"I thought baseball would be my sport, that I would be a baseball star one day," Sato related during a recent phone conversation, taking a break between a conditioning workout and a practice session with the Falcons' baseball team. "The way I learned left and right was Barry Bonds in left field and Willie McGee in right field--the San Francisco Giants outfielders at the time."

It was his passion for baseball that actually prompted Sato's transfer from Bellarmine College Prep to Saratoga High midway through his sophomore year.

"I was cut from the baseball team (at Bellarmine) and I just wanted to play so badly," explained Sato, who had been a slugging catcher on Saratoga Little League all-star teams in 1998 and 1999, and a Santa Clara County junior high wrestling champion during eighth grade at Redwood Middle School.

While at Bellarmine, though, a new passion for Sato was born--football. "I like the team camaraderie and having a specific job, even if you're on the offensive line and get no credit," Sato said. "I just embraced it."

As his passion for football--and his body--grew, so did his ability on the field. The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder earned All-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League honors as a junior and was named a captain for coach Kurt Heinrich's team this past season. At the close of his senior campaign, Sato was recognized as the De Anza Division's Outstanding Inside Linebacker.

Meanwhile, during his two varsity seasons, more than 60 colleges and universities contacted him. Last week, as hundreds of high school seniors made known their college intentions during National Signing Day, Feb. 2, Sato announced his commitment to Yale, an Ivy League school.

Sato said he committed to the New Haven, Conn., school during an official visit on Jan. 14. He had made earlier recruiting trips to Princeton and Holy Cross, but after his visit to Yale, he cancelled trips to Cornell and Dartmouth--the school that headed Sato's list after he attended football camp last summer.

"After seeing the school and meeting the players and coaches, Yale just seemed to be the best fit for me," said Sato, who will be reunited with former Bellarmine teammate Langston Johnson.

A recent coaching change at Dartmouth also factored into Sato's decision. Not even a lengthy phone conversation with new Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, formerly of Stanford, could dissuade Sato.

Sato had his eye on Ivy League schools all along. "The school's academic tradition, not just the football program, was pretty important to me," Sato admitted, "and very important to my parents."

Adam already had made proud parents out of Saratoga residents Ron and Linda Sato earlier in the school year when he was honored as a National Hispanic Scholar.

Adam Sato already is getting serious about playing college football. He did not join the varsity basketball team this winter, choosing instead to concentrate on his college selection and train for football. This marks the first time in his high school career that Sato won't be on three teams, halting a basketball career that has included various youth teams, two seasons at Bellarmine and one at Saratoga.

However, the extra conditioning will not keep him from playing first base for the Saratoga baseball team this spring.

There are some passions that will not be denied.