ARCHER CITY — If you put Reegan and Tanner Deerinwater in the same drill, neither twin is interested in finishing second.
That competition has become a regular part of football for the Archer City juniors. Whether taking snaps at running back, lining up on defense or simply trying to get the better of one another in a drill, there’s always a contest between the two.
“They really, really want to outdo the other one. It creates this competitiveness, and they feed off each other,” head coach Bradan Ritchey said. “Once they get that competitive flow going, they’re really the two guys that get our practices going as far as excitement and enthusiasm.”
Despite pushing each other the same way in practice, Reegan and Tanner make their impact differently on Friday nights.
As sophomores, Reegan recorded 48 tackles in 10 games, including 37 solo stops, five tackles for loss and a sack. Tanner played nine games, finishing with 22 tackles and three interceptions.
“On defense, he can have the interceptions and all that,” Reegan said with a smirk. “I’m more of a tackling guy.”
Ritchey noted those style differences were more apparent when the twins were younger.
“Reegan is your more traditional — I mean, heck, he’s wearing a neck roll — physical type player,” Ritchey said. “Tanner’s more of a speed guy.”
That separation, however, has quickly begun to disappear.
“Last year there was more of a clear, ‘This is what he can do. This is what he can do,’” Ritchey said. “But we feel like this year they both bring a lot of the same things to the table.”
After spending most of last season on defense, Reegan and Tanner are expected to take on much larger offensive roles at running back while continuing to contribute on the other side of the ball.
“They’re going to get the ball,” Ritchey said. “They’re going to carry the ball, … a lot.”
The opportunity comes a year after the Wildcats finished 1-9, a season the brothers said showed them how much more was required.
“It taught me that we really need to put a lot more work in,” Reegan said bluntly.
“We have to work as a team,” Tanner said.
For Ritchey, their progression has been years in the making. He’s watched the twins since they arrived at Archer City in eighth grade, when they were still young and undersized but already showing the competitiveness and effort that caught his attention.
As their physical development has progressed, so have the expectations.
“We’re counting on them in a lot of different ways,” Ritchey said. “They’re going to lead our defense, and offensively, we feel like we’re going to rely a lot more on them this year.”
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 2 twins, 1 backfield: Can the Deerinwater twins spark Archer City football?
Reporting by Andy Mathis, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Andy Mathis, Wichita Falls Times Record News | USA TODAY Network
