THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 25, 1994 TAG: 9411250124
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
One's a tough nut, the other's just a nut.
But both have played a part in making the Deep Creek Hornets the area's toughest nut to crack.
Fraternal twins Joe and Steve Verdi don't look alike. Nor do they act alike. But they have one common factor: Both love competition.
Put them in a room together and the verbal one-upmanship is never-ending.
``Here's Steve, this macho, undersized outside linebacker who is a total terror on special teams,'' Hornets coach Jerry Carter said. ``Then there's Joe, who has a typical kicker's mentality. He reminds me of a '60s flower child, a free spirit who I can picture living on a commune.''
While Joe has garnered the spotlight as Deep Creek's placekicker - he had three field goals in a 36-19 victory over Phoebus last week - Steve gets an assist each time Joe boots a ball through the uprights. Steve snaps on field-goal and extra-point attempts. Darryl Huskey, their so-called adopted brother, holds.
That trio hopes to be on the field a lot tonight when Deep Creek and Hampton match 11-0 records in the Division 6 Eastern Region championship game at Western Branch.
That would mean a lot of scoring opportunities for the Hornets - and a lot of kickoffs.
On the rare occasions when Joe's kickoffs don't reach the end zone, Steve is often the one who brings down the opposing return man.
``Oh, you should have seen this hit I put on No. 27 for Phoebus last week,'' Steve Verdi said. ``Laid him out. Nothing makes me happier than to leave a guy just laying there for about a minute after a hit.''
That's just the kind of statement the other brother will always jump upon.
Joe Verdi: ``He always remembers the guy's number because at his height, that's all he can see.''
Steve Verdi, rubbing his own beard: ``Look at that baby face. Never shaved a day in his life.''
Joe Verdi: ``I'm three minutes older than him. Can't you tell? At least I got the good looks.''
Steve Verdi: ``We push each other with our negative comments. Believe us, there's a lot of competition.''
The constant harassment carries over to their work environment.
``We referee youth soccer games together and we'll argue calls across the field,'' Steve Verdi said.
Those who can't hear the sideline chatter but want an up-close review of the action can catch the two at their father's pizza parlor, ``Strictly Pizza.'' That's usually where they are when not playing football or soccer, helping out with the family business.
Carter never thought at the beginning of the season that a flaky, 5-foot-8, 160-pound kicker and his 5-4 1/2, 160-pound brother would have the impact they've had on this team.
``I really didn't think (Joe) would be very good, which shows how much I know,'' Carter said. ``Then he showed us his leg was a lot more alive that I thought it was.
``Joe went to a camp for kickers (Chip Lohmiller's) over the summer, and it really paid off. After the first couple of weeks of this season I knew he'd be valuable. The ball just jumps off his foot and you either have that or you don't. Of course, Steve swears he can kick better than Joe.''
Since Joe Verdi has connected on 28 of 32 extra-point attempts this season while making field goals of 27, 31, 33 and 40 yards, that's a mouthful.
But Joe Verdi's value exceeds the points he puts on a scoreboard. Sometimes it's the points he keeps off a scoreboard that are more valuable.
In Deep Creek's regular-season finale, Verdi booted four of five kickoffs into the end zone, negating returns (high school rules don't allow kick returns out of the end zone). The performance left Western Branch's feared return tandem of Dre Bly and Shyrone Stith with an empty feeling.
Of course, it also left Steve Verdi feeling a void.
``I can't kick 'em all into the end zone,'' Joe Verdi said. ``The return team gets a little annoyed when they don't get to hit anyone. Particularly Steve. As the saying goes: I kick 'em, he sticks 'em.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by Lawrence Jackson
Fraternal twins Joe and Steve Verdi have little in common. Joe,
left, is a free spirit with " a typical kicker's mentality," Deep
Creek coach Jerry Carter says. "He reminds me of a '60s flower
child." Steve, on the other hand, is an undersized outside
linebacker who is a total terror on special teams."
< by CNB