Shepard thinking about two sport future

HOUSTON - There is more than one top junior emerging from the landscape of Sterling High School and the defense could definitely be said to be a strong suit for the team with not only a top defensive lineman in Jarvis Bernard but also a 2007 prospect at safety in Lance Shepard.

A two-sport star as a small forward on the basketball court and safety on the football field, Shepard is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound picture of athleticism. At such a young age, Shepard is developing into quite a talented player in both sports and was at Pearland (Texas) High School until deciding to make a switch.

"I just came up here to get my grades up and my grandmother is in this area, so she allowed me to stay with here and work on school," Shepard said. "I was a basketball player over there and now I'm playing both sports. Schools like Purdue, USC, and Houston are sending me mail for basketball."

Shepard describes himself as a player who always knows where the ball is. Considering he hasn't been playing football that long, his awareness and quick thinking got him on the field early on in his career.

His teammates have helped him adjust to the fast paced life of playing top notch high school football in Texas.

"Well for starts, when I came here I noticed just how good our coaches where," Shepard said. "Coach Carter came from a state championship team at Dallas (Texas) Kimball High School and that was an incredible team. Even though we lost to them first game of the season, there have been no negative attitudes out there."

Though football recruiting has not yet gotten underway for him yet, he is thinking about his plans in college.

"If I could play both basketball and football that would be great," Shepard said. "Once football stuff starts coming, I'll know more about that if it's a possibility."