FILE - Bishop Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez and his players celebrate after beating Reno's Bishop Manogue 69-26 in the NIAA high school football champion at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Richard Brian Las Vegas Review-Journal @vegasphotograph
There were no singing waiters or rehearsed dance regimens during Kenny Sanchez's birthday lunch with his household Saturday at a Las Cruces, New Mexico, restaurant.

He did get an unexpected surprise as he celebrated turning 43, nevertheless, as he learned 2 of his previous gamers at Bishop Gorman would be NFL colleagues with the Browns.

Wide receiver Cedric Tillman, who played collegiately at Tennessee, heard his name called by Cleveland on Friday night. The Browns came right back Saturday early morning and picked Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a quarterback out of UCLA.

Sanchez, who left Gorman in January 2020, took a minute upon hearing Thompson-Robinson's location to procedure that was the exact same team that chose Tillman the previous night.

" It's surreal, actually," Sanchez said. "It appears like it was so long ago they were betting me, but it likewise seems like it was yesterday. It's amazing. I don't understand what the words are. I feel fortunate that I was there at a bit of part of their growth to maybe assist a little bit, but I feel more now that I'm excited that I'm now a viewer for kids that I got to see kind of mature for a little bit."

Among the best parts of the story of their reunion in the NFL is how different their paths were to this point. It reveals that even for players at a nationwide powerhouse football program, there's more than one road to ultimate success.

‘‘ Already the person'

Thompson-Robinson was a highly touted hire although he spent much of his high school profession supporting Tate Martell.

" College coaches would come watch Tate at practice, see Dorian toss the ball and then simply provide him (a scholarship)," Sanchez recalled. "Even when he wasn't the person, he was currently the guy."

Tillman went mainly neglected in spite of producing on the field.

" He actually didn't have any deals entering into his senior year," Sanchez said. "UNLV offered him. I believe Tennessee was really the only school that had used him at the very end there towards signing day.

" That was an unusual offer since he was a huge kid in high school and he was fast. I simply think a lot of schools missed him due to the fact that Cedric was an incredible football player, and for whatever factor I'm not sure why.

Sanchez, who now coaches at Organ Mountain High School in New Mexico, reminisced Saturday about an 82-yard touchdown from Thompson-Robinson to Tillman in a 2017 loss to Mater Dei. The genuine memories of high school football do not take place between the lines.

" Good chemistry, good friends, excellent colleagues," Sanchez said. "A great deal of success, clearly, that we had was because of those men."

Sanchez, who went 65-8 at Gorman with four state titles, two USA Today national championships and the publication's nationwide coach of the year award in 2016, has a bit of a restoring job to do at Organ Mountain after taking the task earlier this month.

There's probably not much NFL talent on his roster simply. While he has coached several other gamers that have now reached that level, he stated he looks forward to seeing the Browns for years to come.

‘ ‘ Work's refrained from doing'

" No doubt, I'll be rooting for the Browns now that we've got two of them on there," he said. "Hopefully it all works out now, however the work's not done.

" It's more fun being a fan seeing those people since you really get to see the skill on display screen rather than when you're training and you're concentrated on the big photo."

It will be especially fulfilling for him knowing the courses they have actually required to get there.

Sanchez said the common denominator they need to each be credited for is their work principles and capability to conquer their unique adversities.

Thompson-Robinson could have transferred rather of waiting his turn and continuing to establish on the bench. Tillman might have grown frustrated with the lack of attention. Both also had to overcome injuries along the way.

As soon as again in Cleveland, now their courses have actually assembled.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.