Forget the dream team: These are the Nightmares

SANDUSKY — It's a nightmare come true for Jamie Ray Adams.Adams, a former defensive back for Kent State University and the Cleveland Gladiators, found a way to continue his football career with a rejuvenated semi-pro squad.The Sandusky resident also accepted a management role with this team, overseeing player personnel transactions and coordinating franchise marketing efforts.Best of all: Adams and his teammates train near his city home, where they're bulking up their bodies and building camaraderie before the season opener on May 6.On Sunday, inside NexXt Level Fit Academy on West Washington Street, Adams and about 20 other players trying out for the Lorain County Nightmares took part in a grueling training session.They flipped oversized tires, deadlifted weights well north of 100 pounds and moved their feet in lightning-quick fashion.After performing these exercises, almost everyone sat down and sprawled out on the ground to rest.But not Adams.Upon completing additional repetitions, well beyond the required amount, he beamed with pride talking about his Lorain County Nightmares."I love it," said Adams, who works as a car salesman at Sharpnack Chevrolet Buick Cadillac in Willard. "It's December right now, and it's a snowstorm outside, and we have 20 guys coming here wanting to push themselves to the point of puking just so we can win a championship. That is huge."Conditioning with his teammates on the Lorain County Nightmares, semi-professional football player Jamie Ray Adams performs deadlifts at NexXt Level Fit Academy in Sandusky on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. Dreaming bigSince debuting in 2012, the Lorain County Nightmares have played in the Premier Amateur Football League. It's considered one of most prolific semi-professional football leagues in the nation.The Nightmares compete against teams in Ohio and across the Midwest and Northeast, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and Indiana.Many players in the league suited up for a college football team. The 2017 Nightmares preseason roster, for instance, consists of players tied to Kent State University, Bowling Green State University and Marshall University.After a successful first year, in which the team went 14-1 and lost its league championship game, several contributing factors — waning interest from players, lackluster facilities and futile marketing efforts — led to disappointing finishes ever since.But, much like the Dallas Cowboys current season, Adams is quarterbacking an organizational resurrection as a team rookie.Calling himself the "Jerry Jones of this football team," Adams knew he needed to beef up recruiting efforts in hopes of finding the best available talents.So far he's found 84 skilled athletes from all across northern Ohio to try out for the Nightmares. Adams said trimming the roster down to 65 people is an "amazing problem" to have."We're plucking some good guys from all around, and we are seeing all the good things they can do."He also:• Redesigned the team's logo for team jerseys, T-shirts and other official merchandise• Signed a deal to play all Nightmares home games at Oberlin College's Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex• Landed corporate sponsorships, including an endorsement with Pizza Hut to serve slices during games, to offset team expenses"This is all part of building a team to get a national championship, which is what my owner wants," Adams said. "We're on the cusp of that. Now we have some good athletes to get us over the edge. We are so close."The members of Lorain County Nightmares cheer on Huron native Tony Quinn and Bellevue native Austyn Walker during conditioning at NexXt Level Fit Academy in Sandusky on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. The 'NexXt Level'Maybe the most significant partnership Adams brokered for the Nightmares is where the team works out.For about a year now, Eric Jordan has trained adults, children and student-athletes through his nonprofit, NexXt Level Fit Academy.He incorporates specialized exercises and tailors programs toward certain individuals seeking to achieve a specific goal in mind.Earlier this year, when Adams and Jordan first met, they quickly formed a bond, and Jordan soon thereafter agreed to train Adams and his team.For the Nightmares, Jordan handpicked certain exercises — such as the tire flips, deadlifts and foot drills — to improve player strength and agility."These workouts prepare you for the fourth quarter when you need that extra push to finish the game strong," Jordan said. "We're working on strengthening their bases and their cores. This right here helps athletes play faster and stronger and become more explosive."Flipping large tires for conditioning, Eric Jordan works out with the rest of the Lorain County Nightmares at NexXt Level Fit Academy in Sandusky on Sunday. But Jordan, a standout linebacker with both Sandusky High School and Bowling Green State University, always wanted to make a gridiron comeback himself. An injury cut his collegiate football career short.Playing for the Nightmares gives Jordan a second opportunity he's craved for years. He's one of only a few players already guaranteed a roster spot."Football taught me a lot of things about life, like facing the hard times and overcoming adversity," Jordan said. "I'm a trainer, but, in my heart, I'm also an athlete, and that is my passion. I can't wait for the season to start. This is something in my life to keep me going."Jordan's high school teammate, Sandusky resident Antron Lane, shares a similar vision. Lane is also trying out for the Nightmares."This organization Jamie is running and Eric is training for runs so differently, and so much better, than any other semi-pro team I have played for," Lane said. "To work out and play football with these guys feels great, and this is a team I want to be a part of."For the upcoming season, Lane doesn't aspire to gain 1,000 yards or score 10 touchdowns like most wide receivers would.Instead he only has one ambition for himself."All I want to do is help this team go undefeated and win a championship," Lane said. "That will be the ultimate goal and feeling."Antron Lane, from Sandusky, does pushups during a drill at NexXt Level Fit Academy on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. Lane was training with his teammates of the semi-professional football team the Lorain County Nightmares. Try outAnyone interested in playing for the Lorain County Nightmares can visit their Facebook page or contact the team's general manager Jamie Ray Adams at 330-591-1111 or jamie.ray.adams7@gmail.com.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Members of the Lorain County Nightmares pose for a group photo at NexXt Level Fit Academy in Sandusky on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016.