With the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles set to face off Sunday in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz., some of the players have a history with one another dating back to their days in high school.
There are four sets of opponents who played against each other in high school and three sets of high school teammates squaring off:
Robert Quinn and
Carlos Dunlap from
Fort Dorchester (North Charleston, S.C.),
A.J. Brown and
Willie Gay Jr. from
Starkville (Miss.) and
Shane Buechele and
Kyron Johnson from
Lamar (Arlington, Texas).
During the 2006 season any opposing quarterback peering over at the Fort Dorchester defensive line was greeted by a nightmare. On one side was Dunlap, a senior five-star recruit, and on the other end was junior four-star Quinn. Both are in the NFL's 100 sack club and in 2006, the pair combined to sack the quarterback 34.5 times, nearly three times per game.
They never won a state title together but made a playoff run and both are looking for their first Super Bowl victory.
Eagles wide receiver Brown and Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. dominated on opposite ends of the field in a 27-7 state championship win over Petal (Miss.) in 2015 at Starkville.
Brown, a four-star senior, hauled in 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown and set the school record by grabbing his 83rd reception of the season that night. Gay Jr. was a wrecking ball on defense all night. The four-star junior recorded four tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception for the Yellowjackets' defense.
The duo went their separate ways in college, playing for rivals, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Both are playing in their first Super Bowl.
Opponents who played against each other in high school
A.J. Brown, pictured, and Willie Gay Jr. won a state championship at Starkville (Miss.) in 2015. On Sunday, the former teammates will battle each other during Super Bowl LVII. (Photo: Richard Miller)
Scott had the game-winning rushing touchdown in Zachary's 21-14 victory.
Nov. 23, 2012Nnadi had three sacks in Ocean City's 14-10 playoff victory.
Sept. 12, 2014Both protected their quarterbacks with ease as New Canaan won 21-14.
Sept. 11, 2015Kaindoh had five tackles in IMG's 49-7 win.
