GENEVA - Beginning the duties as a 10th grade student, Landon Adams was comfortable in the press box behind the microphone as the P.A. announcer for Geneva High baseball games.
"On the music part, I always tried to download new songs before each game," said Adams, whose father served as announcer the previous three years. "I would go over on my iPod what I was going to play when they ran out (on the field) and what I was going to play between innings and things like that. Announcing-wise, I just kind of went with the flow on what I said."
When the Panthers Sports Network was created two years ago as a means to live stream video from Geneva athletic events via the internet, head football coach Les Sanders figured Adams would be a natural as the commentator.
"Coach Sanders came to me and said, 'Hey, I think you need to do this.' So I moved over and started doing that," Adams said.
Along with Ricky Nickolson, the technology coordinator for Geneva City Schools, the PSN was in place to debut when the 2017 football season began.
"Landon would hardly speak that first day when we put the microphone in front of him," Nickolson remembers with a chuckle. "The first game was just a comedy of errors with me not knowing anything about sports and trying to commentate and Landon not talking but being the commentator."
Suffice to say, a lot has changed since the PSN live-streamed its first football game.
On Tuesday, Adams signed a scholarship to attend Huntingdon College, where he will serve as a coach assistant with the football team. His quality work on the PSN helped land the scholarship.
"I emailed my resume to the head coach and he reached back out to me and got me up for a visit," Adams said of the Huntingdon connection. "I'll do video, help run drills, help breakdown film - just assist the coaches in any way they need."
It's a grand opportunity for Adams, who Nickolson raves about as a dedicated worker.
"We were about halfway through our first season, and I didn't realize that Landon was paying his own way into games," Nickolson said. "He has put in countless hours over the last two years with this."
For Adams, it meant learning from others - such as former Geneva basketball coach Michael Crews and ex-baseball coach Jarrod Wagner - in trying to hone his skills behind the microphone as the PSN live-streamed football, baseball, softball and basketball games. He also tuned in to regional and national announcers to soak in knowledge.
"It took me a while to get used to commentating, because I had never done that kind of thing before," Adams said. "I kind of just would listen to people on the radio, like (Alabama play-by-play announcer) Eli Gold, and people announcing football games on TV and just tried to imitate them, I guess."
It didn't take long for the PSN to gain in popularity and for Adams to become somewhat the voice of the Panthers.
"You didn't really notice it until we went to state in softball last year and you see how many people were actually watching and tuning in," Adams said. "I see people and they say, 'Hey, you do a good job on the live stream.' I think it's amazing how many people keep up with it and watch it."
Nickolson points out things don't always go smooth.
"We have a lot of nights when nothing works, but we're not like ESPN that when the wheels fall off it's a tragedy," Nickolson said. "We make mistakes and we roll right through it and keep going."
The network has grown quickly with others at Geneva High jumping on board to contribute.
"Just the beginning of this past season we've added the capability of having four camera views at one event and we switch back and forth between them," Nickolson said. "We usually only have two camera operators, but we'll use the other two cameras for still shots - to zoom in."
Nickolson credits Adams with a big part of the PSN success.
"He has certainly come a long way in his commentating the last two years and we're absolutely thrilled the experience in some small way has given him an opportunity to advance his interest," Nickolson said. "He's leaving a big hole to fill.
"I don't think we'll find another Landon, but hopefully we'll find someone who will bring something new to PSN with their gifts and their talents. If we can help them grow in any way, then that's what we're here for as a school system."
Adams let it be known Nickolson has been instrumental in his progression.
"He's been a mentor and he's encouraged me throughout the whole time," Adams said. "He's pushed for a scholarship and things like that. I couldn't ask for more."
Follow Jon Johnson on Twitter @eaglesportsed