Parkland Brothers Set To Start Next Chapter Together At UTPB

 

Many people consider football a brotherhood. Whether the team is in offseason training or fighting to win a state championship, most players and coaches will tell you there is nothing quite like the brotherhood of high school football. It’s even more special when that brotherhood continues at the collegiate level.

That’s where El Paso Parkland wide receiver/cornerback Patrick Sullivan and defensive back Jacquavious (Jack) Tinnyhill enter the picture. These Matadors are brothers in both family and football. On Wednesday, both signed to continue their playing careers. at the collegiate level at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) in Odessa. That opportunity is something that is truly special for both of them.

“A big reason I decided on UTPB was because of my brother,” Sullivan said, “I wanted to stay around him. We’ve been playing football together for a long time and we’re very close.”

“I’m just happy both of us are going to the same college,” Tinnyhill said about playing with his brother, “I think UTPB will help me with not just football but life.”

Getting to this point in their lives was considered a long shot, according to Parkland head coach Josh Kirkland whether it was a lack of junior tape or other challenges. But, after great seasons, Kirkland is one that’s inspirational.

“The story behind Jack and Pat is really neat and heartbreaking in a lot of ways,” Kirkland said, “Especially when you just see how they’ve come up and made it on their own with the help of their older brother.”

The older brother is a soldier currently stationed by nearby Fort Bliss. As they get set to start on this next journey, both brothers look back on the 2016 Parkland Matadors with an appreciation of family.

“Playing with this team this year was great,” Tinnyhill said, “They taught me a lot and it was a really close group.”

“This year, our team really became a family,” Sullivan said, “The coaching staff brought us together and we fought through a lot of stuff.”

On the field, both Sullivan and Tinnyhill were key members of a team that made it back to the postseason for the first time since 2013. Sullivan was a versatile star on both offense and defense. His play at receiver (59 catches, 1,045 yards, 16 TDs) and as a top cornerback (117 tackles, 8 interceptions) sparked a Matadors defense that was known for making big plays.

“Pat has to be replaced by two guys,” Kirkland said, “One on offense and one on defense because he’s that good.”

Sullivan also said the coaches at UTPB may put him on both offense and defense but if given the choice to only play one side, Sullivan said he would want to play defense simply because “I like contact.”

As for Tinnyhill, he may not have put up the same numbers as his brother as a cornerback (32 tackles, 4 pass deflections) but that’s mainly because teams simply wouldn’t throw it his direction.

“A lot of people don’t realize how hard it’s going to be for us to find another corner that locks down the way he does,” Kirkland said of Tinnyhill, “He did a phenomenal job on that side of the field and we were able to do a lot of things on the other side because of him.”

With their high school days coming to an end, Sullivan and Tinnyhill are each ready to take their talents to Odessa. But, they will do the way they’ve done it over so many years: together.

“They said from the get go that they wanted to go together and UTPB was the only school that had both of them fully offered and locked in,” Kirkland said, “At the end of the day, that’s where they wanted to be.”

 

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