’Dogs’ Twins Head To OBU

Shane Patrick, left, and Melissa Patrick, right, smile as their sons, Jay Patrick, left center, and Clay Patrick sign letters of intent Wednesday at Springdale High. The brothers signed to play football for Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.
Shane Patrick, left, and Melissa Patrick, right, smile as their sons, Jay Patrick, left center, and Clay Patrick sign letters of intent Wednesday at Springdale High. The brothers signed to play football for Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.

— It was only fitting Jay and Clay Patrick wore matching purple baseball caps on Wednesday afternoon.

The twin brothers have been inseparable over the years, and there was no reason for the Springdale High duo to differ from that on National Signing Day.

Jay and Clay made sure they will continue to play football together when they each signed a National Letter of Intent with Ouachita Baptist, an NCAA Division II school in Arkadelphia.

“We had always jokingly said, ‘Hey, it could be kind of cool. We could go be roommates or something,’” Clay said. “But at the end of the day, we’re just going to go to the best place that’s best for us.

“It just so happened that the best place was Ouachita.”

Jay said there wasn’t a plan all along for him to sign with the same school as Clay, who’s less than two minutes older than his twin brother.

Central Arkansas and Pittsburg State also showed interest in each of the Springdale defensive players. As it turned out, though, both of them were drawn to the small-town feel of Ouachita Baptist.

“We didn’t want to hold each other back one way or another, so that’s just what we felt like doing,” Jay said. “But then we just went to Ouachita and fell in love with the campus.”

Jay recorded 159 tackles in his three years starting at defensive end for his father and Springdale football coach Shane Patrick. He led the Bulldogs with six sacks this past season and finished with 78 tackles despite battling a shoulder injury.

But Jay will head to Arkadelphia as a deep snapper, which he has done since the seventh grade. Ouachita Baptist’s coaches have also told the senior that he could possibly play some H-back or linebacker at the next level.

Clay will continue to play linebacker, where he recorded 256 tackles in three years as a Springdale starter. He recorded a team-high 21 tackles for loss this past season, and he ranked second on the Bulldogs in sacks (5) and tackles (98).

Their father said it was a “bitter sweet moment” Wednesday as he watched Jay and Clay sign their letters in front of a large crowd inside Springdale’s cafeteria. After all, their time together at Springdale will soon come to an end.

“In a way, as a dad, you’re kind of lost a little bit when they’re not around anymore. But I’m definitely extremely proud of them,” Shane said. “They have worked their tails off from, I don’t know, fifth and sixth grade on to get to this point, not just in football but academically.”

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