Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
CHILLICOTHE — Adrian Beverly always wants more. More out of his coaches, more out of his teammates, more out of himself.
Don’t be fooled, Beverly isn’t greedy … he’s hungry. At every turn throughout his four-year football career at Chillicothe High School, if the opportunity to get better was on the table, he chose that path.
That mindset and hunger to rise to the top paid their dividends Wednesday afternoon when Beverly signed his National Letter of Intent to play at Urbana University.
The senior is, obviously, excited to receive the chance to play at the collegiate level.
But he wants more.
“It’s honestly a blessing to keep living my dream and play at the next level. I’ve worked hard for this,” Beverly said. “But I still look back like I could’ve worked harder to earn a Division I offer. But that’s just how I think. I always want more.”
That type of thinking has been driven by Beverly’s coaches and teammates since the beginning of his football dream, dating back to peewee. Without those supporters in place, Wednesday’s signing may have never taken place.
“I’ve had a few coaches that seen a lot of potential with my athleticism and pushed me to become a better player than I had set out to be,” he said. “And my teammates, we’ve built a bond that literally nobody can break. I don’t have a blood brother but they are close to it.”
At Urbana, Beverly will play cornerback … a position he’s owned to a tee with the Cavaliers. He showed his flexibility this past season, acting as Chillicothe’s quarterback as well.
Beverly ended the year with 787 passing yards and an 11-2 touchdown-interception ratio after completing 64-of-129 pass attempts. He also added 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns with his legs. The Cavaliers promptly finished 7-3.
But if there’s one moment or game Beverly remembers most, it’s Chillicothe’s 14-13 win over Teays Valley, way back on Aug. 24.
Trailing 13-8, Beverly spearheaded a game-winning drive with 52 rushing yards on just four attempts. With 14 seconds left, Chillicothe scored to take the lead and the win.
“The game was super slow for the first three quarters. But when the fourth quarter hit, I just turned into a completely different football player,” Beverly said. “I kind of had a ‘mamba mentality’ moment on the field.”
He hopes to create more moments just like that one at Urbana, a place he says he felt comfortable at from the very beginning. He’ll bring leadership and athleticism to a program that finished 5-6 overall last season.
“I chose Urbana because I felt like I fit right in from the jump,” Beverly said. “All of the coaches know about [former Chillicothe] coach [Ron] Hinton and his career, so it was easy to talk to them. I feel like my best on-field trait is leadership. It’s not like the yelling type but a leader that leads in silence. I do more of the doing than the talking.”
Beverly plans to major in sports management but says that he’ll reassess when he arrives on campus to make sure that’s the right fit for him. No matter the case, with a load of talent at his disposal and a supporting cast behind him, his eventual success as a Blue Knight is imminent.
“My family are my number one supporters. We have had our ups and downs, like every family. But we came together and made the decision that fit me best. It was Urbana,” Beverly said.