Like father, like son in prep football

Growing up in Louisiana every young man knows of its rich football tradition. Sometimes those young men dream of suiting up for their favorite football team, but what about those who find themselves following the paths of their fathers, who are well known throughout the State of Louisiana for their contributions to the game.

I took some time to profile the relationships between some of Louisiana's former football favorites of the past, who are now watching their own sons walk down a similar path of yesteryear.

Ronnie and Josh Lewis

Like his father Ronnie Lewis, Denham Springs High School kicker Josh Lewis got a bit of a late start when it came to the game of football.

Most of his life, Josh focused on his soccer game and never gave football much thought. However, one day in health class as a freshman, Josh's teacher and a DSHS coach, was talking about the Yellow Jackets need to find a kicker for the football team.

"That's when I shared with him that my dad had kicked for LSU," Josh explained. "So, he went to the other coaches, and I was asked to come out and kick. I just tried it, and I enjoyed it."

A similar fate occurred for the elder Lewis when he was attending Merian Abramson Senior High out of New Orleans, which has since closed due to Hurricane Katrina. Ronnie Lewis knew he had a knack for kicking and would often go out to St. Anthony's Boulevard by the University of New Orleans, with soccer ball in hand, and practice his kicking.

"I'd kick the ball into the tree to stop it," Ronnie recalled.

During Ronnie's tenth grade year, his family packed their bags and moved to Thomas, Louisiana, where his dad was a preacher. When he arrived in his new town, Ronnie met with the local high school football coach, Billy Wayne Crane, and told him he could kick and wanted to play quarterback.

However, Ronnie's football career in Thomas, Louisiana, was short lived when his father decided to move the family back to New Orleans so he could get his Master's of Divinity from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Again, Ronnie found himself back at Abramson High School the Spring of his sophomore year. It also happened that the football team's kicker was upon graduation, thus the team was looking for a new kicker.

"There were six guys who wanted to kick, but after my third or fourth kick I was named the team's kicker," Ronnie said.

It wasn't until Ronnie's senior season that he really blossomed. His name quickly started being mentioned among college coaches after kicking a 55-yard field goal against De La Salle.

"At that point, the phone blew off the hook," he stated. "In 1984, you didn't have a lot of players who specialized in kicking in high school."

Like his father, Josh also seemed to have a stellar senior season in 2008. During his first game of the season post-Hurricane Gustav, Josh hit a 57-yard field goal, a 47-yard game winning field goal the following week with five seconds left, and a 50-yarder the next week. The Yellow Jackets went on to win District 5-5A for the first time in nearly 30 years and make the play-offs for the first time since 1985.

With Josh's success as well as his team, he started to gain the attention of several in-state college programs, with scholarship offers from McNeese, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Northwestern State. LSU offered Josh to come on board as a preferred walk-on, but in the end, he chose to become a McNeese State Cowboy.

"I chose McNeese because it's between my mom and dad, with my mom in Denham Springs and my dad in Houston. The school also has a good history of winning, and it's just a good school," explained Josh. "One thing coach [Matt] Viator told me is that ‘it's not something we're going to do, but it's something we're doing right now.'"

While Josh may have grown up an LSU fan with a desire to play for the Tigers, he knew going to McNeese he'd have an immediate impact. Through the process, turning to his father, Ronnie, helped ease the pressure of the recruiting process.

"I told Josh to just look at everything. I grew up wanting to go to the University of Georgia, which is where my dad went. When Georgia didn't recruit me, and I didn't even know where LSU was, despite being from New Orleans, that just shows how far removed I was and only knew of Georgia," Ronnie said. "When I got to LSU it was just shock and awe. I told Josh not to lock all of his interest in LSU, even though he's been a fan his whole life, but he needed to listen to everybody, look at everything and go to where people tell you they will need you."

So, while soccer may have introduced Ronnie and Josh Lewis to a shared father-son talent for kicking, the path that has gotten them to the football field has also been life altering.

"He always tells me to do what I need to better my life," said Josh.
It seems the Lewis' will always have a kicking success.

The Smothers

Slidell High School defensive tackle Jason Smothers, Jr. can't remember not ever playing football. The sport is encoded in his DNA, being the son of former LSU Tiger, Jason Smothers, Sr.

When the younger Smothers ended up attending Slidell High School rather than his father's alma mater, Destrehan, he said a great deal of pressure was lifted off his shoulders. He knew his father was a fan favorite at Destrehan, but it didn't take long for the football offspring to establish himself as his own man among Slidell High School fans.

Jason saw a great deal of playing time his sophomore year, but notes that it wasn't until his junior season that he started to receive the same attention from colleges like his father once did. Schools showing interest in Jason included Southern Illinois, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Southeastern Louisiana University, and LSU.

