A new high school football season is on the horizon, and stadiums will soon be full of young players giving it their all and fans cheering them on.
In fact, the appeal of Friday Night Lights in Oklahoma was so strong for one family, they moved from upstate New York to the Sooner State three years ago just so they could be a part of it.
“We lived in New York until I was about 12 years old,” recalled Shaker Reisig. “We came to Oklahoma in June of 2017 for a National Football Academy quarterback camp. It was at Jenks High School and we just liked everything about it. We heard Jenks was really good. We got on the plane to come home and my dad was like, ‘We’re moving here.’ We moved to Tulsa in the summer of 2018 and that’s how we got to Jenks.”
“We were just amazed,” said Shaker’s father, Aron. “We just fell in love with the school. It looked like a college campus. We were amazed at the money schools put into their football programs down here. That’s what we were looking for.”
Although Reisig started attending high-profile camps at a young age, football wasn’t the sport his dad thought he was going to focus on.
“He was supposed to be the next motocross king,” recalled Aron, who competed in the sport himself growing up and currently owns Cycle Parts Joint in Sapulpa. “We were going to do everything I had done in motocross, travelling across the United States and having fun with that.”
“Motocross was my passion, but when my son started showing a higher level of play in football, it was time to nurture what he wanted to do,” added Reisig. “You can’t go to college on a motocross scholarship. Motocross is a young man’s sport. I just tried to push him towards the path that he was excelling at the most and the one that would serve him better in the future.”
The decision to focus on football is starting to pay off. Shaker collected his first Division I scholarship offer this summer. San Jose State offered the incoming high school freshman after he attended one of its camps.
Despite just beginning his high school career, Reisig credits playing 7-on-7 with improving his skills and preparing him for Class 6A football.
“I like it a lot,” admitted Reisig. “It’s all fast paced. It helps me with making reads faster and helps with learning defenses because they’re constantly moving around. You have to stay focused. It’s just super fun.”
7-on-7 football has really taken off the past few years, and the 5-11, 180-pound quarterback believes its perfect for his style of play.
“I’m definitely more of a pro-style quarterback,” remarked Reisig. “I can run if I have to, but I’m definitely a pass-first guy if I get out of the pocket.”
“I really like (University of Oklahoma quarterback) Spencer Rattler,” added Reisig on who he likes to emulate on the field. “I kind of play like him. He throws the ball really well. He’s not extremely mobile, but if he has to run, he can get it done.”
It’s rare for a freshman quarterback to play at the varsity level in Class 6A, but Reisig is entering his first high school fall camp with a positive attitude.
“I’m always working on my game, always trying to improve,” claimed Reisig. “I’m just trying to get better. I definitely think it’s possible and that’s my goal this year.”
“I just love football. I want to go really far with it.”
