For the past decade, the Luther’s have taken over on the gridiron at Port Charlotte High School. The family has produced six players who all suited up for the Pirates. This season, the final two brothers are playing in their senior season, ending a decade of dominance.

The Luther family’s reign began in 2013 when Martin, a running back, first started. Then came TJ, who went on to become the family’s first college graduate and is now in the NFL on the New England Patriots practice squad. After that, Solomon and Virgil put on the red and black.

“They all have one common denominator and that is they are respectful,” Port Charlotte head coach Jordan Ingman said. “They’re great young men, but they have different personalities.”

Now, the fifth and sixth Luther brothers are playing for Port Charlotte — Samuel and Tyrell.

“I actually watched them when they were five, six, seven years old,” Ingman said referring to watching them play in the Pirates’ youth program. “Now seeing them as 18-year-olds is kind of amazing.”

Samuel and Tyrell are in their senior year. They play the same position — defensive end — and almost have the same jersey number — 98 and 99.

Playing at PCHS after four of their brothers had very successful careers can be difficult. They know the legacy and their last name has at the school. However, the duo doesn’t worry about filling shoes. Instead, they are trying to write their own story.

“Everybody in my family played football, so we just continued the legacy,” Tyrell said.

Samuel and Tyrell are also continuing the legacy of their late mother, Virginia. She was heavily involved in the Pirates football program for years and was always the loudest on the sidelines, shouting her classic “hey, hey, hey” chant. Virginia passed away in December of 2019 — a year before Samuel and Tyrell started high school.

“It showed me life is short and always precious,” Samuel said. “If it’s friends or family, always love them. Show them every day that you love them no matter what.”

“Treat every game like it’s going to be your last,” Tyrell added when reflecting on what he learned from his mother’s passing.

Samuel and Tyrell are doing exactly that and making their mother proud. Samuel leads the Pirates in sacks, while Tyrell is first in tackles for a loss. The duo is hard to stop.

“Other coaches, it’s a headache for them because it’s quite hard to get past one of us,” Samuel said. “When one of us gets caught the other guy gets through. That’s it for us.”
While the Luther era is winding down, Samuel and Tyrell are still trying to accomplish something their brothers never did — win a state championship.

5-2 Port Charlotte plays 0-6 Southeast this Friday.