Ellis and Mario Alloway have spent their entire lives playing football together. On Thursday, they signed to play at the Division I level in front of Choctaw High School’s student body, their coaches and most importantly…the many individuals who have helped support them.

• On Friday night, they’ll take the field together one last time at Joe Etheredge Stadium.

“It’s been a long four years,” Ellis said. “From our mom passing away our sophomore year, and then our stepdad – who we were living with – passing away our junior year back-to-back. The last couple of years have been rough, and we’ve been living with our friends. But I’m grateful to Coach Beasley for helping us out through everything, and I’m grateful for Choctaw for supporting us when we needed it.”

The brothers, known as the Bash Brothers, have anchored one of the state’s most dominant defenses during Choctaw’s run to its first Final Four appearance since 2014. Both are linebackers who have recorded 11 sacks this season. Ellis signed with Liberty University, while Mario signed with Jacksonville State—both Conference USA programs.

• “Being here at Choctaw, with this program and the coaches—this day means a lot,” Mario said. “We’ve come through so much adversity, battling through all four years. We’re just very grateful for the moment and opportunity that we have today.”

Their mother’s death didn’t slow the brothers down. If anything, it sharpened their focus.

“It just pushed me and made me want to drive harder. I’m not going to slow down or stop just because she’s not here,” Mario said. “I’m going to do what she wanted me to do and finish it out for her.”

“Her passing away didn’t make anything easier – it made my life harder,” Ellis said. “I’m grateful for the support I’ve had here at Choctaw, and the support the coaches gave us. I’m going to keep going, and everything with her passing, it made me and my brother work harder to reach our goals and make her proud from above.”

The offers

Choctaw coach Frank Beasley praised both players for their impact on the program.

• “Mario is a fierce competitor in every sense of the word,” Beasley said. “He’s going to do an outstanding job. He’s set the standard for how we play defense at Choctaw High School.”

Of Ellis, Beasley added: “The way he plays football is unbelievable. He’s been a stalwart on our defense. He understands how to play the game and plays it hard, and Liberty’s getting an outstanding player and an outstanding person. He’s a weight room warrior and he does what’s asked of him every day.”

Ellis held 18 offers, including from Power Four programs Georgia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Penn State. He initially committed to South Florida but flipped to Liberty after USF coach Alex Golesh left for Auburn last week. Liberty was among the first schools to offer him.

“Liberty was one of my first offers. The coaches are pretty cool,” Ellis said. “When I went up there, it was way more than I expected. The facilities are amazing, the campus is beautiful. Liberty is going to keep me in check being a Christian school, so I’m really going to get a lot done during my freshman year there.”

Mario held offers from Florida A&M, Alabama State, FIU, Arkansas State and West Florida before choosing Jacksonville State.

• “I went up there this year for a couple of gameday visits. I really liked it there, it felt like home, and the coaches loved me and I loved them,” Mario said.

Final Four

The brothers said they’ve spent all week thinking about what Friday night’s Final Four matchup against American Heritage means—not just for their playoff hopes, but for their time together.

“We’ve been grinding it out for four years, trying to make it past that third round. Finally made it past the third round,” Ellis said. “Ready to play Heritage at home, hosting a game, feeling good about it. One more game until state. We’re just ready to go out, give it everything we got.”

For Mario, sharing the field with his brother one last time at home carries extra weight.

• “I’m gonna miss playing with him side by side. I love playing with my brother,” Mario said. “It’s been fun playing with him our whole life. It’s going to be sad that we’re playing our last couple high school games together. But I know once we get to college, we’re going to be playing against each other.”

Friday’s forecast calls for cold temperatures and rain, but the brothers aren’t concerned.

“We’re on our turf. We’re used to it,” Ellis said. “They have to come to us and play in the cold. They have to come to us and play in the rain. They’re not going to be used to it.”

The brothers haven’t forgotten the support

Through the loss, the hardship and the long road to Friday night, the Choctaw community has been there for the Alloways.

The brothers haven’t forgotten it.

“The school staff here really does care about me and my brother and they helped us out a lot these past four years,” Mario said. “I’m so grateful for everybody on that school staff that has helped us out. They didn’t have to do that. But they still chose to do it for me and my brother.”

• “I just love the culture here and all the people—really good people who helped me and my brother out through all these four years when they didn’t have to,” Ellis said. “I can’t wait to play for them and represent.”

Since childhood, the brothers dreamed of playing Division I football. Thursday, that dream became reality.

“For us to make it to this moment—we’ve always been, since kids, it’s been a dream to go D1, and now we’re finally here,” Ellis said. “We’re just grateful for everyone who built us.”