NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal Day School’s Cortez Adams may not be the biggest, but the sophomore has already made a major impact on the field, and more importantly, in the classroom.

Adams, a wide receiver and linebacker, is an integral part of a 7-3 Saints team, but he is also maintaining his academic achievements.

“My grade history is mostly A’s and B’s,” Adams said. “There are a few times I’ve slipped and made a C, but I went to that class and begged for extra work and help to get my grade back up.”

That motivation for success has also been seen by his head coach, Zach Rogel.

“He’s a go-getter,” said Rogel of Adams. “He is a self-driven individual. A little opinionated at times, but that is something we can work with. He’s got natural born leadership skills, which you can see in the classroom. He takes great pride in what he does in the classroom, and that carries over into football.”

Adams said he has seen aspects from his schoolwork carry over and help him on the football field, as well.

“The respect I have for the classroom, I also have to have the same respect on the field,” he said. “I have to take what I learn and use it.”

Adams said math is his favorite subject, and it is something he looks forward to learning more about.

“I feel math is needed throughout life,” Adams said. “There is something about math that keeps me awake and energized. I’ve always been enthusiastic to learn it.”

With a well-regarded reputation in school, Rogel knows Adams is a player he can count on.

“I haven’t had to keep tabs on his grades,” Rogel said. “Of course, I’ve been checking them, but that is something he takes care of by himself at a young age, and that is an impressive quality.”

What makes Adams even more impressive is the fact he is also juggling a job with football and school.

“If it is not football, I am doing schoolwork, and if it isn’t schoolwork, I have a job that I attend,” he said. “I stay busy.”

Ultimately though, Adams said he works so hard not just for himself, but for his teammates, too.

“What I do, I don’t do for me, I do it for my team,” he said. “When my grades are good, I try my best to have my teammates’ grades there, too. When my grades aren’t as good, I would expect them to help me the same way I would help them.”

With plenty of school left ahead of him, Adams said he has pondered college a bit, with psychology catching his eye.

“I would like to get a masters in psychology,” he said. “I think psychology is amazing.”

Even though football is a high priority, Rogel makes sure that his team takes academics as seriously as Adams.

“Some people think with me being a football coach, it is football then academics, but it is the other way around,” Rogel said. “These kids have to graduate, and that diploma is going to take them a lot further than football ever will. Scholar athlete, and scholar comes first.”