“Hey Jelani, you need to pick up speed on that play.”
“Coach I’m not Jelani, I’m Jalil!”

“People always compare us, but it never really phases us,” wide receiver Jelani Kilpatrick said.

Seniors Jelani and his twin brother Jalil Kilpatrick have been playing sports together since they were 6-years old, when they started playing basketball at the Y.M.C.A. in Detroit, Michigan.

“I know what he’s thinking and he knows what I’m thinking,” Jelani said. “It’s something special when we’re on the court or the field together.”

They are dedicated and talented enough to be the best, Football Coach Robert R. Johnson said.

“They play with passion,” Johnson said. “On the field (they are) each other’s biggest fan and critic.”

The brothers came back from another school for their senior year.

“(It) feels like I’m back home where it all began,” super safety and quarterback Jalil said.

Both Jelani and Jalil participate in football and basketball.

I’m extremely happy they’re back,” Johnson said. “They are talented enough to be the best.”

Jalil said playing on the same team for many years has been an advantage for them.

“Competing against each other makes us better,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without competing with him.”

Although they do compete, the Kilpatricks also work well together.

“We put our talents together, so that both of us can be better athletes,” Jelani said.

Through their sibling rivalry they find support in each other, Jalil said.

“It’s a great experience just knowing that you have another guy out there who wants it as bad as you,” he said.

Johnson said the bond that they share is easily spotted.

“You can see how much they love each other,” Johnson said. “They don’t say it. They show it.”