During the recent football season, Howell High School had two sets of brothers on the roster. The two pairs of brothers were senior Sam Gondick and sophomore Jack Gondick, along with senior Jackson Pahl and sophomore Matthew Pahl. Being able to play a sport with a sibling is not a common experience, and to have 2 sets of brothers on the team is unheard of. With the addition of the brothers on the varsity roster, the Pahl and Gondick families have impacted the team in several ways and have made many memories playing together.
“Playing with your brother creates a unique bond, making it a special experience,” senior Pahl said.
When brothers get to play together, they already have a good understanding of each other’s habits and play styles. Going into the football season with that sort of bond is beneficial on the field, where they need to rely on each other. All of the brothers had spent significant time playing football in the backyard, developing as teammates from such a young age, along with pushing each other to improve during the off-season.
“Things as small as lifting weights with my brother Jackson have brought us close and improved our communication and chemistry on the field,” said sophomore Pahl.
Even just playing catch can mean so much more than something to do to pass the time. All of the brothers going into the season being so familiar with each other gave them a sense of confidence and security.
“Competing as kids leads to more chemistry on the field,” senior Pahl said.
Both older brothers, Pahl and Gondick, got to play on the same team as their brothers for the first time. They both had always wanted to play football on the same team with their younger brothers and were grateful for the opportunity to step on the field with them. Being on the same team as a blood brother is not a common experience, making memories that will never be forgotten.
“My favorite memory was during the Plymouth game where I was blocking a kid into the sideline for Jack while he ran behind me,” senior Gondick Said.
It is not common for underclassmen to play at the varsity level, especially in popular sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, because many of the older players have a size advantage or more experience playing on varsity.
“It is harder playing as a sophomore on varsity because other players have more exposure,” said sophomore Gondick.
However, the instances of Jack and Mathew having older brothers on the team made it easier for them to transfer from playing at the junior varsity level to the varsity level because they had an older sibling to look up to and watch out for them.
“Sam being on varsity made my transition easier because he was a leader,” sophomore Gondick said.
Both of the older brothers had only positive things to say about their younger brothers, except for the occasional brotherly banter. At the end of the day, even if they are still teammates, they are still brothers and deal with everything that comes with having a brother. Both brothers made mention of the fact that there is always some sort of competitive smack talk going on.
“Sometimes he likes to chirp at home,” senior Gondick said.
Both the Gondick and Pahl brothers are thankful for the opportunity to play with one another. Their bond strengthened the relationship of all of the football teams and helped lead to even more wins on Friday night.
