Saturday, August 23, 2003

By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

One in a series on top high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

Adam Gunn and Scott McKillop recently were named co-captains of Kiski's football team, but that isn't a role either one will have much trouble assuming.

That's because both believe they were thrust into leadership roles early last season when McKillop's older brother, Chris, had a season-ending injury.

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Chris McKillop, now a freshman at Pitt, was the Cavaliers' emotional leader and their best player. Without him, the Cavaliers were looking for someone to fill the leadership void, and that's when Gunn and McKillop took charge. They helped keep the team focused enough to clinch a playoff berth and challenge for the Quad-South title.

"We started last season on an all-time high because we were winning and playing so well," said Scott McKillop. "Then Chris got hurt, and we were all stunned. It took us a while to realize that we could play without Chris, but Adam and I are both the type that, if someone else gets down, we pick them up.

"So we both just decided it was up to us to make sure the team kept positive, and that has carried over to this season."

Gunn added: "Scott and I may have gotten a lot of recognition, but it was the effort of the whole team that carried us through. But we definitely want to be leaders out there, by example and also by the things we say. What happened when Chris went down was this sort of became our team."

McKillop, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound fullback/linebacker, said last season also enabled him to shed the label of "Chris's little brother." He became known for his own accomplishments, rushing 109 times for 729 yards and scoring eight touchdowns.

He is known as a tough, hard-nosed runner but he also has excellent speed and the ability to make people miss.

Gunn, a 6-3, 200-pound quarterback/safety, also came into his own last season, completing 76 of 167 passes for 1,031 yards. He threw for 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and also ran for four touchdowns.

Defense, however, is where both players have made their biggest mark.

Both have a number of Division I scholarship offers but have verbally committed to Pitt. And both were recruited to play defense, especially Gunn, who is one of the top safeties in Western Pennsylvania.

"The only reason I play quarterback is they asked me to, and it helps the team," said Gunn. "I'm a much, much better safety than quarterback and, frankly, if they had someone else to play quarterback, I'd play receiver or running back or something. But playing safety is where I know my future is."

McKillop isn't as big as his brother and isn't as athletic as Gunn, but what he lacks in physical stature he makes up for with instincts and intelligence.

Last season against Gateway, for instance, Gators running back Justin King, one of the fastest players in Western Pennsylvania, seemed to have an opening around the end for a big gainer. But McKillop read the angle, shot the gap at the right moment and chased him down behind the line.

"I guess the biggest difference between Chris and I is that he was always a real aggressive hitter," said McKillop, "whereas I read and react to keys really well and play more angles. That is not to say I am not a physical player or he is not a smart player, we are just different players with different strengths.

"And Adam is a complete player. He is not only a great athlete, he reads receivers and gets to the ball quicker than they do. He comes up and stops the run and he loves to hit. His intensity really inspires the rest of us."

The two players have been teammates since they were in midget football, so it is not a surprise that they chose to play at the same college. Gunn committed first, and McKillop soon followed.

"I really didn't ever see me playing for anyone other than Pitt," Gunn said. "And I knew between Chris and I, we'd be able to convince Scott to join us. Now we'll be teammates and roommates for the next four or five, so it really has worked out better than we could have ever dreamed."

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