WEEDSPORT - Brandon and Brad Bach are quiet kids. They're not aloof or snotty; just identical, silent types who don't boast about their accomplishments.

Then again, who needs a couple of motormouths on the sideline when they do their talking on the field?

Certainly not Weedsport coach Cal Mosher.

The twin running backs made a lot of noise in their junior season, and they return to wreak havoc in 2004.

Mosher describes the twins' talent as "explosive and physical," and their numbers back it up.

Last season, Brandon, a fullback, rushed for 1,053 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Brad, a tailback, was close behind with 978 yards and 11 TDs. Twelve of those scores were from farther than 25 yards.

"I've never coached twins," Mosher said. "It's unusual, but we're very fortunate to have two guys like that. Locally, I haven't heard of any other twins that are of this quality. We're just glad they're at Weedsport."

Quarterback Mike Coolbaugh is also glad to have a pair of all-state options in his backfield.

"Knowing that we have two good backs helps out a lot," Coolbaugh said. "It takes a lot of the pressure off of me with passing. When we run the ball so well with them, a lot of defenses will respect the run more and the passing game will open up."

The twins respect their teammates. While one might expect them to lay it on the line when they're blocking for each other, they put the same effort in for anyone.

They admit they don't share the unspoken communication that many duos do, but that might be because they're tearing up different parts of the field.

"He's faster than I am, but up the middle I might do a little better than he does," said Brandon, the older twin by 12 minutes. "When he gets on the perimeter, he's a a little bit better than I am."

"I think he's a little better than me," Brad said. "He gets better cuts. "We're about the same speed, but I'm a couple steps quicker. We both run hard."

Besides their opponents, it seems, the twins haven't given anyone trouble since they were born a month-and-a-half prematurely 17 years ago. Except their parents, that is. Their father Bill notes the two never slept at the same time. They left the hospital three weeks after they were born.

Brad and Brandon's mother, Brenda, isn't surprised they've overcome their early hurdles.

"They came through that real good," Brenda said. "They just grew. It didn't take them long to catch up to their growth line."

According to Brenda, Brad and Brandon had active childhoods, and like most twins, they share a lot of similarities. They both enjoy "Punk'd" and "Viva La Bam" on television. They each prefer playing defense (Brandon likes to hit people, and Brad was named second-team all-state as a linebacker), and they still sound so much alike their mother still has trouble telling them apart.

When I talk to them on the phone, I don't know who I'm talking to still," Brenda said. "I have to say, 'Are you Brad or Brandon?' But if they talk long enough, they give it away."

Although Brad is the older twin, he doesn't take a leadership role, and neither twin has a problem with sharing the spotlight - with each other or the rest of the team.

"A lot of people on offense don't get the credit they deserve, like the linemen," Brad said. "They're the guys that make us good."

Before the pair joined the varsity football squad, they had a chance to watch their older brother Brian excel with the Warriors. Now a running back at Hobart College, Brian was named the Class C player of the year when Weedsport won the Section III championship in 2001.

Since the Statesmen play on Saturdays, Brian comes to see his brothers play on Friday nights.

"I think I'm lucky that there's two of them," Brian joked. "If there was just one of them getting all the carries, people would forget about me pretty quick."

Like everybody else, Brian has trouble getting his brothers to talk about their accomplishments.

"Even when I try to ask them how practice is going, they're pretty shy about talking about football," Brian said. "They're shy kids in general."

Coolbaugh remembers Brandon's silence as a captain on last year's squad.

"We had spaghetti dinners every Thursday night," Coolbaugh said. "He never liked to do any of the talking. Once in awhile we'd try to get to say a couple of words, but he didn't."

The Bach twins are so quiet and serious, they haven't even tried to switch jerseys to fool their teammates, nor do they want to. Even though they probably could've fooled their coaches when they first joined the team.

"For about the first year, I really couldn't tell them apart if they had the same haircut," Mosher admitted. "But I've been around them enough. I can pretty much tell them apart. Their facial structures are a little different."

By all accounts, Brad and Brandon are hard-working boys and they can run the football. But while Bill Bach enjoys watching his sons sprint down the field, as a father his main concern is still their happiness and well-being. He's just glad that the kids are on the right path - whether it leads into the end zone or not.

"They've been great kids," he said. "They hang around with good kids; you don't have to worry about them getting in trouble. They do well in school. To me, that's just amazing. I go to work and hear people talk about some of the things that kids are doing, and I feel blessed everyday."

Staff writer Michelle Prego can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 257 or

citizensports@lee.net