Hightstown’s Haddock, Peddie’s Conyer are scholar honorees
Hightstown High School and the Peddie School are separated only by the town of Hightstown’s Main Street running between them, with the public school on the west side and the private school on the east. Despite their proximity, they do not meet on the football field; but that doesn’t mean the programs have nothing in common.
Both feature a player who is as good on the field as he is in the classroom, as the Rams Sean Haddock and the Falcons’ Adam Conyer will be two of the 22 high school scholar-athletes honored at the 56th Annual George Wah Scholar-Leader-Athlete Awards Dinner. The event, hosted by the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, will be held March 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, beginning at 4 p.m.
Haddock was a two-year starter for the Rams at receiver and free safety/cornerback and earned second-team All-Conference as a defensive back. He is also a lacrosse standout, gaining All-Conference status for two straight years and gaining All-State honors last spring.
“In his junior year, he became a major contributor on and off the field and his play on the field and his leadership on and off the field this past season were night and day from the young sophomore that he was in 2015,” coach Ethan Jeros said. “Sean has an uncanny ability to be a leader by his actions and not so much by what he says. He is a young man of few words, but he is looked upon as a positive leader and role model amongst his peers and his teammates. That is not something that can be coached, that is a character trait that you either have or don’t have.”
When he’s not playing sports, Haddock is writing about them as sports editor of the school newspaper. He carries a 3.5 grade point average and is involved in numerous activities. He volunteers at the RISE Food Pantry and Cherry Tree Pre-School, is a member of the HHS Ski Club and Stage Crew, and belongs to the Youth Group at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
After playing two years of varsity football at Burlington Township, Conyer played three years for the Falcons as he repeated his sophomore year academically in order to strengthen his math foundation. After earning secondteam All-Conference as a Burlington Township linebacker, he was named Peddie captain his senior year and voted as the Top 2018 Outside Linebacker in New Jersey by Rivals.com recruiting website. Conyer was a three-time AllMAPL linebacker and helped Peddie to the 2017 MAPL title.
“No one who has met Adam Conyer quickly forgets him,” Falcons coach Chris Malleo said. “This list includes everyone from opponents, to teachers, to classmates, to referees, and even the people that serve him lunch daily in the cafeteria. I can honestly say that I have never met anyone like him.”
Conyer’s talents drew offers from 10 Division I schools as well as one Ivy League institution. Adam decided on the Ivy, as he will attend the Wharton Undergraduate School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has a head start on that, currently running a sneaker business through EBay.
A standout piano player, Conyer has won numerous first-place trophies at the Mid-Atlantic Music Teacher Guild competition in New Jersey.