Rob Ekas never thought he’d find the adrenalin rush again.

But it’s back — in a totally different form.

Ekas, 41, of Butler was a free safety for the 1992 Knoch High School football team that reached the WPIAL championship game at Three Rivers Stadium.

He has since moved on to everyday life — he got married, has a son and is self-employed as an auto body repairman.

“Just an average guy ... nobody special,” Ekas describes himself.

Unless he has a firearm in his hand, apparently.

Ekas has qualified for the finals in the American Marksman national amateur target shooting competition. The event runs Jan. 6 to 8 in Talladega, Ala., and will be aired on the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel.

Winner of the Mid-Atlantic Regional — comprising Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland — Ekas will be one of nine regional champions competing for the $50,000 awarded to the national champion.

“Just thinking about that gives me chills,” Ekas said. “I’m on cloud nine right now. Winning these shooting competitions has created that same rush I felt when we had that great football season.

“The feel of adrenalin ... I recognize it. It’s that same feeling.”

Ekas is a longtime hunter who decided to register for an American Marksman local qualifier. He competed at the A&S Indoor Pistol Range in Youngwood and placed eighth in rifle, sixth in pistol — good enough to advance to the Mid-Atlantic Regional at the Peacemaker National Training Center in Gerrardstown, W.Va.

He was among 112 shooters in the Men’s Open Division at the regional.

“You bring your own guns and ammunition to the local qualifier,” Ekas said. “But at the regional, you can’t bring any of it. American Marksman supplies everything to make sure the competition is fair and even for everyone.”

Shooters competed in five divisions at the regional: 22 Rim handgun, Open 22 Rim rifle, Crimson Trace Dark House 9 mm, Peek-A-Boo 9 mm and .223 Rifle Gong. Ekas placed sixth, third, sixth, seventh and second in those events, respectively.

“I wasn’t the best at anything. I didn’t expect to be,” he said. “If I had just finished in the top 25 overall, I’d have been pleased with my performance.

“But I was consistent throughout.”

And he wound up in first place —by 64 points.

“Those bullseyes were so tiny (2.66 inches),” Ekas said. “I still can’t believe this even happened.”

His wife of 15 years, Nikki, is thrilled that it did.

“Rob deserves this because he works so hard at it,” she said. “He puts in a lot of practice time in the backyard. He loves to compete.

“The bonus to me is the example he’s setting for our 11-year-old, that if you’re dedicated to something and you work hard at it, good things can happen.”

Ekas got into competitive shooting four years ago. He does not plan to stay idle between now and January.

“I’m somewhere almost every weekend, maybe shoot two or three times a week — New Castle, North Buffalo, Grove City, wherever,” Ekas said.

“I’ll get every type of firearm in my hand over the next few months to try to bring this thing home.”