A football coach does so much more than just teaching kids how to win on the field. They are responsible for molding young men to become impactful individuals and future leaders of our community. And nobody did that better over these last few years than Dave Adams and John Houpt. As Houpt makes the transition to his next chapter and Adams embarks on his well-deserved retirement, let’s look back on how both have made their mark here in the Lowcountry.
Houpt was eyeing a coaching job at Bluffton ever since the school opened its doors back in 2004, and after he was initially turned down, he got his shot as an assistant three years later. Houpt worked under Jeremy West and then legendary head coach Ken Cribb, who came in for the 2010 season and immediately led the Bobcats to unprecedented success. It was Houpt’s job to follow him up after Cribb left for Wayne County High School in early 2017.
The task was made even stiffer when the talent pool was split between Bluffton and the newly-opened May River High School just seven miles up the road. But Houpt took what he had learned and rallied his new team together, winning a state playoff game in just his first season as head coach. The road became bumpy the last few years, but that hasn’t diminished the effort, dedication, and love he has shown for the Bobcat program.
I remember the joy on Houpt and his team’s faces after coming from behind to topple three-time defending SCISA 1A state champion Thomas Heyward. He put his heart into this program for 14 years and has made a lasting impact on so many young men. His efforts to help his student-athletes went far beyond the football field. Houpt led a program entitled “Molding Men of Bluffton,”’ a weekly meeting with various community members to prepare his students to become responsible citizens and successful individuals in their future career endeavors.
When tragedy struck in March after DJ Fields was killed in an auto accident caused by a drive-by shooting, Houpt guided his team through the heartbreaking day and challenged them to emulate DJ’s positivity and spread love instead of hate. He’s been a fantastic coach and leader for Bluffton’s football program, but what’s impressed me the most has been his mentorship and commitment off the field to mold his young men into the best people, workers, and fathers they could be. He will certainly be forever Bluffton, and he has a bright future ahead of him wherever his next chapter takes him.
In just his freshman year of high school, Adams knew that coaching football was his calling. He began his illustrious Lowco career in 1978, joining forces with Rich Basirico to help lead the football program at May River Academy. An incredible 43 years later, his Lowco coaching career ended right where it started — at the school that is now called Hilton Head Prep.
Adams has touched the lives of so many young men over his numerous positions throughout the area. He grew his coaching abilities at Hilton Head High, learning under renowned Seahawk head coach Dan Utley. When a new school was built across the bridge in Bluffton, Adams was tasked with lifting a new football program off the ground. He paved the way for success in his three seasons at the helm before concentrating on his athletic director role for the next nine years.
But after several years away from the sidelines, Adams knew he wanted to put the headset back on. He returned to where it all started, taking over a HIlton Head Prep team with aspirations of competing against a rising crop of SCISA opponents. He orchestrated some fantastic Hilton Head Prep teams over the years, including one that stunned rival Hilton Head Christian Academy late in 2018. The leader of that group was Stone McDonald, who Adams helped mold into a successful Division I player at Lafayette.
But the legendary coach saved his best masterpiece for last. Coming into the 2021 season, the Dolphins were hovering around 20 active players on the roster. They lost Carson King and Tommy Stauffer, their two best talents on both sides of the ball, to graduation. But Adams and this group found a way. In his last dance in the Lowcountry, Adams led a Hilton Head Prep team led by dynamic transfer Jake Rodney-Brown and breakout star Loncelle Daley to a 6-2 start before bowing out in the postseason in a hard-fought effort against Williamsburg Academy.
A team who some, even Adams himself, thought may not win a single game this year soared past expectations and put a fitting bow on a tremendous coaching career. It was a pleasure getting to know Coach Adams over the years, and he has left a phenomenal legacy at every stop of his football journey.
Our mission at LowcoSports.com is to celebrate the successes of our student-athletes, but they certainly cannot get there without a strong coach in their corner. Thanks to John Houpt and Dave Adams, we’ve seen so many young men earn the ability to follow their dreams on the field and become exemplary individuals who have taken what they’ve learned into the real world. We thank both for all that they’ve done to make the Lowco a better place, and we wish them the best as they continue to make a difference in the future.
By Wes Kerr
Some local sports content that is not sponsored is now available only to LowcoSports.com’s Patreon supporters. Pledge your monthly support here for as little as $1 per month to ensure you have access to all of our grassroots LOCAL sports coverage!