Bishop Shanahan’s Choi making a name for himself in debut season

DOWNINGTOWN >> For Brandon Choi, football has been a way of life heading back to before he can remember.
His first word wasn’t ‘mama’ or ‘da-da.’ It was ‘ball.’
“I was drawing up X’s and O’s at the age of five,” he said with a chuckle.
A decade later, Choi is preparing for another big playoff football clash as the starting linebacker/fullback at Bishop Shanahan. The Eagles have already captured the District 1 4A title, and are now one of 16 teams still alive for a run at the state crown.
“This is really Brandon’s first year of high school football, which is even more impressive,” said his head coach, Paul Meyers. “He was able to take that leap because of his background and football knowledge.”
Choi’s father, Mike, is a well-known and respected high school football coach in the region. He spent 10 seasons at Great Valley, including four as the head coach, followed by five years as the mentor at Pequea Valley.
“Ever since I was a youngster, I’ve always been around football, my dad’s teams and him,” Choi said. “Having my dad around me really expanded my football knowledge. It feels like it gives me an edge. It’s definitely helped me with my football IQ.”
The 15-year-old from Coatesville is just a 10th grader, but he is a rock-solid 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, and one of the mainstays of Shanahan’s ultra-impressive sophomore class. It accounts for more than half of the Eagles’ 52-player roster, and includes a half-dozen starters and a bunch of others who play regularly.
“You might have two or three sophomores, but to have a dozen?” Meyers said. “And most are two-way players. They were 9-0 last season as freshman, so they don’t know anything but winning.”
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT HIGH SCHOOL SEASON
Choi didn’t play for that team as he missed the football season with a shoulder injury suffered while playing basketball. But it didn’t prevent him from bursting on the scene this fall to become Shanahan’s leading tackler (94) and number two runner (504 yards). He’s also chipped in 15 catches for 135 yards, scored five touchdowns and added two quarterback sacks.
“This sophomore class is something special,” Choi said. “We are a brotherhood, we work hard whether it’s practicing or working out and we are together outside of football. What’s happened this season doesn’t surprise me.
“Some guys won positions they probably didn’t think they’d win before the season, but now they are starting in a district championship game. That’s great.”
Up next is District 4 champion Jersey Shore (9-3), who’s won five in a row. Friday’s clash is at 7 p.m. at Selinsgrove High School and will determine which team advances to the state quarterfinal.
“It will be a good test for us. Their quarterback (Tanner Lorson) can either throw or run,” Choi said.
The Eagles’ 7-5 overall mark is a bit deceptive as three of the setbacks have come against Ches-Mont 6A behemoths Coatesville, Downingtown West and Downingtown East. Shanahan outscored its opponents 91-24 en route to the program’s first-ever district championship.
“Our goal since August 1st was to win a district championship,” Choi recalled.
“Now that we are in the state playoffs, we want to make the most of it. We can’t just be satisfied with winning a district title.”
ALWAYS AROUND FOOTBALL
During Choi’s adolescent years, his dad was the head coach at Great Valley. He was the team’s water boy one year and the ball boy another.
“We watched football together, threw the football around in the backyard — he’s always had me around the game,” Choi said.
Choi first caught Meyers’ eye while playing CYO football during his middle school years.
“He later visited our school and decided this is where he wanted to be,” Meyers explained.
It didn’t take long for Meyers and his staff to see why coaches universally welcome players who are the sons or daughters of coaches. For Meyers, it was similar to the experience he had coaching Doug Costin, who is now an NFL prospect playing defensive line at Miami (Ohio).
“His dad (Doug) was on my staff. They just know,” Meyers explained. “A lot of kids play video games and think they know football.
“(Choi) will stand back there and if the tackle isn’t lined up right he will tap them to shade to the left or right. He knows. When you say a four-I or three-technique, it’s not Greek to him.”
Most 15-year-olds spend their down time hanging out with friends or playing video games. Choi prefers to log in to hudl.com, a website that provides tools for coaches and athletes to review game film and improve team play.
“My dad’s really helped me this season, which is my first at the varsity level,” Choi said. “We talk about football quite a bit. We know when the time is right and when it’s time to relax. We watch ‘hudl’ together.”
Despite being a sophomore, Choi runs the Shanahan defense and is a team leader. Twice this season he’s been chosen to be a game captain.
“He sits back there and can orchestrate everything. He is like our quarterback on defense,” Meyers said.
‘DEFENSE ALWAYS CAME NATURAL TO ME’
Needless to say, Choi has a big up-side in football. He still has some growing to do and he is a warrior in the weight room.
“He works hard in the weight room,” Meyers said. “We have a group called Titus Fitness that comes and trains our kids, not just in the offseason, but twice a week during the season.
“A lot of teams stop lifting once the season starts and they lose everything. But by doing this we maintain it, and I truly believe it has a lot of do with why we are at where we are now.
“In the Ches-Mont National we have to be physically ready to play all of the big boys.”
Choi is a very effective player on offense, but he has more of a defensive mindset. Meyers says that he sees Choi as a college linebacker prospect.
“I see myself as a linebacker,” Choi said. “Playing on defense gives you energy — getting a defensive stop gives the offense that boost. I love to fly around the field, I love to hit, make reads and make calls. Defense always came natural to me.
“Offense has the glory positions – defenders just work hard. I’ve always thought that offense fills the seats but defense wins championships.”
Sophomores outnumber seniors 26-to-15 on the Eagles’ roster, which could fracture some teams. But the Shanahan seniors – like standouts Garrett Glendenning, Vince Gueriera, Jack Lyons, Anthony Cipriano and Lenny Kresefski – understand that this 10th grade group is good and have helped integrate them into the program for the betterment of the team.
“Our sophomores were able to grow this season because even though we only have a few seniors, they’ve been awesome,” Meyers said. “They have embraced these sophomores, which isn’t always the case.”
Somewhere down the road, this Eagles squad can sit back and relish doing something that no other Shanahan team has been able to do: win a district crown. And nobody could deny that the future of the program looks bright. But right now, all of the focus is on Jersey Shore and the opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight.
“We just talked about it with the team earlier this week,” Meyers said. “If we come out and lay an egg, that district title doesn’t mean much. We are here to win a state championship, and anything short of that and we are going to be upset.”