Littlefield senior defensive lineman, Adrian Garcia, signed his Letter of Intent last Monday during a ceremony in the Littlefield High School Library to continue his academic and football career at McPherson College in Kansas.
“It’s a real honor,” Adrian said. “I really loved the sport, from flag football to now, I’ve loved it, worked hard at it and I am really excited for this opportunity to continue my career.”
Garcia was a first-year varsity player for the Wildcats this year, playing on the defensive line.
“We didn’t really know what to expect from Adrian coming into the year, but he was a pleasant surprise for us,” Head Coach Bo Bryant said. “He was great on the defensive line and was one of our better defensive players.”
He added, “I’m excited for Adrian to get this opportunity and continue his football career and hopefully get his schooling payed for. This is an awesome moment. This is why I do it, to see the success of our kids. It’s great to seem them be able to have the opportunity to continue playing.”
Garcia said that right now he was recruited as a defensive lineman, but the coaches have talked to him about the possibility of moving to linebacker.
“They have great coaches over there and it is a great staff,” he said. “The recruiting process was nerve racking at first. I’m just really excited for this opportunity.”
He added, “They have a great football program and are very competitive. Like Littlefield, they have a lot of tradition and I’m really excited to get over there and be a part of it.”
Garcia said that it was about midway through his senior year during football season when he realized he had a shot at playing college football. “It never really occurred to me that I would get an opportunity like this until offers started coming in,” he explained.
Garcia’s parents talked about what it means to them to be able to see their son continue his football career, saying, “It means the world to us to be able to see our son continue his career at the college level, because he loves playing football. But, it’s like I tell him, you’re going all the way over there to play football, but first and foremost, you’re going over there to get a college education, because that is what is most important.”
Christine Cristan added, “We will always be rooting for him and will always be behind him no matter what.”
Garcia talked about how his time at Littlefield and the coaches here prepared him for the next level, saying, “They prepared me well. Through all of the Wildcat days, the army training and just from junior high on up, they expected a lot out of me and they pushed me, especially Coach Jimmy Thomas. He put me in several different positions and really did believe in me.”
Garcia said that his favorite memory of being a Wildcat is the tackles that he’s made under the Friday Night Lights. They just really hype me up and the fact that the fans were into it as well, it was a lot of fun.
He added, “The thing I’m most looking forward to about playing college football is being on TV and playing on Saturdays now.”
Garcia’s parents talked about how they’ve seen him grow, saying, “He has learned how to become a leader and become a team player. He always gives 100% whether he wins or loses.”
Garcia said that he is still undecided on his intended major.