By Paul Condry and Matt Kopsea
Marquis Adkins has no trouble finding his way around the football field.
That’s why good things usually happen for Lafayette Jeff when the 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior gets involved.
“I feel like my strengths are my vision and how hard I run with the football,” explained Adkins. “That’s why I like playing running back. I like scoring touchdowns, and I get to be me with the ball in my hands.”
Since bursting on the scene in 2023, he has proven to be a difference maker.
After accounting for 56 carries for 314 yards with three touchdowns and two receptions for eight yards as a sophomore, Adkins played a bigger role in 2024 by helping the Bronchos claim their second sectional crown in three years with 143 touches for 809 yards with 13 touchdowns and four catches for 37 yards.
“Marquis is a relentless worker in the weight room, at practice, and in the classroom,” explained Lafayette Jeff head coach Pat Shanley. “He has a great deal of experience as well, having played a lot of varsity football as a sophomore.
“Using baseball as an analogy, Marquis is very good at hitting singles and doubles. He is not a home run hitter, but he can turn a one-to-two-yard run into a five-to-six-yard run, which helps our offense keep the chains moving.”
The good times have continued this season for Adkins and company as they made it back-to-back Class 5A sectional titles with a 57-0 blanking of Kokomo in the title affair on November 7.
In addition to carrying the ball 141 times for 752 yards with 21 touchdowns, he has also caught three passes for 14 yards with another score.
“I owe a lot to my offensive line and that’s why my relationship with them is top tier,” Adkins said. “I love those guys and they’re the first ones I’m showing love to when I score. The team as a whole is just one big happy family all around.”
He also has plenty of gratitude for his own family for getting him involved in athletics.
“I actually didn’t start playing football until around the seventh grade,” recalled Adkins. “My older brothers had a lot to do with that and were my greatest influences growing up.”
He also believes the time he spent on the wrestling mat and the track has helped in his development.
“When I was wrestling and doing track, the mindset and the hard workouts definitely help when things get hard,” explained Adkins. “It’s like I’ve already been here before, so it allows me to stay positive. I also feel wrestling and track have helped a lot with my mobility and things like that.”
Now in his 10th year roaming the sidelines at Scheumann Stadium, Shanley has watched the maturation of his veteran back.
“Marquis is the leader of his position group,” Shanley said. “He is not an overly vocal kid unless he feels very compelled to speak up. He is very well respected by his teammates because of how consistent he is with all that he does.
“Since he is just 5-7 and weighs only 175 pounds, we are fortunate in that we have a very big offensive line. One of his qualities is that he is good at hiding behind his offensive line.”
Over the years, Adkins and Shanley have developed a bond on and off the playing field.
“I would say my relationship with Coach Shanley is very strong,” Adkins said. “I feel like I would be able to come to him about anything and have a real conversation and I know he feels the same.”
With hopes of continuing his career somewhere next fall, he knows there is always room for improvement.
“I plan on playing football in college and feel like I would excel at any position except for lineman,” explained Adkins, who has a 3.17 grade-point average and plans on majoring in exercise science or kinesiology. “If I would say I had a weakness, I would probably say my consistency on catching the football could be better. I am also going to work to improve my contact balance a lot more.”
Away from the gridiron, he likes to keep things low key.
“I really just chill with my friends or teammates or play my ps5 (PlayStation 5),” Adkins said. “Long term after athletics, I’m not sure exactly what I will be doing. I’m open to anything. I just want to be successful.”
Having come up short of earning the program’s first regional championship a year ago (44-27 loss to eventual Class 5A state runner-up Warsaw), Adkins and his classmates don’t want their high school careers to end on a sour note.
“All of us need to always be prepared for anything,” Adkins said. “Just like when my number got called as a sophomore, no one knows when their opportunity will present itself. However, I believe we are ready for the challenge.”
The next battle takes place on November 14 when No. 2 Lafayette Jeff (10-1) travels to Rice Field in Elkhart to meet No. 6 Concord (10-1) for a Class 5A regional title.
