The highlight of the weekend for most Georgia residents will be watching No. 10 Georgia take on Tennessee.But for Stephenson High School linebackers coach Stephen Reese, this weekend means something more.”The only regret I have is that I won’t be there in person to see it live,” Reese said of Saturday’s LSU-Florida matchup. “But I will be glued to the TV. If you don’t watch your own, then who will you watch?”Reese coached LSU linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Perry Riley, as well as Florida junior defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, from 2003-2005.”They’re all great kids,” he said. “We never had a problem with attitude with any of these kids. I am tremendously proud of them, and I cannot tell you how proud I am of those guys.” Reese said he hasn’t spoken to either of the three players this week but plans to call them to wish them luck prior to Saturday’s game.”I did not want to interfere with their preparation for the game,” he said. “But now, the head is on the horse. They’re ready to play.” At Stephenson, the trio was part of a defense that gave up just 64 total points in their senior seasons.”I knew when they were juniors they had developed that swagger and that confidence to be big-time college football players,” Reese said. “And let me tell you a secret: they will all be playing against one another on Sunday’s, too. Because all three of them have NFL in their futures.” Riley said he’s spoken with Cunningham nearly every day this week and is looking forward to seeing his friend and former teammate.”I’ve called him, and he’s called me. And we definitely can’t wait to see each other,” he said. “There’s no trash talking or nothing like that because we won’t be on the field at the same time, so we don’t talk about who’s going to win or who’s going to lose.”Riley said Cunningham is a fierce competitor and will do everything to get the upperhand on his former teammates — despite the lack of trash talking during the week. “He’s won one [national championship] since he’s been there, and I won one last year,” he said. “We’re going to have to let this one play out on Saturday.”Riley and Sheppard signed with LSU in 2006 following decorated high school careers where they combine for 233 tackles, 12 sacks and five interceptions their senior season.Cunningham also had a dominant senior season, with 145 tackles and 26 sacks.Sheppard said the LSU coaching staff had concerns about Cunningham’s size during the recruiting process because he weighed only 196 pounds in high school.But Cunningham’s teammates made a pitch to keep the trio in tact in Baton Rouge, despite the concerns. “We definitely tried to get him down here to Baton Rouge,” Sheppard said. “But the coaches here saw him as a stand-up outside linebacker. So he chose Florida, which we all told him not to do — we would have loved the full trio here. He’s a terrific defensive end in my eyes.”But fans in Stone Mountain, Ga., were upset by more than just the trio breaking up. “The people in Georgia were very surprised,” he said. “Because they were expecting the home school to get everybody. When that didn’t happen, everybody was shocked.”The trio’s play at the collegiate level hasn’t helped Georgia fans feel any better about their departure. Riley is second on the Tigers with 20 tackles, and Sheppard has 14 tackles with two tackles for losses.Cunningham is fourth on the Gators with 25 tackles and second on the team with three sacks. Sheppard said the first person he will look to shake hands with following the game is Cunningham, regardless of the outcome.”We’ve been knowing each other forever,” he said. “We went to grade school and middle school together. He’s one of my best guys.” Reese said he wouldn’t be cheering for either Florida or LSU on Saturday, but he’s excited to see all three of his players play on a national stage.Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]