Josh Adams has had many profound days on the football field, which have led to him having his very own day off of it.

Jan. 10, 2008, was proclaimed Josh Adams Day by the Cary Town Council.

“I’m just speechless,” Adams, 20, said after the recognition at the council’s meeting Thursday. He added that it “helped to know you’ve got a supportive community behind you.”

Newly elected councilman Don Frantz initiated the recognition of Adams and called him “one of Cary’s brightest and upcoming stars.”

Adams just completed a standout redshirt freshman year at Wake Forest.

He appeared in all 12 of the Demon Deacons’ games and rushed for 953 yards on 219 carries and 11 touchdowns. He was named the ACC’s Offensive Freshman of the Year and second-team freshman All-America.

At Cary High from 2002-05, Adams gained 8,631 all-purpose yards and scored 80 touchdowns. His senior year, he rushed for 2,884 yards and 26 TDs.

Soccer park name change

If you’ve driven down East Chatham Street in the last couple weeks, you might have noticed a slight change at what was SAS Soccer Park.

The sign at the front of the 150-acre complex now reads WakeMed Soccer Park. The change occurred on Jan. 1.

WakeMed will pay Cary $300,000 a year over the next three years for the naming rights to the town-operated facility and home of the Carolina RailHawks.

“As an organization committed to the health and well being of our community, sponsorship of this park is an excellent opportunity for us to reinforce the message of how physical activity contributes to a healthy lifestyle,” WakeMed President and CEO Bill Atkinson said upon the name change’s announcement last fall.

SAS Institute had owned the naming rights since 2002, when it signed a three-year deal valued at $200,000 per year. That deal was extended in 2005 and expired last June 30. The town and software giant reached a six-month agreement that kept the SAS name on the park until the end of the year.

“We are gratified to have played a role in establishing this world-class soccer park in our community,” said SAS Senior Vice President Jim Davis last fall. “We have seen the park grow from a local facility to one that is nationally recognized. We are proud to have been able to associate the SAS brand with a facility that brings value to our community.”

Karma costs Colts

The Indianapolis Colts’ 28-24 loss Sunday to the San Diego Chargers had absolutely nothing to do with anything that happened during the game. The Colts lost because of the justice the football gods exacted for the fans’ classless actions at the start of the fourth quarter.

The winners of the NFL’s annual Punt, Pass & Kick competition were introduced between the third and fourth quarters. As the winners were named, they waved to the crowd, which responded with ambivalent applause. But when they got to the winner who was there representing the New England Patriots, the crowd booed.

While the Patriots have developed a deserved love-hate relationship with NFL fans, under no circumstances is it acceptable for anyone to boo a kid who won a national competition simply because he’s there representing the team everyone loves to hate.

Staff Writer Beth Hatcher contributed to this report.