SCHOLAR ATHLETE: ACCS senior Butler shuts down receivers, practices humility

Published 12:04 am Thursday, October 22, 2015

Adams County Christian School’s Sam Butler carries a 3.7 GPA while being one of the key players on the football team. (Sam Gause / The Natchez Democrat)

Adams County Christian School’s Sam Butler carries a 3.7 GPA while being one of the key players on the football team. (Sam Gause / The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ — On the football field, Sam Butler is practically invisible, at least when he’s on defense.

In life, Butler likes to keep things low-key, quietly blending into the background.

As the Adams County Christian School Rebels’ top cornerback, Butler does his best Darrelle Revis impression and puts wide receivers on islands week after week.

Email newsletter signup

“Teams won’t challenge him,” Adams County Christian School head coach David King said. “He’s just that good. They won’t throw the ball his way, and when they do, he’s making big plays. He’ll go down as one of the better corners ACCS has ever had.”

But as talented as Butler is, King said his cornerback is anything but a “rah-rah guy.”

“He does everything quietly and with class,” King said. “He’s the kind of kid you dream of coaching honestly. There’s never a problem with him in the hallways or anything like that.”

Butler said he gets his humility honestly, as his father Donald Butler is a pastor at Zion Watch Baptist Church. Naturally, Butler avoids the limelight, and when he’s not making the grades to maintain his 3.7 GPA at ACCS, he’s either doing something football related or reading about history.

“I love learning about things that happened in the past,” Butler said. “I like learning about world history because I’ve never been out of the country. I like learning about other countries.”

In his downtime, Butler enjoys reading the Bible and spending time with his niece and nephew.

But right now, as the Rebels pursue a 10-0 record, Butler has his mind on football, and though his father never played, Butler said his dad has been present for every single win in the stands this season.

“He hasn’t missed a game and that means a lot to me,” Butler said. “If nobody else is in the stands, I know he’ll be there.”