AUSTIN, Texas — Brian Vasek knew the day was coming that he was going to coach his sons on the football field and had a conversation about how they would handle that.

“I told them at an early age, you tell me what you want,”  says Brian Vasek, the defensive line coach at Westlake. “Do you want me to coach you hard and get the best out of you or do you want to lay back and enjoy this experience?”

They chose the tough coaching to maximize their potential. Vasek has two boys that play at Westlake, sophomore defensive end Connor Vasek and senior defensive end Colton Vasek. They work with their dad very closely at every practice.

“He’s going to push me to be the best I can possibly be,” says Colton Vasek. “I believe in him and he believes in me and knows what I’m capable of.”

“They said, 'Dad coach me hard,'” says Brian. “So absolutely they get coached hard.”

That coaching paid off for Colton last season. He exploded onto the scene during his junior year at Westlake.

“Last season was my first chance at being a varsity starter,” says Colton.

“About this time last year I was asking other coaches if they thought he could play,” says Brian.

Colton could definitely play. He had 10 sacks, including three in the state title game, which helped him be named the defensive MVP of the state championship.

“He definitely had a lot of growth from the start of the year to the end of the year,” says Brian. “Once we got into the playoffs Colton’s game really picked up and he started getting noticed as well.”

Noticed might be a bit of an understatement. Colton quickly became one of the top defensive end recruits in the country. He had offers from lots of big time programs like Texas and Oregon but ultimately he decided to commit to Oklahoma.

“It was a stressful time trying to pick a college, now it’s done and I can focus on my team,” says Colton. “I believe in Coach (Brent) Venables and think he’s the best defensive mind in all of college football.”

While Colton navigated the recruiting process, he had dad, who played college football at Texas, to help him through the stressful time. Now they can go back to the coach/player and father/son relationship for one more year in high school. 

“I struggle with being coach and turning off the coach switch and turning on the dad switch. My wife has helped me out with that,” says Brian. “It’s been great having them on the team Colton and his younger brother Connor. Not only having them on the team but being able to coach them in my position group.”

While Colton is primed for a huge senior season, it might soon be time for Connor to became a known name. He’s hurt at the moment but dad says he may actually be a little farther along as a player than Colton was at this age.