High School Football America
Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, who may be one of the most uplifting sports stories of all-time when you meld it together with what happen during and after Hurricane Katrina.
With the celebration freely flowing on Bourbon Street, I thought I'd take the time to look at the Saints roster and also salute where the championship began...at the high school level.
QuarterbackDrew Brees, who was 28-0-1 in two years as a starter at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, now has a Super Bowl ring to go along with the Texas 5A title he won as a senior.
And, not all Super Bowl stars had long high school football resumes. Tracy Porter, who iced the victory with his inception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, only played two years of high school football at Port Allen High School in Louisiana. However in his two years, he was named first team all-district as a senior, and second team all-district as a junior...even though he missed seven games with an injury.
The speedy Porter was an all-purpose player, who was a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and cornerback. In his final season, Porter averaged 47-yards per kickoff return and 28 years per punt return. He also picked-off 11 passes as a senior, returning one for a touchdown.
Finally, there's linebacker Scott Shanle, who played 8-Man football at St. Edward High School in Nebraska before going-on to play with the Cornhuskers in college. St. Edward is a tiny school that has just over 100 students.
So what's the high school make-up of the Saints?
Texas leads the way with seven high school football players on the roster, California has six, followed by South Carolina with four. There are three homegrown athletes from Louisiana on the Saints roster.
Congratulations to the Saints and the high schools where it all began!
New Orleans Saints Roster
5 - Garrett Hartley, Southlake Carroll HS (TX)
6 - Thomas Morstead, Pearland HS (TX)
9 - Drew Brees, Westlake HS (TX)
10 - Chase Daniel, Soutlake Carroll HS (TX)
11 - Mark Brunell, St. Joseph HS (CA)
12 - Marques Colton, Susquehanna Twp. HS (PA)
15 - Courtney Roby, North Central HS (IN)
16 - Lance Moore, Westerville South (OH)
17 - Robert Meachem, Booker T. Washington (OK)
19 - Devery Henderson, Opelousas HS (LA)
20 - Randall Gay, Brusly HS (LA)
21 - Mike Bell, Tolleson Union HS (AZ)
22 - Tracy Porter, Port Allen HS (LA)
23 - Pierre Thomas, Thornton Fractional South HS (IL)
25 - Reggie Bush, Helix HS (CA)
27 - Malcolm Jenkins, Piscataway HS (NJ)
28 - Usama Young, Largo HS (MD)
30 - Lynell Hamilton, Edison HS (CA)
31 - Pierson Prioleau, Macedonia HS (SC)
32 - Jabari Greer, South Side HS (TN)
36 - Kyle Eckel, Episcopal Academy (PA)
39 - Chris Reis, Roswell HS (GA)
41 - Roman Harper, Prattville HS (AL)
42 - Darren Sharper, Hermitage HS (VA)
50 - Marvin Mitchell, Virginia Pilot HS (VA)
51 - Jonathan Vilma, Coral Gables HS (FL)
52 - Jonathan Casillas, New Brunswick HS (NJ)
54 - Troy Evans, Lakota HS (OH)
55 - Scott Fujita, Rio Mesa HS (CA)
57 - Jason Kyle, McClintock HS (AZ)
58 - Scott Shanle, St. Edward HS (NE)
59 - Anthony Waters, Lake View HS (SC)
60 - Nick Leckey, Grapeview HS (TX)
64 - Zach Strief, Milford HS (OH)
67 - Jamar Nesbit, Summerville HS (SC)
69 - Anthony Hargrove, Port Charlotte HS (FL)
73 - Jahri Evens, Frankford HS (PA)
74 - Jermon Bushrod, King George HS (VA)
76 - Jonathan Goodwin, Lower Richland HS (SC)
77 - Carl Nicks, Salinas HS (CA)
78 - Jon Stinchcomb, Parkview HS (GA)
80 - Darnell Dinkins, Schenley HS (PA)
84 - Tory Humphrey, Saginaw HS (MI)
85 - David Thomas, Friendship HS (TX)
87 - Adrian Arrington, Washington HS (IA)
88 - Jermey Shockey, Ada HS (OK)
90 - DeMario Pressley, Dudley HS (NC)
91 - Will Smith, Proctor HS (NY)
92 - Remi Ayodele, South Grand Prairie HS (TX)
93 - Bobby McCray, Homestead HS (FL)
96 - Paul Spicer, Northwest HS (IN)
97 - Jeff Charleston, Central HS (OR)
98 - Sedrick Ellis, Chino HS (CA)