LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Arbor View senior linebacker Christian Thatcher and his younger brother, sophomore quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, have shared the sideline together since the beginning.
“When I was five I started playing football, we always played for my dad’s team and when he [Thaddeus] was three we ended up throwing him in there for a game it’s always been fun getting to play with him,” Christian said.
Christian had 34 offers to play college football, is committed to play at the University of Utah next fall and needs 91 more tackles to set a new state record for most tackles in Nevada high school football history.
Thaddeus has seven offers, one of which is from the Utes, and set a new state record for most passing yards in a single game in the Aggies’ season opening win over Lincoln, throwing for 583 yards.
However, the road to being two of the top prospects in the state has been far from easy at times.
“I got Leukemia t-cell when I was seven,” Thaddeus said. “It was hard on me and my family of course going through it, but I thought it brought our family together.”
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Since Thaddeus won the fight in 2014 at just 11 years old, the two brothers have developed a different outlook on their sport.
“It really makes you appreciate the game a lot more,” Christian said. “With him being able to play football again and us being able to be together for this last year, really thankful and really blessed that we could do this.”
Though this is their last guaranteed year that they will lead a football team together, their hopes are high in the possibility of Thaddeus going with Christian at Utah someday.
“I think that would be everybody’s dream come true,” Christian said.
Arbor View’s (1-0) home opener is Friday, August 30th against Legacy (1-1) at 6 p.m. and their game is also the Las Vegas Raiders’ high school football showcase.
