Football Derrion Thomas wore DT's old shoulder pads last night

KChiefs1 · 11-15-2008, 10:46 AM

http://www.examiner.net/sports/x1751...llows-his-form

Wearing his famous father's shoulder pads, Thomas follows his form

By Bill Althaus - bill.althaus@examiner.net
The Examiner
Posted Nov 15, 2008 @ 02:12 AM

Blue Springs, MO —
“Did you hear about Derrion’s shoulder pads?” asked Blue Springs South quarterback Blaine Dalton, a teammate of defensive end Derrion Thomas.

“I guess by now, everyone knows he wore his dad’s shoulder pads tonight.
It was freaky out there – he reminded me of his dad all night. I was watching No. 33, but I felt like I was watching No. 58.”

No. 33 is Derrion, a senior defensive end who made life unbearable for Rockhurst quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase Friday night at South.

Thomas harassed, pounded and chased down Scheelhaase all night long, collecting five sacks and four other tackles to lead the Jaguars to stunning 14-9 Class 6 state quarterfinal victory.

He was wearing shoulder pads that featured a No. 58 sticker.

They were the shoulder pads his father, the late Derrick Thomas, wore for the Kansas City Chiefs.

There were all sorts of rumors circulating before the game about how the younger Thomas received the prized pads.

“I’ve gotten to know Allen Wright, one of the equipment managers for the Chiefs, and he gave them to me this week,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if they made a difference or not, but I felt like my dad was with me all night.
“I felt like he was with the minute I put them on. I just felt different going into this game. I can’t explain it, it was just different.”

This is the first year Thomas has dedicated himself to football.

He was a state champion swimmer for South last year and now he’s a contender for The Examiner’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

“I thought the guy was fast in the water,” Dalton said, “but he can move even faster on land. He was amazing tonight. I’ve never seen anyone chase down and catch Scheelhaase from behind like Derrion did – and he did it all night.”

On the Hawklets’ first series, Thomas had two sacks, and the defensive tone for the entire night had been established.

“Derrion was amazing tonight,” South coach Greg Oder said. “He’s had some good games this season, but tonight he took it to a new level.”

On the Hawklets’ second possession, he had what appeared to be a forced fumble, but the officials ruled it an incomplete pass as he came down hard on Scheelhaase’s arm as he attempted a pass.

He had four pressures in the game and keyed a defensive line performance that forced three interceptions – one each by Armahn King, Logan Moon and Mike House.

“We just played a complete game tonight,” said King, who also scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and caught a key third-down reception late in the game to keep the final offensive series alive to help time run out on the Hawklets’ 10-2 season.

Scheelhaase who passed for 271 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 48-0 victory over Blue Springs, was held to just 28 yards in the air on 2-of-11 passing.

“We knew we had to keep them away from the big plays, and Scheelhaase is their big-play man,” Thomas said. “The entire defense played the best we have played all season. To shut them out for three quarters and to hold them to nine points is a credit to the players on this team and our coaches.

“I hope everyone knows how hard our coaches worked this week to get us ready for tonight’s game.”

When asked about the satisfaction level of the win, Thomas grinned a smile that was eerily close to many a smile I remember seeing from his father following a big NFL game.

“They beat us 42-14 in the first game of the season. The game was on ESPN, and everyone thought we were going to be horrible. But we believed in ourselves, and we worked hard, and we started to come together as a team.

“I’ll be honest with you. Early in the season, I didn’t know if I could trust the guys I was playing beside. I wondered if I would have to cheat a little bit one way or another because I didn’t know what they would do.

“Now, I would trust them with my life. We all go out and take care of business, and I guess you could say this is the end result.”

And what about those shoulder pads?

“Oh, I’ll be wearing them the rest of the season – and I hope it lasts two more games.”

He pauses, and adds, “Make that two more wins.”

11-15-2008, 10:46 AM	Topic Starter
KChiefs1 I’m a Mahomo! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mid-Missouri Casino cash: $6771021	Derrion Thomas wore DT's old shoulder pads last night http://www.examiner.net/sports/x1751...llows-his-form Wearing his famous father's shoulder pads, Thomas follows his form By Bill Althaus - bill.althaus@examiner.net The Examiner Posted Nov 15, 2008 @ 02:12 AM Blue Springs, MO — “Did you hear about Derrion’s shoulder pads?” asked Blue Springs South quarterback Blaine Dalton, a teammate of defensive end Derrion Thomas. “I guess by now, everyone knows he wore his dad’s shoulder pads tonight. It was freaky out there – he reminded me of his dad all night. I was watching No. 33, but I felt like I was watching No. 58.” No. 33 is Derrion, a senior defensive end who made life unbearable for Rockhurst quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase Friday night at South. Thomas harassed, pounded and chased down Scheelhaase all night long, collecting five sacks and four other tackles to lead the Jaguars to stunning 14-9 Class 6 state quarterfinal victory. He was wearing shoulder pads that featured a No. 58 sticker. They were the shoulder pads his father, the late Derrick Thomas, wore for the Kansas City Chiefs. There were all sorts of rumors circulating before the game about how the younger Thomas received the prized pads. “I’ve gotten to know Allen Wright, one of the equipment managers for the Chiefs, and he gave them to me this week,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if they made a difference or not, but I felt like my dad was with me all night. “I felt like he was with the minute I put them on. I just felt different going into this game. I can’t explain it, it was just different.” This is the first year Thomas has dedicated himself to football. He was a state champion swimmer for South last year and now he’s a contender for The Examiner’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. “I thought the guy was fast in the water,” Dalton said, “but he can move even faster on land. He was amazing tonight. I’ve never seen anyone chase down and catch Scheelhaase from behind like Derrion did – and he did it all night.” On the Hawklets’ first series, Thomas had two sacks, and the defensive tone for the entire night had been established. “Derrion was amazing tonight,” South coach Greg Oder said. “He’s had some good games this season, but tonight he took it to a new level.” On the Hawklets’ second possession, he had what appeared to be a forced fumble, but the officials ruled it an incomplete pass as he came down hard on Scheelhaase’s arm as he attempted a pass. He had four pressures in the game and keyed a defensive line performance that forced three interceptions – one each by Armahn King, Logan Moon and Mike House. “We just played a complete game tonight,” said King, who also scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and caught a key third-down reception late in the game to keep the final offensive series alive to help time run out on the Hawklets’ 10-2 season. Scheelhaase who passed for 271 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 48-0 victory over Blue Springs, was held to just 28 yards in the air on 2-of-11 passing. “We knew we had to keep them away from the big plays, and Scheelhaase is their big-play man,” Thomas said. “The entire defense played the best we have played all season. To shut them out for three quarters and to hold them to nine points is a credit to the players on this team and our coaches. “I hope everyone knows how hard our coaches worked this week to get us ready for tonight’s game.” When asked about the satisfaction level of the win, Thomas grinned a smile that was eerily close to many a smile I remember seeing from his father following a big NFL game. “They beat us 42-14 in the first game of the season. The game was on ESPN, and everyone thought we were going to be horrible. But we believed in ourselves, and we worked hard, and we started to come together as a team. “I’ll be honest with you. Early in the season, I didn’t know if I could trust the guys I was playing beside. I wondered if I would have to cheat a little bit one way or another because I didn’t know what they would do. “Now, I would trust them with my life. We all go out and take care of business, and I guess you could say this is the end result.” And what about those shoulder pads? “Oh, I’ll be wearing them the rest of the season – and I hope it lasts two more games.” He pauses, and adds, “Make that two more wins.”
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