Lakota East’s Stedman Lowry admits that he’s thought a little about his kinship with Adrian Peterson.

The Minnesota Vikings running back threw conventional medical wisdom out the window this year, coming back from a knee injury suffered on Christmas Eve of 2011 – one mere mortals need a year to get over – to threaten the NFL single-season rushing record.

Lowry suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee three days after Peterson was injured. The 6-foot-3 guard, who was averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game before being injured while playing for the Thunderhawks in the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach, S.C., underwent surgery on January 20, 2012, and was ready to go full speed by November 2, the date teams could start practicing for the 2012-2013 season.

His comeback hasn’t generated the same level of interest as Peterson’s, but there is a connection.

“That would be a very fair analogy,” Lakota East coach Wally Vickers said.

“No one said anything to me, but I thought of that,” Lowry said. “He did his (injury) around the same time. I would watch his workouts. I’m not necessarily as good an athlete as him.”

Lowry hadn’t merely come back from his injury. The senior leads Lakota East and went into the week ranked second in the Greater Miami Conference with an average of 18.6 points per game. He trailed only Vincent Edwards of Middletown, whom the Thunderhawks faced Friday in a key GMC matchup. Both teams are tied with Sycamore for first place, all with 5-2 records.

“I would say there are two levels with Stedman,” Vickers said. “First, I’m incredibly impressed. No. 2, I’m not surprised. This is a kid who just is very self-motivated and goal-driven. The fact that he did this and every step along the way he was ahead of his timetable speaks volumes about what type of kid he is.”

Lowry needed a couple of weeks to hit his rehab stride, he said.

“The first couple of weeks were so painful, trying to get started,” said Lowry, who needed almost six months of therapy, but was shooting stationary shots after six weeks. “Once I picked it up, it got easier. It was just nice to get out there and do something instead of sitting around. I didn’t start working out on skill stuff until the start of the summer. It felt good being out there.”

“We were confident that he would be back doing what he’s doing,” Vickers said. “It’s easy for outsiders and the doctors to say that, but the real test is the kids doing the work.”

Lowry’s comeback has been so complete that he was able on Monday to shuck the brace that he said he was supposed to wear for a year. It was quick enough that Hillsdale College, an NCAA Division II program in Michigan, maintained its interest in him after other programs backed off. He signed his letter-of-intent in November, but he harbors no grudges and doesn’t use the loss of interest as motivation.

“He’s a pretty motivated kid anyway,” Vickers said.

“I knew I was going to have a lot more trouble finding somewhere to play,” Lowry said. “I knew I’d have to work 10 times harder.

“I was always optimistic that I’d come back,” he added. “It just feels good to be out there and playing and not having an issue with the knee.”