"When compared to my dad people say I have his determination, that I'm a take-charge person and lead my team," he said.

Unlike his father, Jason has his size working to his advantage. The 18 year-old stands 6'2 and weighs 260 lbs.

"He's definitely bigger and stronger than I was at his age," said Jason Sr. "He's a defensive lineman, and I played linebacker, so my foot speed was a little better than his at the time. I wish I would've had his size coming out of high school, and he's only going to get bigger."

At press time, Jason said he would be attending the College of the Canyons in California before becoming an LSU Tiger. When deciding which route he would take regarding his football future, he didn't hesitate to confide in his father.

"There is that football bond. My dad and I talk all the time, even though we don't live together," he explained. "When I was being recruited, my dad told me not to let the schools fool me and to think about where I wanted to go- what do I want to do- make sure I don't let the coaches con me into signing with them."

"I know there's more pressure on kids today in terms of recruiting because of the Internet," Jason Sr. stated. "So many people have access to the players, and they can't sneak up on the radar like I could when I was coming out. I told my son that no matter what he was going to do, I was going to be by him 100 percent."

While the younger Smothers is preparing to embark on his college career, it seems dad is not far behind him. He has also headed back to college to get his degree in education in order to continue his coaching career. Perhaps they will have more than just the playbook to discuss in the next few years to come.

Melvin and Sean Spears

One thing Sean Spears and his father Melvin Spears have in common is versatility, and they also know the importance of balancing family and football.
Melvin Spears, a Hall of Fame inductee from Alcorn State, currently serves as the wide receivers coach for the Texas Southern University Tigers. While at Alcorn State, Melvin played both quarterback and wide receiver. However, his son, Sean, bares quite a different responsibility on the field where he was a four-year starter for the Clinton High School Eagles at defensive tackle/offensive guard.

"I am bigger than my dad was in high school," laughed Sean, who is 6 feet tall and 295 lbs. "But, he's my size now."
However, just because Sean differs in comparison to his father's size coming out of high school, he said he often gets told that he shares certain character traits of his father's.

"I'm told I have the same heart as he did when he played. For instance, if I get hurt, I keep playing," Sean explained. "I've seen old video footage of my dad playing, and I see how it's pretty similar to me. There's a competitive nature in us, and sometimes after games people would come up to me and say ‘you are your daddy's boy.'"

Much like his father who played dual positions, Sean has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball. In 2008, Sean was named the District 8-2A MVP, having made first team All District on both offense and defense, as well as being a member of the All Metro and All State teams.

"Sean has transcended into being an outstanding player. He had the opportunity to play on both sides of the ball, and he has extremely long arms and huge hands, which are great strengths to have, and he loves the game," Melvin remarked. "He has passion, enthusiasm and plays full speed. I love to play, and I love the game. I see the same qualities in Sean."

When Melvin was set to graduate from Alcorn State, he chose to pursue a career in engineering rather than the NFL, due to its pay scale at the time. He moved to Phoenix, AZ to further his engineering career and that's where he met a man by the name of Studmp Mitchell, who would help develop Melvin's coaching skills. The two coached an area football team in the evenings.

Mitchell eventually was hired as the head coach at Morgan State University in Maryland, and Melvin put aside his engineering career to become the defensive coordinator. Following his coaching stint at Morgan State University, Melvin's second cousin, Doug Williams, was hired to be Grambling University's newest head coach in 1998. Melvin made the move to Grambling where he served as offensive coordinator, and he would later succeed Williams as head coach for three seasons from 2004-2006.

Upon leaving Grambling, Melvin headed back to Clinton, Louisiana, and his son encouraged him to take part in coaching his team. Noticing his son's potential, the two spent time talking about Sean furthering his football career and higher education before Melvin was hired on to the staff at TSU.

"We always talked about him coming wherever I was coaching, but throughout the recruiting process I let one of the other coaches on the staff recruit him to keep my personal side out of it," Melvin said.

Other schools also interested in Sean were Southern, Jackson State, McNeese, and Alcorn State.

"My dad wasn't really the one that recruited me to Texas Southern, even though we had talked about it. It's going to be hard playing for him again because he's always expecting more of me," Sean noted. "I took a lot of criticism when playing under him at Clinton, but he knows how good I can be. He wouldn't be hard on me if he didn't think I could play."

Melvin Spears knows the importance of his son furthering his education, despite Sean's football prowess. Before playing the role of coach, being his father is what comes first.

"Athletics is an extension of the educational process, and at the end of the day, it boils down to him getting an education," Melvin said.

"That's one thing players need to remember- if you don't have the grades, then the schools won't want to look at you," said Sean.