Ledyard — Good things tend to happen when AJ Adamick has the football in his trusty hands.

And the football is in Adamick’s hands a lot in Ledyard’s single wing attack, which gradually became a lethal weapon after coach Mike Serricchio installed the offense at the midseason mark last season.

With Adamick leading the way, Ledyard (7-3) qualified for the Class SS state tournament, earning the seventh seed and a first round date at fellow Eastern Connecticut Conference member and No. 2 Windham (9-1) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Adamick is thrilled to be still playing football.

“I’m really proud of how far the team has come,” Adamick said during practice on a chilly Saturday afternoon at the high school. “We’ve definitely developed a lot. I’m pretty happy with where we are right now.”

A senior, Adamick is more than just an offensive catalyst.

He’s also a respected team leader.

“He’s a terrific kid,” Serricchio said. “He’s humble, very quiet and works extremely hard, in season and off season. He does whatever you ask him to do. No job is too small or too large for him. If we asked him to change positions tomorrow, it would be a non-factor.

“He’s very gifted. He uses those gifts to help us win football games and we’re very grateful to have him.”

Adamick and the Colonels are coming off a 20-14 win over Fitch on Thanksgiving day. He carried the ball 29 times for 178 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Working behind a strong offensive line, Adamick deftly found some holes and turned on the jets after breaking into the clear.

“When you have AJ, you can run a lot of different things and it will work out for you,” Serricchio said. “Giving him 10 blockers per play, as good as he is, it helps him succeed. … It’s a symbiotic relationship, him and the single wing. He’s a tremendous talent, but I think his talents are maximized with all the blocking.”

The run-dominated offense clearly suits Adamick and the Colonels, who’ve averaged 31.7 points during their three-game winning streak.

Serricchio switched from the triple option to the single wing because he believed that the offense better fit his personnel.

The Colonels embraced it.

“I personally think it was less complicated than the previous offense and I definitely understood it more,” Adamick said. “We kept the ball off the ground a lot more with this offense. I enjoy it a lot more.

“It just clicked for us. Because it was a big change, we got really excited about it. Since we were excited to run the offense, I feel like people were more ambitious to complete their assignments and do what they had to do.”

Adamick is one of 13 seniors behind the Colonels’ success. Another veteran is defensive standout Myles Streckfuss, who provides energy and leadership.

Streckfuss and Adamick are good friends.

“I think he’s one of the best running backs in the state,” Streckfuss said. “He’s been one of my closest friends for almost my whole life now. He’s been a great help to our offense. And I think the single wing fits him perfectly because it eliminated a lot of the exchange issues that we had last year with the under center, triple option. So a direct snap to him is perfect for him.”

Adamick said Streckfuss has helped him become a better football player.

“He’s probably one of the strongest people on our team,” Adamick. “He’s definitely gotten me to where I am today with my physicality and aggression running the ball.”

The senior class drew motivation from just missing out on the playoffs last season.

They were determined not to be left out of the postseason party in their final season.

“Our team has just put in a lot of work,” Streckfuss said. “We’re really dedicated to this football thing. I don’t think a lot of programs do all the stuff that we do and train as hard as we train. A lot of our players have a love for the game, which is something that’s really special and is very important.

“We also have a really talented group of guys. When we get everything together and eliminate the penalties and play our best game, we really can’t be stopped.”

Ledyard and Windham met during the regular season, with Windham securing a 13-6 victory on Oct. 25.

Expect another hard-fought battle on Tuesday.

“It’s like looking at yourself in the mirror — two teams that pride themselves on running the ball, being tough, tackling and blocking and doing all the things that are necessary to win,” Serricchio said. “Two smaller schools, so we love playing them. It’s always a scrap, always competitive. They’re well-coached.

“It’s good for the ECC. We’ve built a rivalry with Windham a bit over the years here. It’s great, all-around. It’s an awesome opportunity.”

In its last playoff appearance in 2022, Ledyard lost to Cromwell in the first round.

g.keefe@theday.com