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posted 12/29/2009 This article about the success of the Vanderbeek boys was recently published on Rivals.com
here:
It's not unusual for families to watch videos together. In the Vanderbeek household, however, things are a little different. When twins Chandler and Connor sit in front of the screen with their dad, Keith, they're watching football game films.
Keith, who coaches his sons on the junior Warriors middle-school team he founded three years, is astounded by the play Chandler makes on their favorite game film - one where he comes across the field and makes a big hit to prevent a fourth-down conversion attempt.
"I've never seen a kid at this level who didn't slow down," Keith said. "He just accelerated from the time he saw this player trying to get a first down."
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| Chandler Vanderbeek is strong on offense and defense |
It's hits such as this one that make Chandler and his brother top middle school prospects - and earned them invitations to the Football University Youth All-American Bowl in the Alamodome in San Antonio on Jan. 10. The game will feature the top seventh- and eighth-grade talent in the nation against each other in a classic all-star format.
The Vanderbeek boys are ready to play - seemingly always have been say their dad.
"I don't think any coach can teach the ability to really like contact," Keith said. "They have the ability to throw their body around. You try to build that courage up."
Keith's investment goes beyond the wallet in his sons' development. The Junior Warriors serves as a feeder program for Watchung Hills Regional High School. More importantly, the grades K-8 program promises equal playing time, negating the disenfranchising effects of riding the bench that drive beginners from the game.
"It's rewarding for kids who might not have stayed with football," Keith said. "It gives them a chance to play on Saturdays and not just hold bags."
If Vanderbeek hears complaints about playing time, they might be over the dinner table. Both Chandler and Connor rarely saw action past halftime. The game was often in hand by that point and league policy promotes sportsmanship in addition to equal playing time.
Of the team's 55 touchdowns, the brothers contributed 45 scores. Split near evenly, Keith can't recall which son led the count.
Both boys are about 5-6, 150 and run the 40 in 4.7. They led Watchung Hills to an undefeated season and the Junior Skyland Conference Championship this past season.
Since their season's conclusion, the Vanderbeeks have been at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, N.J., four times per week. They allow themselves to be eighth-graders, their father says, but it's not entirely clear they prefer X-Box to box jumps in the gym.
"You never stay the same," Keith said. "If you're not working hard, people are catching up to you and passing you. They don't have the time to think about taking a break. Their mentality has always been to be the best."
For competition, they need not look further than each other - and their game tapes.
"Connor's going around saying, 'I gotta get me one of those hits,'" Keith said. "That's sort of how they play the game. I don't think it's anything we can take credit for. It's what they're made up of."
Though his signature play on that tape won't elicit the same shocked silence as his brother's, Connor's effect on the field is just as profound. His interception return for a touchdown against Ridge in the championship game set the tone in Watchung Hills' 37-14 win.
And if the two boys have their way, plenty more wins to come.
"The kids are competitors, through and through," Brian Martin, their trainer at Test, said. "They make each other better. There will be plenty more headlines for these two beyond their trip to San Antonio."
You can watch the game at www.FootballUniversity.org
