Lesson learned: Dovers return to prominent roles

“We get tired of hearing (that we are the same). We’re individuals. I’m laid back and he’s the crazy one.” – Tyrone Dover affney’s Talmadge and Tyrone Dover are similar in many ways, which should come as no surprise considering they are 17-year-old twin brothers.

Both are skilled athletes who share their passion for football.

But they differ on a couple of important items who’s better looking, how their personalities mesh and who’s better at Playstation.

“We get tired of hearing (that we are the same),” Tyrone said. “We’re individuals. I’m laid back and he’s the crazy one.”

And for the first time since they began playing football in middle school they are also on different sides of the line of scrimmage.

Instead of opening holes for running backs, Talmadge (5-9, 245 lbs.) is now tackling them at nose guard while Tyrone (6-0, 275 lbs.) moved from tackle to guard on the Indians’ offensive line.

The position changes mean the twins often battle each other on the practice field.

Or course, there’s a difference of opinion on the winner of those not-so-brotherly-love matchups.

“It’s fun going against my brother,” Tyrone said. “We’re competitive, so we talk junk to each other.”

The position switches also follow disappointing junior seasons by the twins.

“I wasn’t playing up to my potential,” said Tyrone, who played left tackle last season. “I got benched (after the Lancaster game) because I wasn’t blocking to the whistle.”

Talmadge, who played right guard a season ago, was removed

G from the starting lineup for a similar reason.

“I’d make initial contact, but then stop blocking,” Talmadge said.

Both admit they have benefitted from the time they’ve spent watching.

“I used it as motivation, so I could show the coaches what I could do,” Talmadge said.

“It made me feel like I needed to play better,” Tyrone said.

Despite starting on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage, they share a common goal to win the state championship.

And they share their passion for football.

“We liked contact sports,” Tyrone said.

They started as seventh graders at Granard Junior High. Tyrone played both on offense and defense while Talmadge played defense.

As eighth-graders, the twins impressed the coaching staff so much they were moved up to play for the ninth-grade team.

“Coach Bobby Rodgers told us to be at Gaffney High School at 4 p.m. for practice,” Talmadge said. “It kind of shocked us. We didn’t think we’d get moved up.”

Since then, they’ve worked tirelessly together on the football field separated only by injuries. As members of the ninth-grade team, Tyrone sprained his medial collateral ligament on an chop block by a Northwestern player. Talmadge had to accompany Tyrone to the sidelines because he was so upset at the illegal block.

“They had to take me out because I was going to lose it,” Talmadge said. “I wasn’t used to playing without him.”

As sophomores, the twins started on the junior varsity and saw spot duty on the varsity.

Talmadge saved his most memorable play for the upper state championship game a bone-crunching stop on Summerville allstate running back Corey Smalls.

He’d like to duplicate that feat today when the Indians play for another upper state championship against Dorman.