P.O. Male Athlete of the Week: Adam Houser

Shippensburg running back Adam Houser had a pretty good game - all in the first quarter - last Friday in the Greyhounds' 55-12 win over West Perry.

The sophomore ran for 146 yards and scored twice in the first quarter, ending the game with 157 yards on just seven carries. He added a pass reception for 60 yards and a score and added his fourth interception of the season just for good measure.

That was enough to earn the Public Opinion Male Athlete of the Week award.

"We were actually wondering if we could look at the film and see how many times he was actually tackled," Hounds coach Eric Foust said. "I know one time he ran out of bounds."

Houser wasn't needed much after that brilliant quarter, and played only four plays in the second quarter. But he did manage to tack on his TD catch.

"We had a mixup with personnel, or he wouldn't have been in the game then," Foust said.

Houser said, "When we practiced, we thought we could expose a few things in their defense and we executed them really well. Plus, losing the week before helped motivate us."

Shippensburg had its perfect season ended the week before against Northern.

"It was hard to lose because we wanted to go undefeated," Houser said. "But maybe it will be a good thing and wake us up so we know we have to play hard."

Foust said Houser, who played varsity as a freshman last year, has improved his blocking this year, and, "He's more willing to run inside this year. For his size (5-foot-10, 157 pounds), he's a punishing runner."

"I worked a lot harder so I could run the ball harder," said Houser, who said he ran a 4.5 40-yard dash last summer. "Every time I touch the ball I want to make a play. The offensive line knows what they're doing, so I just have to hit the holes."

Adam Houser, Shippensburg

Sport: Football

Position: Running back, defensive back

Grade: Sophomore

Size: 5-foot-10, 157 pounds

Parents: Cliff and Ryanne Houser

Other interests: He plays basketball and runs track for the Hounds, and he's into lifting weights.

Surprising fact: He likes cool shoes.

Favorite team: Dallas Cowboys

Favorite player: Ezekiel Elliott

Statistics: In a 55-12 win over West Perry last week, Houser was a terror in the first quarter, running for 146 yards and two scores ... He ended up with 157 yards on 7 carries, caught a pass for 60 yards and a TD and intercepted a pass ... For the year, Houser has run 128 times for 887 yards, caught 13 passes for 214 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.