Rylan Thomas, Lubbock-Cooper Liberty football, Jr.
On the field: The Lubbock-Cooper Liberty defense, especially the front four, are proving to be a force to be reckon with through the first two weeks of the season. Junior defensive end Thomas is one of those making his name and did so in a big way last Friday during the Patriots stunning 44-13 blowout win over Class 5A Division I Frenship in a first-ever meeting. Liberty had 11 total sacks in the victory with Thomas, the son of former University of Texas standout tight end David, getting through the offensive line to record a career-high seven sacks. Through the first two games, Thomas has tallied 10 total tackles including four quarterback hurries on top of his seven sack performance.
Head coach Joe Sexton: The start of the season has been a lot of fun for us. Playing two Frenship school’s to start the year wasn’t easy. Memorial reminded me of us two years ago and they are going to be really good soon. Frenship always has a great tradition and we know how good of a program they are. Rylan is a guy that shows up to work everyday and just does his job. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he leads by example and he’s become a big-time player for us. Getting seven sacks in a game is something you rarely see. He was one of those guys we wanted to see step up this year and he is doing that.”
Thomas: “I think we’re off to a great start at 2-0. We have had two good wins and everyone is enjoying playing for one another. I also think everyone is doing their job and they are all being in the right spots. I feel I’m working well on getting bigger and more physical. I have done a better job of getting off blocks and I just want to continue to improve.”
About Thomas
Favorite band or musician: Brandon Lake
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: Colin Simmons
Bet you didn’t know: He loves to play NCAA 26.
Parents: David and Cassidy Thomas.
