After leading his team in virtually every major defensive ranking, senior linebacker Adam Gossett has earned the first annual Seymour Herald Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Gossett was chosen as the Seymour Herald Player of the Week on three different occasions, averaging 10 tackles per game, and was also the emotional leader of the team, always the first to congratulate a teammate for a big play or offer encouragement when he felt it was needed.
“I’d really like to thank my Dad for pushing me for all of these years,” Gossett said after learning that he was chosen for the award. “Of course, I also have to give a lot of thanks to my teammates. I had a pretty good year but without them it would have never been possible.”
Gossett, who was also named to the 1-3A All-Region Team as a linebacker, led the Eagles with 116 tackles; five interceptions and five fumble recoveries. He also tied for second with four quarterback sacks and blocked one kick. Gossett credits his football instincts for making so many big plays on defense.
“I always seemed to know where the ball was headed before the play,” he stated. “I did it in practice and I did it in the games. It just happened.”
Also a vital part of the Eagles’ offensive scheme, Gossett lined up at tight end when his team had the ball, finishing third on the squad with 23 catches for 374-yards. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with four touchdowns to his credit.
Gossett said that being named to the All-Region team was a good way to finish a senior season that was filled with many ups and downs.
“It’s a great honor to be selected for All-Region by all of the coaches,” he said. “I tried my best to be a good role model for the rest of the defense. I always tried to keep them hyped.”
Gossett was part of the outgoing senior class that began their high school careers by going 0-8 during their first year on the freshman team. Gossett said that this particular group has matured together with each year and he really felt the culmination of all of his class’ hard work after the first round playoff upset of defending state champion Austin-East.
“We matured a lot from last year to this year,” he stated. “We finally started acting like leaders. I think we were helped a lot by all of our team discussions that were held. The discussions helped with team unity and we held them often, at least once or twice every week.
“The Austin-East game is when it really showed”, Gossett concluded. “ It showed the heart of our whole team. But I’m going to say that I enjoyed it thoroughly. I wish it wasn’t over.”
Gossett is also a key contributor on the Eagles’ basketball team and will also be expected to be a team leader this spring on the baseball team.

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