Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks from same Austin high school face off

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - Long before New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles were Super Bowl MVPs, the two were simply Westlake High School Chaparrals in Austin, Texas.

The two Westlake alums face off in their second playoff showdown but first since both earned MVP recognition. Five years ago Brees and the Saints beat Foles and the Eagles 26-24.

Brees was the first to attend Westlake. In 1996, he helped lead the team to its only state championship.

10 years later Foles took the Chaps to a state final but lost to Todd Dodge and his Southlake Carroll dynasty.

Former head football coach at Westlake Derek Long, says, "If you have children, if you want somebody to emulate, Drew Brees or Nick Foles because they have things in perspective. They'll tell you it will be faith, family and football."

Current Westlake head football coach Todd Dodge says, "Our kids and our program, we don't have to go far to show what it's like to be a great teammate, what it's lke to overcome adversity and get to a high level because they're sitting right there on our wall of our field house."

Ironically football played second fiddle for both Brees and Foles early on.

Brees was into tennis. Dodge says that Brees "attributes his great footwork to being a tennis player. Ever watch a tennis player and you watch a quarterback and their feet in the pocket, there's a lot of correlation between footwork."

It wasn't tennis but basketball for Foles.

Another former Westlake football coach, Ron Schroeder, says, "In middle school, he actually went to all the basketball camps, he didn't go to the football camps. He was an outstanding basketball player and we didn't really know for sure if he was going to go that far into football."

Thankfully for football fans both Brees and Foles eventually gravitated toward the gridiron.

While Saints and Eagles fans will be divided, Westlake nation will be rooting for both.

"I just hope they go into overtime and they end up in a tie," Schroeder says laughing.

Long says, "I want them both to throw for 600 yards and six touchdowns and then whatever happens, happens."