Ty and Jay Eads are never far apart. The 17-year-old twin seniors sit near each other in all of their classes at Montgomery County High School. They study together, play on the same sports teams, finish each other’s sentences and sometimes unintentionally dress alike.
“They find each other,” says Melissa Eads, their mom and a guidance counselor at their school. Friends know that “if you invite one, you invite the other,” she added.
The twins excel both in the classroom, where their grade-point averages are above 4.0, and on the football field, where their strong play on defense has helped lead Montgomery County to a 7-2 record heading into the Indians’ final home game.
“Without them, none of the success happens,” head coach Jamie Egli says.
Since kindergarten, Ty and Jay have starred on the gridiron. Their grandfather is Paul David Eads, well-known as “P.D.” in Montgomery County, where he started the middle school football program. Their father, Joel, instilled in the twins lessons he learned from his father as he coached them from their earliest years through seventh grade.
“I could never put them against each other,” Joel says, adding that they are very competitive, but in a friendly way.
“We both push each other to be the best we can,” Ty says. That work ethic has culminated in numerous college scholarship opportunities for the twins and an upcoming playoff run for the Indians.
It is something they have accomplished together, every step of the way. And they plan to continue that trend as they visit colleges and decide on future majors and opportunities to continue playing football.
“If I had to put money on it, I’d say we’d room together,” Jay says. Ty agrees.
While they do have some differences – Ty wears contacts, and Jay is allergic to peanuts – the twins ultimately share far more commonalities and an inseparable bond. Jay says Ty is hard-working, caring and looks out for everyone. Ty says Jay is laid-back and a comedian. He says he appreciates having someone who always has his back.
When asked a question, they tend to look at each other, trying to decide who will answer. Whichever one does, the other usually agrees. “I wouldn’t say we’re the same person, but we embody it,” Jay says.
