Palmetto, Fla

High School football teams act like one big family, at Palmetto High school, the Tigers take that one step further. For the past two years Palmetto Head Coach Dave Marino has had the pleasure of coaching his twin sons, Anthony and Derek.

Anthony is the Tigers starting quarterback and Derek is the teams starting safety. The boys have played football together for seven years, but the last two years they have started on the varsity team coached by their father, Dave.

"I always coached them when they were little, said Dave Marino, wether it was basketball or baseball, but I never really coached them in football until they got to high school"

The Boys, both seniors are identical twins. Anthony is 30 minutes older then his brother Derek. 

"It's an honor to play for him says Anthony, not just as a dad perspective but as a coach as well"

Derek admits, coming into a high school where your father is the head football coach does bring some added pressure.

"Knowing that he's my dad and they are going to talk about stuff, I felt a little pressure"

The Boys have done whatever it takes to take the pressure off their father by always putting team first. Derek knows better then anybody, he came in to school his freshman year as a wide receiver, a position he had played since he was little but when he got to the varsity team, his father asked him to switch positions, and play safety.

"I can't give Derek enough credit for what he did, his father said, most kids this day and age wouldn't do that, especially when you are being recruited at that position and the gratitude I have for Derek for doing that, you can't even measure."

Anthony and Derek were the kind of twin siblings who you would always find together, they shared the same friends and had all the same interests. The boys were not without there disagreements and fights though, which led to their dad buying them boxing gloves, anytime they wanted to fight the gloves had to be on.

Football is a huge part of this family, from the time they wake up to the time they get home, football is always the topic of conversation.

"It's non stop says Anthony, when you get home it's what did we do wrong and what can we improve on the next day and obviously mom doesn't like it very much"

Dave and his wife Linda have been married for 19 years, obviously football has been a huge part of their life, but mom does get her little wins, like at dinner time. No football talk and no cell phones, it's family time.

"We try to limit the football talk to a minimum at dinner",Anthony admits.

Last season the Marino's and Palmetto went 10 and 5, losing in the regional semifinals. This year they have won three of their first five games, with hopes the boys senior season will be a special one. When asked what it will be like at the end of October on senior night, normally reserved for the final home game of the year, Coach Marino couldn't hold back, tears began to well in his eyes and he started to get choked up before saying.

"There with you every day, I never really thought about it until now, just trying to stay focused in the moment and enjoy every minute, but definitely going to be hard."

"Those four quarters are going to be one to be remembered. " admits Anthony. "It's going to be a fun night and hopefully we get a win." says Derek

Anthony and Derek are drawing interest at the Division Two and Three level to play football next fall, but Dad is feverishly working the phones hoping to get both of his sons a Division One scholarship, but their size may not make that happen.

The boys were asked wether or not they would go to the same college, neither can imagine what it would be like not to go to the same school, it's one thing to be separated by thirty minutes at birth but by miles would be a different story, still they both admitted they will go wherever football takes them, wether it's the same college or not.

"It went by fast says Anthony, when people say High School flys by, it's really just like wow and with football it even flew faster."