It’s Thursday which means it’s time for Thursday Night Football as the Houston Texans will take on the New England Patriots.
That also means it’s time for TexasHSFootball to bring you which players taking the field tonight played some high school football in Texas. This week we will examine who has on the New England Patriots.
Malcom Brown – DT (Brenham)
In high school it would have been difficult to not find Brown’s name on any composed lists of high profile players. For his career Brown was credited with 125 tackles, 66 for loss, 24 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries as a three-year starter. As a sophomore he was named a first-team all-district player for District 18-4A.
His junior year he was a third-team selection on the ESPN RISE Junior All-American team and an All-Greater Houston second-team selection by the Houston Chronicle. Dave Campbell’s Texas Football dubbed him a first-team All-Texas High School player, named a third-team All-State selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association and All-State honorable mention by the Associated Press. Let’s not forget he was named the District 17-4A Defensive MVP.
Come his senior year he was considered an ESPNU top 150 national prospect and ranked as the No.2 defensive tackle and No. 12 overall prospect. Amid numerous accolades from different media outlets that included honors from the Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Austin American-Statesman and a Sports Illustrated High School All-America honorable mention, Brown would go on to play in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game.
Martellus Bennett – TE (Alief Taylor)
One of the newest New England Patriots has his roots at Alief Taylor High School where he was a three-year starter. Bennett was a two-time All-District selection and also given an All-Greater Houston honor as a tight end. He earned first-team Class 5A all-state honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association as a junior and played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Elandon Roberts – LB (Port Arthur)
Roberts is a 2016 sixth round draft pick from Port Arthur. In high school he was named to the Port Arthur News 40th Annual Super Team and to the 21-5A all-district team. He was also a member of the track and field team in high school.
LaAdrian Waddle – OT (Columbus)
At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, it’s clear that a running back would love to have someone of that size blocking for him. Waddle was ranked as the No.74 offensive tackle nationally and considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. His team at Columbus High School averaged 281 rushing yards per game with Waddle at the helm of the offensive line.
Danny Amendola – WR (The Woodlands)
Danny Amendola is a Super Bowl Champion and also has the distinction of catching Tom Brady’s 400th career touchdown pass which is not bad at all for a product of The Woodlands. He is the school’s all-time leading receiver with 2,587 yards and is No.2 in receptions with 158. Though he wasn’t a high recruit on anybody’s list he would go on to be an All-American at Texas Tech.
During Amendola’s senior year he almost helped bring The Woodlands its first state championship. That year they went 14-1 where they lost in the 2003 Class 5A state final against North Shore. Amendola had 1,045 receiving yards and eight touchdowns that year.
