Messenger photo by Britt Kudla The 2024 Henry W. Schultz Award winner, Ty Adams, with his parents, Andi and Dan. The honor annually goes to the top male senior athlete at Fort Dodge Senior High.

Ty Adams has always believed in himself.

It took a while for his body to catch up with his mind, though.

Adams joined a prestigious list of all-time Fort Dodge Senior High standouts as the 2024 recipient of the Henry W. Schultz Award, given annually to the school’s top male senior athlete since 1926.

“If you would have told me my freshman year when I was about 5 feet, 6 inches (tall) and 110 pounds that I would (someday) win the Schultz Award, I would have said you were crazy,” admitted Adams, who is now 6-3 and nearly 200 pounds. “I’m just so honored, because it’s both a testimony and a reminder of how far I have come and what I had to go through to get to where I am today.

“I’m blessed and thankful for this award, knowing my name will be (alongside) some of the greatest athletes to ever go through Senior High. I just want to thank the coaches who voted for me and believed in me.”

The natural assumption may be that Adams was always on this track. His mother, Andi, was a Hall of Fame softball player at both Webster City and Buena Vista University who has been a legendary FDSH coach for 25 years. His father, Dan, also a standout athlete for the Lynx before becoming a local coach as well. And his sister, Jalen, was one of the most decorated Dodger softball players ever before moving on to the University of Iowa, where she now pitches.

Reality is much less linear than perception, though. And Adams struggled some before growing into not only his body, but his mind and spirit.

“When I got to the high school four years ago, at first I was worried about what everyone thought of me and who I was as a person,” Adams said. “But I soon realized that none of that truly mattered, and in order to stand out, you have to be willing to do what most people won’t. When I got to that point, my friend circle drastically shrunk, the perception of me changed, and I moved to the beat of my own drum.

“In my opinion that is the best way to go about it, because you want to be who you want to be with less people around than to be somebody you don’t want to be with more people around. You can’t care as much about trying to fit in or be accepted (by the crowd), because you are meant to stand out and be different from the rest. Be who you were meant to be. Don’t let people take that away from you.”

Adams became a first team all-district performer and an academic all-state honoree for the Dodger football squad last fall as a wide receiver, defensive back, and one of the top kick returners in the state. He was a senior captain on the basketball team, and an all-state rugby player for the Fort Dodge Stags in the spring.

Adams, who will play football at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, also earned an invitation to participate in the 2024 Shrine Bowl recently in Cedar Falls. He credits a number of former Dodgers for helping him both physically and mentally get to this stage in his career.

“There were so many people who influenced me growing up, because I’ve been around Fort Dodge athletics ever since I can remember,” said Adams, who had a cumulative grade point average of over 3.9 in high school. “Just to name a few, the entire class of 2016 will always hold a special place in my heart – especially Sam Cook. Sam was one of my favorite athletes ever, and I still look up to him today.

“Drake Miller was also a huge role model, along with Asle Thorson, Tysen Kershaw, Sam Daniel, Dayson Clayton and Jerry Chada. It was so much fun for me to watch all of these guys compete in multiple sports for FDSH, and really showed me how to be an athlete here and doing it the right way. More recently, I looked up to (2023 graduates) Ben Egli and Connor Carver. They showed me how to lead and do it in a way that people would listen. That really stuck with me when it was my turn to become a captain.”

Like his personal athletic career, Adams quickly realized there were no shortcuts to success while wearing a Dodger uniform.

“I learned that everything is earned, and nothing is going to be given to you,” said Adams, who also previously lettered in baseball and track at FDSH. “Compared to many other large schools, Fort Dodge especially has to fight for everything we get. We aren’t as big and don’t always have the resources or numbers.

“One of the most important things I learned as an FDSH student-athlete was to represent your community and town with all your heart and soul and give it absolutely everything you got. It’s you and your team against the world.”

Adams was able to bring perspective into the big picture to offset some of the in-game pressures he faced on the field, court and pitch.

“My faith has played the biggest role in shaping me and creating the man I am today,” Adams said. “Christianity has transformed me and helped me push myself to not only be a better student-athlete, but also a better human being as well. My faith helped guide me through many of the leadership roles I held at FDSH, from team prayers, relating real-life experiences to the gospel before practices and games, and pushing to have Fellowship of Christian Athletes at school again.

“I feel like I can relate Christianity to athletics. It’s hard to be a true Christian, just as it is to be a good athlete. Both take a lot of discipline and sacrifices in order to work out and become great. That’s why I will always take my faith with me wherever I go. It’s the greatest thing I have learned from my time as a Dodger.”

Adams is ready for the next chapter of his life in Oshkosh – a town in eastern Wisconsin nearly 400 miles away from home.

“I can’t wait to continue to live out my dreams and really push myself even more,” Adams said. “The college level is a completely different beast, but I’m ready for every challenge thrown my way. I know I’m going to be fine because I’m taking (the lessons and memories) from my friends, family, and faith with me. I’ll never forget where I come from.”