Russell Shepard back home at Cy Ridge for National Signing Day | From the K. Cook Archive

Originally published by the Houston Chronicle, Local Sports Desk (February 2, 2017)

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The gym at Cy Ridge High School was littered with former Rams players Wednesday, returning home to watch as five seniors from this season’s regional finals squad signed their National Letters of Intent to play collegiate ball.

Many former players filed into the performance gym to watch and celebrate as offensive lineman Darwin Mejia ( Midwestern State University), defensive end D’Juan Matthews ( Blinn College), wide receiver Kevin LeDee ( Tulane University), running back Trelon Smith ( Arizona State University) and cornerback Tyrae Thornton ( Rice University) signed in front of a packed house.

Former Cy Ridge quarterback Russell Shepard, currently a four-year NFL veteran wide receiver playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was on hand to witness the occasion and give a short speech, in which he called this senior class of Rams the best in the school’s 13-year history.

After the signing concluded, Shepard spoke to why he elected to show up.

“This is my school,” Shepard said. “Every coach, every high school or college program, they don’t make it so easy to come back. So many kids cycle through schools nowadays and things like that. At Cy Ridge, with the administration, the coaching staff and the student body, what they do here and have here is special, and it showed in the football season.”

Shepard is understandably busy, competing at the highest level of football in the world 17 weeks out of the year, but he makes time to keep up with the Rams, and he was watching closely as they put up the greatest single season in school history this year.

“I do the best I can,” Shepard said. “Every week I’m paying attention to the games. A lot of times when they’re playing, I’m traveling, but I do my best. They had an amazing season. If you weren’t paying attention, you really missed something, man.”

Shepard alluded to the specialness of the Cy Ridge program and culture, saying that what he learned as a Ram, he carries with him today as a professional and into the future as a father and member of society.

And he learned one thing from head coach Gary Thiebaud and the Rams’ coaching staff above all.

“Hard work,” Shepard said. “One thing that this staff, this school, Coach Thiebaud instilled in me is working hard. No matter whether I was at LSU, on the NFL field, the hard work that Coach Thiebaud taught me here goes a long way. It’s helped out with my career, so far, and it’s going to continue going down the road, raising my family and doing what I need to do.”

Two-time 17–6A District MVP, Smith, said that having a former player of Shepard’s stature in the gym for his signing was an honor and compounded the thrill of the day’s proceedings.

“I was just truly honored to be here to experience it,” Smith said. “He’s been successful in life, and I really look up to him as an athlete and as an individual, so that was truly a blessing for me.”

Shepard’s stop at Cy Ridge Wednesday was hardly his first there since graduating. Smith says that it’s not unusual to see Shepard around at practices or workouts, from time to time, as his schedule allows.

“I’ve run into Russell a few times,” Smith said. “One time, during football season last year, he came out to the football field with us, and we were just having fun, playing around. He’s really involved with Cy Ridge and still visits, and that’s truly a blessing.”

That an NFL-caliber player, with a market value of around $3 million would spend his free time in and around Cy Ridge, helping out and engaging with the Rams’ program, might seem surprising.

To anyone who knows Shepard, it’s not.

Thiebaud says Shepard has been that way since he can remember.

“Russell is all about Cypress Ridge,” Thiebaud said. “From when he was a little guy — as an eighth grader, he was our ball boy — to today when he’s a four-year vet in the NFL, it’s always about Cypress Ridge.”

Shepard was in town a couple of weeks ago and was propositioned for a television interview. He said, sure, if he got to do it at Cy Ridge and give the school some publicity.

The impact, Thiebaud says, is enormous.

“He spends a lot of time with our kids in the community,” Thiebaud said. “Whether it’s picking them up to go eat, getting on the field to work out with them, it’s awesome. Just awesome.”

In his speech to the assembly just prior to the ceremonial National Letter of Intent signings, Shepard called last year’s Rams Football team the best in school history, and the graduating senior class the most accomplished in all 13 years of Cy Ridge varsity play.

He’s not wrong, Thiebaud says, though Coach imagines Shepard would relish a fantasy matchup of his best Rams squad versus last year’s.

“For them to accomplish the things they accomplished — they went farther than any team we’ve had here,” Thiebaud said. “The competitive side of Russell wants to get his guys together and play against them. It’s just a really tight, special group.”

Asked about his involvement, Shepard said it’s a no-brainer.

He’s a Ram.

“Anytime I can come back here and make a difference, it goes without saying,” Shepard said. “I just love being here.”

Originally published at https://www.chron.com on February 2, 2017.