High School Sports
Metro Sound: Very physical therapy for Beach standout Adam Leonard

By Matt Massey
Special to The Seattle Times

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES Adam Leonard believes college recruiters backed off after learning of his July knee surgery and wants to show he's sound.

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Adam Leonard wants to make one thing perfectly clear during his senior season of football at Rainier Beach High School.

He's not damaged goods.

After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to remove scar tissue around his patella tendon July 16, Leonard wants to prove his status as one of the Metro League Sound Division's top football players hasn't changed. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Leonard, a four-year starter at tight end and linebacker, wants to show he hasn't lost a step or an ounce of desire.

Leonard, who wears a light brace over his left knee, got medical clearance this week to play in the Vikings' opener Saturday at Renton and could start.

"I'm not 100 percent right now," said Leonard, who is considered one of the state's top prospects at linebacker. "I'm still doing some therapy on it, and it's more mental right now."

There's no reason to doubt a full comeback by Leonard, who roamed the middle of the defense at inside linebacker as Rainier Beach's leading tackler in 2003.

When recruiters learned of his knee surgery, Leonard believed schools backed off. He said he has received interest from Miami, Tennessee, Kansas State, California, Stanford, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State and Oregon.

"Schools want to see me play the first couple games to see how I bounce back," said Leonard, who has one scholarship offer, from Duke.

"I feel I've got something to prove. I want to come back from this and have an outstanding season. ... There are always doubters out there. I just hope to prove them wrong."
 
Leonard wears an infectious smile on his face and a tattoo on his upper right arm. The tattoo, designed by his older brother, Timothy, features a fiery football with the phrase "The Game Burns Within."

Adam's parents agreed to let him get the tattoo and pay for it if he posted a 3.8 grade-point average for one semester, which he achieved as a sophomore.

The tattoo says a lot about Leonard's drive on the football field.

"I just love the game," he said. "I love hitting people."

He'll need that passion for football to overcome the injury he suffered last season in track. In addition to the patella problem, the arthroscopic surgery revealed damage behind the knee.

Teammates and coaches were glad to see Leonard back for the opening of training camp, even though he couldn't participate in full-contact drills for the first two weeks.

"He's a leader by example," Rainier Beach coach Mark Haley said. "He's in the weight room every day, and he's become more vocal as a senior.

"He knows he's going to play at the next level. He wants to go out on top and go out with a bang."

Leonard has always been one of the biggest and strongest. In seventh grade, he weighed almost 180 pounds and outgrew Rainier Beach Little League football, which sets age-group weight limits.

Now Leonard bench presses 330 pounds, dead lifts more than 400 and runs 40 yards in 4.7 seconds.

Last season, he averaged 22.8 yards on 23 receptions and scored 11 touchdowns, but earned his reputation as a tenacious defender.

"He makes my job a lot easier on defense," said senior Shelton Danzy, a cornerback and running back. "I just sit back and he makes all the tackles. He's so aggressive."

Coming back from surgery won't be easy, but Leonard approaches the challenge with the same fire and determination he brings to the field.

"Surgery made him more determined to play," Danzy said of Leonard. "He feels he's got something to prove. To me, he's still the same old Adam."