smooth.

“Obviously, there’s going to be different things when there’s a new head coach, but for the most parts, there’s a lot of similarities," senior Nick Conant said. "I feel like they’re implementing it well and we’re coming right along.”

“Same guy. Same fun guy, loving guy," senior Lucus Gabriel said. "We all love him. He’s always fun, he’s loud, he likes to have fun.”

For Lewis, there’s been a departure from the norm.

“Quite a bit different,” Lewis said.

But it’s mostly related to off-the-field duties. 

“Even things like ordering material goods like our clothing and all that kind of stuff. Making sure we have all the stuff we need to actually practice, our equipment, all that kind of that stuff,” Lewis said. “It’s just one thing after another. Any kind of troubles or problems tend to land on your desk.”

There’s at least one constant during his move from coordinator to head man. Lewis is going barefoot on the practice field.

“Early in the season, yeah for sure. Until it cools down a little bit I’ll probably do that,” Lewis said.

He’s gone shoeless for at least five years. He started doing it during morning conditions sessions when the grass is still damp.

“I didn’t like wearing my wet shoes out here, so I just started wearing my slides up to the curb, then barefoot through the grass, and then put them on when I get back out of here,” Lewis said.

There are some changes with the guys wearing cleats for the Patriots. They graduated their starting quarterback and record-setting running back Hyatt Collins. Senior running back Nick Conant takes over as a featured playmaker and leader.

“We want to go for a title, I mean, that’s the main goal," Conant said. "But we also just want to play good football and be good men by the end of it. ”

After going to the state semifinals a year ago, senior wideout and linebacker Lucus Gabriel says toughness and togetherness will help Adams Central continue its success.

“Fight through it together. Because everybody’s going through the same thing, heat, tough drills and everything," Gabriel said. "So (we’ve tried to) stay together and have positive attitudes.”

The Patriots host Minden in their season opener on Friday.