Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon

[j_dog]

Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon was drafted today in the first round by Atlanta, 19th pick.

As far as I know, he is the first Jasper player ever drafted in the first round.

[zebrablue2]

Originally posted by j_dog
Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon was drafted today in the first round by Atlanta, 19th pick.

As far as I know, he is the first Jasper player ever drafted in the first round.



:clap:

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by j_dog
Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon was drafted today in the first round by Atlanta, 19th pick.

As far as I know, he is the first Jasper player ever drafted in the first round.

:clap: wish him all the best;)

[pirate4state]

that was way cool. congrats to Sean.

I should probably know this, but did Earl Thomas play for WO-S?

[Additup]

Weatherspoon, Thomas met twice in high school
By CHRISTOPHER DABE
April 20, 2010
Posted: April 20, 2010, 7:11 PM CDT

Sean Weatherspoon trotted to his position for the first play of a high school football game nearly six years ago in Jasper. He looked across the line of scrimmage, and there stood Earl Thomas.

Neither player knew then what they now know: That each would be projected to be taken Thursday in the first round of the upcoming National Football League draft.

"At that time, I didn't really know much," Weatherspoon said. "It was always a dream."

Back then, Weatherspoon and Thomas played multiple positions for their high school football teams, Weatherspoon at Jasper and Thomas with West Orange-Stark. Both played well enough so that coaches kept them on the field no matter which team had the ball.

In college, Weatherspoon and Thomas only played defense, so one player stayed on the sideline whenever the other took the field. Weatherspoon played linebacker at the University of Missouri, and Thomas played in the defensive backfield at the University of Texas. They played each other twice, in 2008 and 2009.

But in high school, the duo actually took the field against each other. One sometimes tackled the other. They played each other twice, in 2004 and 2005. The teams split their two meetings. The first of those games gained statewide attention, as WO-S and Jasper entered ranked as the state's Nos. 1 and 2 teams, respectively.

"I played wide receiver, so he was covering me," Weatherspoon said of Thomas.

Both players made an impact those games. Weatherspoon caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in the first of those games, a 25-23 Jasper victory in which WO-S rallied from a 19-2 deficit but never took a lead. In the second game, Thomas and future UT teammate Kenneth Beasley combined for 147 of the team's 155 rushing yards to help WO-S to a 28-22 victory. Thomas ran 19 times for 76 yards in that game.

Weatherspoon recalled Thomas as "a feisty little dude."

"We were always fighting it out," Weatherspoon added.

Thomas and Weatherspoon spent time together when both recently trained in California for a month to get ready for workouts in front of NFL coaches and scouts.

"We definitely chit-chatted about the good old days," Weatherspoon said. "It's always fun to have someone you're familiar with."

Seth Thomas, Earl's brother and a defensive back for McNeese State University, joined the pair in California.

"They were both talking about the West Orange and Jasper games," he said.

Dan Hooks, the longtime WO-S head coach, recalled Earl Thomas and Weatherspoon as unique players.

"They've gotten so much better over the years," Hooks said. "That's the key. When a kid is at the high school level like Earl Thomas or Sean Weatherspoon, if they stay at that level in college, they ain't going to make it. They might get in the starting lineup, if that, but they've gotten so much better."

Thomas and Weatherspoon helped their high school teams to great achievements. Weatherspoon played on a Jasper team that reached the Class 3A Division II state championship game in 2004. In 2005, Thomas helped WO-S reach the Class 3A Division I state semifinal round. WO-S never lost a district game in three seasons with Thomas, and Jasper won two district titles in three seasons with Weatherspoon.

Weatherspoon said he recalled Thomas as a player on the smaller side in high school. Thomas was listed in the 2004 game program as 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds as a high school sophomore. UT listed Thomas at 5-10 and 197 pounds this past season as a redshirt sophomore.

Weatherspoon has also grown since high school. He played the 2004 game at 6-1 and 200 pounds but recently finished his senior college season at 6-2 and 252 pounds. He since has dropped to 239 pounds on the advice of NFL scouts.

Each earned several honors during their high school days. Coaches named Weatherspoon the District 22-3A player of the year as a senior. He also earned a first-team all-district nod as a junior and coaches named him the district's top newcomer as a sophomore. He was also an all-state high jumper in track and field and an all-district guard in basketball.

Thomas was a two-time district player of the year and earned second-team all-state honors in both of those seasons. Thomas also played basketball and baseball, and he ran on the school's track and field team.

Thomas also won the Willie Ray Smith award for defense after the 2006 season, one season after Weatherspoon won the award. That award is annually presented to the top high school football player in Southeast Texas after a vote by local media.

Both players are now just days shy of being selected by an NFL team. The first round of the draft is Thursday. The second and third rounds are Friday. The fourth through seventh rounds are Saturday. Not matter when they're selected, both players will always carry with them some memories of their high school palying days.

"You look back on that," Weatherspoon said, "and now the NFL is right there."

[garciap77]

Originally posted by j_dog
Jasper's Sean Weatherspoon was drafted today in the first round by Atlanta, 19th pick.

As far as I know, he is the first Jasper player ever drafted in the first round.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

[JasperDog94]

Congrats to Spoon!!! Too bad he wasn't taken 1 pick later by the Texans, although I don't think they would have taken him. But it would have been cool to keep him around here.

[griff]

Some of us were thinking the same about Earl being selected by Houston. In contrast to Weatherspoon, the Texans realistically WOULD have picked Thomas because they need help in the secondary. Can't wait to watch both play on Sundays.