the stars are shining

Ok, some of you have already seen this stuff because I put it on facebook. But I'm writing it here. Again. It's just that cool.

I have a little brother. His name is Thomas. He's very not little. He's 16 years old and 6'5" and weighs 243 pounds. He's a giant and always has been. Probably always be, since I'm pretty sure he's not done growing.

He's also a football player. He plays offensive tackle and also something else on the defensive line. He's good. This past weekend ESPN covered his football game against our hometown rival Columbus East and broadcasted it on ESPNU. I don't get that channel, but Jaime's sister does (thank you, Vennesa!) and she kindly recorded it for me. Then I was able to watch part of it on the internet afterwards. It was really fun to see him play. It was my first time because I'm never home during football season. I was supposed to be this year but things didn't quite work out as planned (shocker) so I'm missing it all again. You'd think he'd just play a sport that happens over Christmas break. I mean, geez. But ESPN helped me out and gave me the chance to see my little giant brother play.

AND he's really good, as I mentioned previously, so they did a short feature about him on the website. You can click here to go the website to read it. You have to be an insider to read the full story, though, so I'll just post the text right here for you.

Thomas Shoaf's stock rising
Jared Shanker

Thomas Shoaf of Columbus (Ind.) Columbus North doesn't have any offers yet, but the Class of 2013 prospect is considered one of the region's best and is already starting to get attention from a number of BCS schools. Shoaf, a 6-foot-5, 243-pound offensive tackle, is on the radar of Boston College, BYU, Indiana, Iowa and Utah. "I've talked to Indiana University quite a bit," Shoaf says. "Indiana is pretty interested and would like me to come (visit). I'm a Hoosier over Purdue, definitely, and I've been to a couple games." Shoaf is LDS and much of the family on his mother's side lives in Utah. Shoaf said he visits a few times a year, especially during the winter, as he's an avid skier. His sister also graduated from BYU. "I'm a very big Cougar fan, but I do support Utah, too. They'd kill me if they knew I supported both," joked Shoaf, adding his family is split down the middle when it comes to allegiances. Shoaf's goal is to eventually get to 270 pounds, which would allow him to keep his athleticism, one of his biggest strengths, Columbus North coach Tim Bless said. "He's really athletic, and he moves well," Bless said. "He's got a great frame." Shoaf said he's at his strongest in pass protection but is working to improve his all-around skills. "I'm extremely solid in the pass game and pretty solid on the outside," he said. "My footwork is one of my strongest areas. I put an emphasis everywhere and am trying to get better in all positions."

Isn't that cool? He's famous! And he's legit! And yes, that is me that's mentioned. Too bad I haven't actually graduated yet. Oops. But it sounds nice. His sister graduated from BYU. Yeah. I like that d on the end.
 
What's that? You want to see him in action? Well, here's a link to a video. He's #56 on the white team. You can see him pretty well at about 1:08 and 1:50 rushing the quarterback.
 
In other news, my adorable freshman sister Micah made the soccer team in her first year of high school. Pretty impressive. You can probably see her in that video, too, at the end. I'm sure she was one of those decked out in blue rushing the field.
 
They make it pretty easy to play the proud older sister. Go Bull Dogs!