Paul and Silas Risper are a big reason for the success of the Westside Seminoles football program. Westside is 7-2 overall through the first nine weeks of the season, and – as they are every year – the Seminoles are in the hunt for a playoff spot in the tough Region 2-4A. They are 3-2 in the region, with a key matchup coming up against Howard to decide the final playoff seeding.
The Risper brothers have seen it all before. In fact, there’s not a whole lot they haven’t experienced growing up in a family of athletes, including football players and coaches. Their father is Seminoles head coach Shedrick “Spoon” Risper, which right off the bat leads to high expectations for Paul and Silas.
But the two brothers can handle it. They have been playing football since they were in kindergarten, and according to their father, they have been surrounded by the sights and sounds of the game throughout their lives.
“Paul and Silas were typical coaches kids growing up,” Coach Risper said. “They were around football 24/7. My wife, Demetria, would pick them up after school and bring them both to the school every day so they could come see me at practice. They would run around the locker room and the practice field every day, so they grew up around it and they loved it. They were introduced to the game at a very early age.”
While Paul and Silas grew up surrounded by a lot of positive influences, which gave them an advantage, Coach Risper said they had to work very hard to overcome some natural challenges and obstacles that stood in their way.
“They had to work extra hard to overcome the family genetics,” Risper said. “We are not the biggest, strongest and fastest people. But, you can’t substitute hard work and discipline. They made up a lot of what they weren’t blessed with in genetics with hard work and discipline.”
Not only were Paul and Silas forced to overcome the lack of great family genetics, there are also comparisons to family accomplishments that the brothers will always be judged by. Their older brother, Shedrick Risper Jr., is the namesake of his father and former coach, and he was a standout receiver at Westside.
Shedrick (better known as “Scooter”) received an offer to play for West Georgia upon graduating in 2018. He played there and graduated early, then he transferred to Mercer via the Transfer Portal and is now playing for the Bears while working on a masters and specialist degree.
Paul and Silas have an older sister, Shemetria Risper, a 2020 graduate of Westside who was a cheerleader for the Seminoles. Shemetria, also known as “Peachy,” is attending Georgia Southern University. She is studying to be a teacher, and like her brother Scooter, she will graduate early, in just three years.
Their father, in addition to making a name for himself as the Seminoles head coach, was the first quarterback ever to play for Upson-Lee High School. He graduated in 1992 and went on to play football at West Georgia for two seasons, then played professionally for the Macon Knights Arena League team, whom he helped win the Arena League Championship in 2003. Risper became the Westside head football coach in 2009, and he was elected to the Thomaston-Upson Hall of Fame in 2018.
Risper’s brother, Prentice Risper, is the Westside offensive coordinator. He too was a high school quarterback, as was their father. There is little doubt that Paul and Silas Risper have heard about the accomplishments of their family, but according to their father, they are doing their own thing.
“Paul and Silas are really hard workers,” he said. “They do well in school, they help out in the community, and they help out other kids and their teammates.”
As much as the boys are alike, their father said there are distinct differences. Silas is the older brother, and he holds Paul accountable, like a good big brother should. Silas has followed in the footsteps of his older brother by playing wide receiver. According to Coach Risper, Silas has offers from Reinhardt University and Gardner- Webb.
Paul, on the other hand, is just a sophomore, and he has turned out to be a renegade of sorts within the Risper family.
“We have had three generations of quarterbacks in the family, with my father, me, and my brother all having played [the position],” Risper said. “Then we have two wide receives with Silas and Shedrick Jr, but Paul broke the trend. Paul is a safety, and he is the physical one in the family.”
So much for the genetics and expectations having an effect on Paul and Silas. Sounds like they are doing just fine.
