Head over to Gastonia and meet Twin I and Twin II

Anyway, that’s what the Ashbrook coaches call Isaiah and Israel Watson, the team’s starting offensive tackles. After all, they are identical twins, each of them 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds and facially, carbon copies.

Green Wave head coach Mike Briggs had several assistants nearby when he mentioned the pair. I asked who started on the left side and who started on the right, and Briggs laughed.

“Hey coach,” he said to an assistant, “which twin plays left tackle?”

Informed that LT belonged to Isaiah, Briggs said, “I just know ‘em as Nos. 73 and 78.”

Finally, this year there is a minor difference.

“One has his hair a little longer now,” Briggs said, “But with helmets on, they’re still identical.”

Since offensive linemen tend to develop more slowly than players at other positions, Briggs has hopes that both will play effectively in college, even though they are not being significantly recruited now.

“They’re getting bigger and better every day,” he said.

Had the Twins ever switched jerseys in practice as a joke? Briggs asked Isaiah, who was lifting weights nearby, and I could hear the laugh.

“He assures me they haven’t,” Briggs said.

Next practice, though, watch out.

--Stan Olson