Not only did October 20th’s football game at Glenwood mark the ADM Tiger’s final time on the field, but it also signified the last time our seniors would wear their uniforms underneath those Friday night lights.

Senior Gavin O’Steen was nominated for Player of the Week by Coach Mike Whisner, who just so happened to have had his last night under those lights as well.  Coach Whisner has retired after 26 years of being head coach for our Tigers — he will be missed!

Football has been apart of Gavin’s life since he was in 3rd grade.  He started off as a Falcon and then made his way up to becoming #11 for our Varsity Tigers.  Out of all of his years on the field, his favorite memory is his first varsity touchdown.  It was the game against DCG during O’Steen’s sophomore year, and he’ll never forget the moment when Coach Stanley hugged him right after scoring against the Mustangs.

When O’Steen was asked how he felt about football being over, immediately his sorrow showed.  “It’s sad because most of the seniors are done with football and now everything’s turning into a memory instead of being reality,” he said.

One thing Gavin will never forget about the sport, doesn’t have anything to do with the Tiger’s record, or even how they played, instead, he’ll never forget his teammates.  He said, “This is the closest I’ve ever been to a team.  We bonded on and off the field, hanging out just because we were all good friends.”

When asked why O’Steen felt he was nominated to be the final football player of the week, he said, “I told myself that no matter what the score, to just leave it all on the field and to do my best.”

“Thank you to all the coaches and players, thank you all for making senior year the best of all.  Special thanks to Coach Stanley for always being there for me.”

A message to Gavin from Coach Stanley:

“Gavin O’Steen is a young man that I have had the privilege to get to know over the past five years. He has been a key component to our offense and overall football team. Seeing him and the rest of the seniors after their final game was very emotional and bittersweet. Bittersweet because of the fact that I will never get to coach them again but that doesn’t mean our relationship ends. I now get to witness him and his peers graduate and continue do wonderful things with their lives. Gavin and I have spent several hours over the past five years talking about football, recruiting and just life in general. I can honestly say that we will continue these talks for the rest of our lives. Gavin, this last year didn’t turn out like we had planned before the year started. I hope the memories we made were worth all the hard work that you put in…It was definitely worth it for me. Just remember, memories made on the football field are lifelong. Best of luck, wherever your path leads you!”

In recognition of Gavin’s achievements, Fuller Bulk Tank Fuel has donated $50 to the ADM Scholarship Foundation.