Tiny American Heritage Player Has Huge Heart

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Adam Reed is fearless – playing a violent game where contact is everything.

"No fear whatsoever. I'm not scared of anything when it comes to football," he said.

But what makes his story so remarkable is his size or lack thereof.

Reed is 4 foot 5 and just 95 pounds.

He is playing varsity football for nationally ranked American Heritage in Plantation.

Some of the other players tip the scales at over 300 pounds.

"(I) told him he may not play this year because of the safety issues. We have players 340 pounds on our team so we wouldn't want him to get crumbled or fell upon," said Patriots head coach Mike Rumph.

Rumph was the bearer of bad news. But safety has been the team's number one concern when it comes to Reed – who goes through every work out and practice. He does the same drills as his teammates with few limitations.

"He handled it very well. He said, 'Coach, I understand. I just want to be a part of something special,'" Rumph said.

"I always wanted to be a Patriot – working out, same as everyone else. Work hard, eat right. Some things may have been more difficult," Reed said.

What hasn't been difficult is his ability to gain the respect of his teammates.

His attitude and confidence is infectious. His strength is downright impressive.

"His legs are literally hanging off the bench. He's pushing up 205 pounds. When he takes his shirt off its muscle everywhere. He's pound for pound the strongest kid in the weight room," Rumph said.

"He plays running back, so he has to tote the load and we expect him to do that," Oronde Gadsden said.

Playing running back is one of the most demanding positions on the body. But he's proven to the coaches he can take a hit.

"I like contact. It's an adrenaline rush when you get hit," Reed said.

"The first time we kind of cringed a little bit. We saw Adam jump right back up and run back to the huddle. If he's alright, then I'm alright," Gadsden said.

The next step is to get Reed into a game, which would mean the world for this football family.

And when he does, he will be ready.

"If you scared, you ain't going to play right. You gotta look straight into the fear. For me there's no fear," Reed said.