All in the family

nat.newell@indystar.com
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Brothers Chatard

Bishop Chatard High School defensive end Zack Martin was wrestling the quarterback to the ground in last Friday's 41-7 victory over Roncalli when a teammate stepped over him and finished the sack.

It was his older brother, Josh.

"I'm not sure (Josh) would have done that to anyone else," said the Martins' mom, Pam, with a laugh.

The Martins start at opposite ends of the defensive line for the Trojans and work side-by-side on offense at tackle and tight end. There are those flashes of sibling rivalry -- Josh leads in sacks 2-0 -- but Josh, a senior, also invites his sophomore brother to join the linemen for their weekly dinners. They watch video together and discuss technique.

"I've seen them be a lot closer at home and as brothers," said Pam Martin, her two older sons playing together for the first time in their careers. "It's been a lot sweeter than I thought it'd be . . . and Josh can still whip Zack. As long as the older one can do that, it's good around the house."

He ain't heavy; he's a teammate.

The Martins are one of 10 sets of brothers in the Chatard program. The siblings root for each other. Learn from each other. And often compete for playing time. The result is that the roots of these family trees reach deep into the program's success as the Trojans, atop the Class 3A poll, face 4A No. 2 Cathedral at the RCA Dome at 8:30 tonight.

"It contributes a lot (to the program's success over the years) because you have (younger brothers) looking up to people that play Chatard football," said Daniel Kleinschmidt, a junior who splits time with his older brother, Tyler, at cornerback and blocks for him as a fullback. "That definitely builds a sense of unity because you know the people that have gone before you."

The Kleinschmidts are just a grade apart and have played together throughout their lives. ("They really have not had many times they're mad at each other," said their father, Tom. "Now their older sister and them . . .") Daniel is more experienced on defense and offers advice to Tyler. Tyler has focused more on offense, so Daniel turns to his older brother with questions on that side of the ball.

The program's other eight sets of brothers -- the DeRoses, Flynns, Hartleys, Pappases, Robinsons, Smeehuyzens, Vaughns and Websters -- are split between the varsity, junior varsity and the freshman teams. Chatard benefits from the younger brothers emulating and learning from the older ones, but a little sibling rivalry can help as well.

"You try and work harder because you know you'll get it at home if your brother's better than you," said Matt Vaughn, a varsity reserve who has battled his younger brother, Jeff, a junior varsity lineman, for playing time.

The family connections -- nearly 20 percent of the 111 players in the program are brothers -- simplify the logistics for coaches in keeping track of the players and make it easier for families to spend time together since the brothers attend each others' game and parents can often see all of their children in one place.

The brotherly love isn't limited to relatives, either.

When all the brothers gathered to have their picture taken prior to Tuesday's practice, they realized the DeRoses weren't on the field. Freshman Dan Hartley was dispatched to find them but ordered to run around the goal posts rather than straight into the locker room across the parking lot by all of his older "brothers."

Last year, Josh Martin played beside Kevan Carriger on the offensive and defensive lines. The senior shared his experience and taught his younger teammate the proper techniques -- including about being an older brother.

"It's a lot of brothers but they are all brothers one," Pam Martin said. "Kevin helped (Josh) so much. It's interesting to see the competitiveness and how they support each other.

"It's a special thing."