Adrian Peterson Q&A

Minnesota Rookie Phenom Adrian Peterson Sounds Off On High School Sports "Photo Photo by Christina Cutler Palestine Herald-Press The NFL’s front-runner for Rookie of the Year talks about his days in Palestine, Texas, playing at the University of Oklahoma, and now starring for the Minnesota Vikings. HSSTM: Tell us about the transition from high school to college and from college to the NFL has been like. Peterson: It’s been an awesome ride. Getting recruited out of Palestine, then playing for the (Oklahoma) Sooners, then finally getting drafted by the Vikings. I’m just trying to get better and better and prove myself as an NFL runningback. HSSTM: You played high school ball at Palestine in Texas. Your senior year you averaged over 11 yards a carry and had 32 TDs. Talk about growing up and playing football in Texas. Peterson: Football in Texas is life. Ever since I started playing Pop Warner, I always dreamed of playing for the (Palestine) Wildcats. We had such a great run in ‘02 and ‘03. HSSTM: In 2002 you were beaten in Area by University and in 2003 your Wildcats were upset by Hallsville. Do you still have dreams of playing in high school and winning the Texas 4A state title? Peterson: All the time. But I got a chance to go to OU and play for Bob Stoops. The years I played in high school and college, I have no regrets about at all. There is something special about playing in high school and playing for the Sooners. The traditions are what make football such a great game. HSSTM: Can you make comparisons to how Texas high school football is played now that you have traveled a bit more? Peterson: They played some of the Minnesota state title games in the Metro Dome and I was pretty impressed with that. Going to OU, I saw some good players come out of Oklahoma. But nothing compares to Texas. There are just so many teams and so many rivalries. HSSTM: Each year, high school sports get bigger and bigger. What are your thoughts on the direction of high school sports? Peterson: I think it is a good thing. It seems like there are more regional and national high school football games on. The same with your magazine (High School Sports The Magazine). That is how far high school sports have come. HSSTM: If you could recall the best part of playing high school football, what would it be? Peterson: That’s tough. I would have to say that playing at Palestine was the best part. There is nothing like those cool October Friday nights in East Texas. HSSTM: If you could give some advice to the athletes that are featured in HSSTM, what would it be? Peterson: You should just work extremely hard. Don’t listen to those who say you can’t, and find ways to improve everyday. And don’t forget to cherish every moment of playing high school sports. For more on Adrian Peterson, be sure to check out the February issue of HSSTM in all nine markets that HSSTM is distributed to and check out the Editors blog at http://hsstm.blogspot.com. You can also check out the online version of the magazine at www.hsstm.com