By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

PELHAM – Pelham seniors Giovanni Adan and Connor Christian committed to further their athletic careers by playing football at Birmingham Southern and West Alabama, respectively, on March 7. Aidan will be attending Birmingham-Southern College, while Christian will attend the University of West Alabama.

Adan, a running back for Pelham, has been playing football since the fourth grade, but has also been heavily invested in soccer and wrestling for his entire athletic career. He was a mainstay on the Pelham soccer team a season ago that made an appearance in the 6A Final Four, and went to the state wrestling championships in February in the 170-pound class. His decision to play football at a small school like Birmingham-Southern was not one he had considered before his senior year.

“I always pictured myself at a bigger school,” Adan said. “But when I walked on to campus (at BSC) I really liked the atmosphere, I loved it.”

Birmingham-Southern is a Division III school that plays in the Southern Athletic Association along with Sewanne, Washington University and Centre College. While Adan doesn’t know how much he will see the field in his freshman season, he’s not concerned.

“That doesn’t really bother me,” Adan said. “I’m okay with paying my dues the first year, I’m fine with that.”

Christian, an inside linebacker for Pelham and a pitcher/infielder on the baseball team, signed with West Alabama, a team that had shown interest in him for over a year, and he eventually decided that was where he wanted to play his college ball.

“I started talking to them in the middle of my junior year,” Christian said, who just made the decision to attend the school within the last month. “I don’t want to be in a big city or at a huge school. It’s kind of in a rural area, which I like. Coach (Tom) Causey played down there, and they were the first school to show interest.”

West Alabama is a Division II school that competed in the Gulf Coast Conference along with schools such as Valdosta State, North Alabama and West Georgia.

Causey, who took the head coaching job at Pelham back in December of 2014, only coached Adan and Christian for one season, but spoke highly of both his graduating seniors, especially in regards to their academics.

“The God-given ability to play sports is a blessing,” Causey said to the crowd gathered. “Not always the academic gift is a blessing. That takes a lot of extra work outside of the grind of playing sports. What they’ve done in the classroom is unbelievable and we’re very proud of that.”

Brett Burnett, who was the Pelham head football coach for 10 years before Causey took the job, was also in attendance at the ceremony. Burnett spoke to the history he has with both players, and how he has watched them grow over the years.

“I’ve known these guys since they were second-graders,” Burnett said. “I’ve seen them grow up from little bitty goofy kids to outstanding young men now.”

Both Adan and Christian spoke as well, and thanked God, family, friends and coaches for helping them reach this milestone.