Hrynciw looks in mirror and never stops getting better, all the way from Ross to Air Force

Adam Hrynciw sat himself down for a little one-on-one time.

The Fremont Ross senior snapped himself into shape mentally and physically, never looking back. Hrynciw continues his career at the Air Force Academy at wide receiver.

"Going into my sophomore year, I found the love for the game," he said. "I always had a love, but I had a real conversation with myself. 'I have to work hard to do this and play varsity and play with my guys and play at the next level.

"It was a grind, but we did it together. Developing was fun and we chose to do that and we loved to do that."

Hrynciw is second all-time at Ross with 1,543 yards receiving. He caught 10 touchdown passes as a junior, tied for third for a single season for the program.

His 17 touchdown catches are second and his 100 career receptions are third.

"He has long strides, he's not the flashiest, but he makes big plays at 6-3," Ross coach Chad Long said. "He's one of the smartest kids I know. He had a 3.9, not weighted. He takes AP courses. He has more intangible than football for an academy.

"It's a perfect fit. He's the pilot for our academic weapons."

He had 649 yards and seven touchdowns on 36 catches as a senior. He caught three conversion passes.

"I spent extra hours on the mental side," he said. "To separate yourself, you have to work on your own and work on your weaknesses extra hours. I appreciate Coach Long, Coach Jamieson [Reynolds] and all the coaches for helping me get to this point.

"From what I understand, Coach Long reached out to Air Force about me, so Coach Long started it all. The coaches have been a huge part of this."

He was second-team in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference the last two years. He started as a sophomore.

"During COVID, everybody was in lockdown," he said. "I was at home, there was nothing to do. I had to be real with myself. What do I want to do? The lockdown showed I wasn't doing enough. Going into sophomore year, I tried to work.

"Each summer I put in more work. Sophomore, each game I progressively got better and better. That was huge for me. I knew I had to work, by the end of the season I was where I wanted to be at the beginning of the year."

His confidence soared, and he weighed 180 pounds.

"Junior year I kept getting better," he said. "Senior year I felt the best as an athlete, my IQ and the intangibles were there, but as an athlete I was my best as a senior with my age and development and time. Each week and each game and each summer, I got better."

If you wonder about following up after interviews, consider Hrynciw. Considering Walsh University, Northwood in Midland, Michigan and Air Force, he reached out one last time.

It was music to the ears, or in this case eyes, of Falcons assistant Nick Toth.

"I had a bunch of visits in January," Hrynciw said. "I planned to decide the Sunday before Signing Day. I thought I'd reach out to them all one last time. Air Force kept it going. Toth recruited me for the last year. He [texted] there was a spot open and it went from there.

"It was huge. It seems like it was meant to be, the way it happened. The one text I didn't think much of, ended up being the place I'm going."

He knows there will be adjustments.

"When I first heard about the academies, it's scary," he said. "It's a big commitment and people don't necessarily know about it. It's the military, they do things the right way. It will definitely be a tough transition, but I'll take the attitude I had through high school and stay focused in it.

"I'm ready to go play ball at the next level, that's for sure. Along with school. Start at the bottom, work up and play at a high level. My goal is to have fun and finish out my senior year. I still have baseball to enjoy. Be prepared for the next level and compete when I get there.

"Do everything I can to compete while I can."

Hrynciw visited Colorado Springs early this week.

"It was a great day," he said. "I checked everything out and got a lot of information. We saw some of it on Zoom, but seeing it in person and hanging out with some of the players, I loved the place. It's always been a dream to play that level of ball.

"We've all wanted to do that and we worked. It's a great opportunity and it's hard to pass up. It was a tough decision, but Air Force was an easy decision. It's always been a dream to play at that level [Division I] and to get that degree there there is second to none."

The recruiting process was stressful.

"So many visits," he said. "So many options, so many opportunities. Options are great, but with options it's tough to decide. It was a great journey."

Rather than a conversion reception from Kaden Holmes to beat Tiffin Columbian as juniors, Hrynciw thinks about the high school catches nobody saw.

"The big comeback," he said. "Bronze [Barnett] caught the touchdown. The defense was great. [Elijah] Simms caught a ball. It feels good to be down 22 and come back and beat a local rival. Highlights are great, but my favorite part of high school football was being with my friends and brothers and spending time with them and working with them.

"Being at the stadium and trying to get better for one another."

Hrynciw often trained with Holmes, Bryson Hammer, Michael Patterson and Ricky Howard. They wanted to set an example.

"I want to help the young'uns," he said. "Get them to camps and workouts. It's key to develop the young. I had guys like that and it's important to play it forward. I love Fremont. That's my place. Anything I can do to help that out."

Hrynciw sees himself doing five years in the Service as a civil engineer. He might study aeronautical or astronautical engineering.

"Of any of our players, who do I think is an academy kid? Adam," Long said. "We worked on it for a year. We have a lot of kids who work hard, but nobody is more dedicated. Routes or catching after practice. He takes kids with him to be a mentor.

"He's a classy, prototype academy kid who will represent Fremont to the finest."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

Twitter: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Ross' Adam Hrynciw responds to own challenge to extend football career