Sibling revelry: Amherst's Weatherspoons make noise on offense

One by land and the other through the air, brothers Ty and Torre Weatherspoon have Amherst's offensive attack covered. Through the first two weeks, the Weatherspoons haven't missed a beat. Torre strung together back-to-back 100-yard games — rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against North Ridgeville before a 19-carry, 118-yard performance at Midview. At 6-foot-4, Ty has the prototypical physical traits of a wide receiver. He only caught two passes in Week 1, for 30 yards and a touchdown, but broke loose for 167 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in Week 2. If they keep going at this rate, defenses will have to make tough choices all season. "They're some of the most competitive guys out there on the field," Comets coach Mike Passerrello said. "They want to compete, they want to win and they want to do what it takes for the team." Even though Ty is a senior, one year ahead of Torre, both spent their first year on varsity last season. Ty was on the golf team his freshman and sophomore years after playing quarterback in junior high. For many kids, becoming a starting quarterback is the dream, but for Ty, who also plays basketball and baseball, the position interfered with his pitching. Switching between two different throwing mechanics was cumbersome. Fate intervened during his sophomore year when Ty took a strength and conditioning class with Passerrello, who couldn't help but wonder why a 6-4 athlete wasn't playing wide receiver. That, combined with Ty's desire to play with his brother, got him back on the gridiron and into his current role. Ty had all the tools to play receiver, but learning the technical side of the position took some time. He was able to draw on his experience as a quarterback, knowing where receivers should be positioned. He caught 20 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns last season. "Coming in junior year it was kind of hard learning different routes," Ty said. "As the year went on I started picking up some more stuff, learning how to break off on routes, and then in the offseason I worked really hard so I can perform this year." Torre came up through Amherst's pipeline. After a standout career in junior high and as a freshman, he thought that similar quick success would follow at the varsity level. Those thoughts were quickly, and quite literally, crushed during a scrimmage against Poland Seminary. He took a hand off and was met by a 250-pound lineman who knocked him sideways in the air. What was probably just another tackle for the lineman was a message to Torre — varsity was going to be a big step up. He said the biggest thing he had to work on was gaining confidence. Most of his sophomore year he was so focused on not fumbling that he was missing opportunities to cut and gain extra yards. As he became more comfortable, he started to see the field better and make more out of his carries. By the end of the year, Torre led the team in rushing with 468 yards on 123 carries, also tying for the team-high in rushing touchdowns with seven. He added 97 yards on eight catches and four touchdowns as a receiver. "I got to varsity and kind of got smacked in the mouth," Torre said. "I was kind of expecting to get here and do the same things I was doing the past couple of years, but varsity is a different breed. I had to get adjusted to it. This year I feel like I've evolved from last year and really settled in on varsity. My eyes have adjusted to see the holes, and everything, faster." The two shared notes as they got acclimated to varsity together, but they also pushed each other like only brothers could. Torre said they also have great chemistry on the field, often times sensing what the other is about to do and setting him up for a big play. And when one breaks a big play, the other starts thinking about how to top it. "Ever since we were kids we always competed in everything," Ty said. "Whether it's going upstairs or running around playing tag. During practices, if I break a big play or he breaks a big play the other one feels like he has to break a bigger play." While they compete like brothers, they're also there for each other, like brothers. Ty said one of the best parts of playing with Torre is that they both can celebrate together even if only one of them has a big game. "I probably get more amped for him than when I score a touchdown," Torre said. "It's kind of surreal knowing that we would be playing on the varsity level together. Being on the field at the same time, just to look over and know that he's right there, it's just a surreal moment knowing that we can play at that type of level." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter.