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Double duty at Xavier
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Ambery twins line up in backfield, look out for each other

BY MARCUS HENRY
STAFF WRITER

October 28, 2005

There are few things fraternal twins Tom and Bryan Ambery don't do together. They go to school together, eat together and hang out together. They are captains of the Xavier Knights football team and their grades are nearly the same. They even wear identical clothing. No, we're only kidding; they don't wear the same clothes, but they do have an unbreakable bond that most twins have.

The bond the two share extends to the football field, where Tom is a 5-10, 180-pound tailback/safety and Bryan is a 5-10, 200-pound fullback/linebacker. Together, they've helped lead Xavier (5-2) back to respectability in the CHSFL. They've totaled 767 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.

But there are some differences.

"I'm the faster one," said Tom, who was born two minutes before Bryan. "I'll try to run around you and he'll try to lower his shoulder and run you over."

The two also have opposite demeanors on and off the field. Tom is laid-back and Bryan is fiery. "He's definitely more vocal," Tom said. "He'll be the first one to say something to a teammate when things aren't going right. He's also quick to speak his mind."

It's those differences that allow the brothers to motivate and challenge each other. If Bryan gets too loud with his teammates, Tom will cool him down. If Tom isn't making enough of a statement, his brother will let him know about it. "It's a mutual thing," Bryan said when asked who motivates whom. "We are always there for each other. We always pick each other up."

That support system was instilled by their father, Tom Ambery Sr. "It's incredible," he said of his sons' success in football. "They've always pushed each other. And it's worked because people always ask me, 'How come you didn't have four of them?'"

It's more than just a motivational ploy for Tom and Bryan. Each twin has taken it upon himself to be the protector of the other. After all, it's rare for siblings to line up in the same backfield every game.

Bryan said: "I can't let anything happen to him. As fullback, I block for him. I can't just let him get hammered back there, because I would hear about it at home."

Trust is also a factor.

"In freshman football, we would change plays in the huddle for each other," said Bryan, who started his career at quarterback. "One time, the play was a 32 dive. My brother was lined up wide of the tackle. Instead of running the dive, I pitched it to him. He was the one I trusted the most with the ball."

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