There surely were immeasurable lessons Adam McKnight learned along the way from having the benefit of his father and mother both working in and around sports.
His mother, Karen, served as Nixa’s AD from 2006-2013, and his father, Tim, is a longtime basketball referee.
But the McKnights relate they can’t take any considerable credit for the unprecedented success Adam has enjoyed in his Nixa career to this point.
“Ever since he was four, he's been competitive,” Tim said. “It's in his blood. He just has it. You can't teach what he has. You've just got to coach what he has. We have excellent coaches at Nixa and he's had excellent coaches throughout his childhood. He had a great upbringing.”
Unabashedly, fans can proclaim Nixa has never had an athlete quite like Adam McKnight, at least not at this juncture.
No other Eagle or Lady Eagle has accomplished as much in three, count ‘em three, sports over their freshman and sophomore years as McKnight. And, of course, we’re not even halfway through his sophomore year.
Nixa Class Of 2026 kingpin Jackson Cantwell is well on his way to becoming the most dominant football player the Eagles have ever known and he’s already a three-time state champion in track. He will cut short his hoops career in lieu of his ever-burgeoning football and track careers.
Nixa grads Chase Allen, Kael Combs and Nate Thomas, to name a few, put together multi-sport careers that show up well in the Eagles’ records books. But their success as freshmen and sophomores pales in comparison to McKnight’s early achievements.
Consider that at his current pace, McKnight will become Nixa’s career leader for passing touchdowns on the gridiron, points and rebounds on the hardwood and home runs and RBIs on the ball diamond.
Yep, all of that could happen. Remember, he’s going to be in a Nixa uniform until the spring of 2027. Estimates are his name will appear in the CC Headliner more than 1,000 times by the time he moves on to college ball.
McKnight is fresh from turning in the kind of performance that will be legendary for many, many years to come. He was the heart and soul of Nixa’s game-winning 79-yard drive in last week’s 21-20 Eagles quarterfinal win at Lee’s Summit North. His 19-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Vincent with :10.4 remaining was preceded by a 31-yard run.
All the while, Karen and Tim marveled at their son’s fearless and heroic response to all the pressure, excitement and nerves that surrounded him.
“I was nervous. He was probably nervous, too. I think that's natural for a 16-year-old kid,” Karen said. “The calmness he has shown, to see him stay poised when things get tough, has been pretty impressive to see for me as Mom.”
“I sit up there (in the stands) nervous and stomping my feet. I can't look," Tim said. “It's very overwhelming.”
Whether it’s football, basketball or baseball, Karen doesn’t think the fact Adam is absolutely loving what he is doing can be underestimated.
“He’s definitely been a gym rat,” she said. “From birth to five, he was running around the gym at all the games. He's always loved sports. He's been passionate about them and you can see that passion in everything he does. We've known that Adam for years. For other people to see that side of him, we're really proud of him.”
Karen and Tim credit Adam for earning his success by being open-minded to putting in extra work, whole-heartedly trusting the process.
“He's a kid who has worked hard his whole life,” Karen said.
“He works hard to get where he’s at,” Tim said. “He goes to training and he handles it very well. He gives up a lot to be able to do what he does. He’s not going to the lake. He's on a football field, basketball court or baseball field.”
There’s no doubting Adam is physically gifted. A 16-year-old, he’s taller and stronger than the great majority of his classmates. Thing is, over the years he hasn’t played with or against many players his own age.
Karen feels the experiences Adam has gained by having teammates and opponents who are up to three years older than him have sped up his maturity.
Adam’s perseverance was never more evident than at Lee’s Summit North. Up until Nixa’s game-winning drive, he had struggled with his passing, throwing an interception and making a wild overthrow on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
Karen drew comfort from knowing Adam had endured such scenarios before.
“He's put himself in tough positions over the years,” she said. “Tim has had Adam 'playing up' at different grade levels for different sports teams.”
“In adversity, he knows not to give up. He knows they got a chance,” Tim added. “His hitting coach for baseball (former Drury coach Mark Stratton) always says about Adam, 'The beast mode in him came out.' It’s his will to win.”
Karen and Tim are as proud of Adam’s selfless nature as anything.
“I'm proud of how humble he stays, which is pretty incredible,” Karen said. “A lot of kids might not stay that way, but he does. He recognizes all the work around him. He's got some great teammates. That was a great pass and great catch (last week). But there were however many minutes of football before that happened to get us to that point.”
If the McKnights, who also have a 10-year-old daughter, Sam, were to pass along any advice to parents, they would simply say to treat children with love and respect.
"We're always in his corner. He's able to talk to us and we talk to him like an adult,” Tim said. “Sometimes, of course, we're just Dad and Mom.”
