These twins are fast friends on and off the track
Andrew and William Delp may be identical twins but it’s easy to tell them apart.
Andrew runs the leadoff leg on Wyomissing’s state medal-winning 4×100 relay team; William runs the third leg.
In football Andrew wore No. 22 for the District 3 Class 3A champs; William wore No. 33.
Take off those Spartan blue jerseys, however, and it’s a little more difficult to differentiate between the two – almost impossible, actually.
They’re pretty much identical on the field, on the track and in the classroom where each is a straight-A student with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
They’re pretty much inseparable. They played the same positions in football – cornerback and halfback – and compete with and against each other in the sprints and hurdles in track season.
They hang with the same group of friends, like the same TV shows, eat the same foods and are with each other all day in school, sharing the exact same class schedule.
Their close friends can tell them apart but their teachers . . . well, not always.
“At the beginning (of the year) it’s rough,” Andrew said. “They have no idea.”
The twins will finally separate in the fall when they head off to college – but not by much. Andrew will attend Boston University; William will attend Boston College. Each – no surprise here – will likely choose the same major: Biology.
“They’re very similar,” said Wyomissing track coach Jim Delp, their father. “It’s amazing.”
You have to dig pretty deep to find any differences between the two. There’s this: William likes tacos; Andrew not so much. Andrew says he’s the wittier of the two; William doesn’t challenge that assertion.
The most visible differences come in sports where statistics come in handy. In football Andrew was a starter at cornerback; William was a nickel cornerback when Wyomissing employed five defensive backs. William saw more time and got more touches on offense.
“A bunch more,” chimed in Andrew, a little envious of seeing his older brother (by about 15 minutes) get his hands on the ball more often and score a few touchdowns.
They’re pretty evenly matched on the track.
Andrew had the better sprint time in the indoor season.
At the Stephan Meet in late April William recorded a better time in the 110 hurdles prelims; Andrew came back with a better time in the finals, finishing third to William’s fifth.
“I think it’s great to have someone to compete against,” Andrew said. “It just brings out the best in you.”
William also runs the 300 hurdles; he has the Berks Best time in the event at 40.51. Andrew gave up that event to concentrate on the 100; he also competes in the long jump.
They work together in their best event, the 4×100. Running with football teammates Charlie McIntyre and Amory Thompson they brought home a gold medal at the District 3 Class 2A meet last spring and finished sixth at the PIAA championships, recording a 43.42.
Thompson graduated but the team’s hopes of doing better this season remain high, with junior Ethan Brower, a wide receiver in football and the unit’s alternate last season, joining the three returning seniors. They finished second to Coatesville at the Stephan Meet in 43.84 and lowered their time to a Berks-best 43.58 the following week.
Twin Valley’s foursome of Evan Johnson, Harry Cronan, Vinny Acinapura and C.J. Scott topped that a few days later and now hold the Berks Best of 43.56 heading into the Shaner Meet, which opens Friday at Wyomissing and wraps up Saturday.
Jim Delp didn’t mess much with his group, keeping his sons in the first and third spots. He slotted Brower second and moved McIntyre, who ran the second leg last season, to the final leg.
“These guys practice well together and they were able to handoff well in this order,” he said, “so we’re sticking with it. There’s no reason to change it.”
“It was really smooth,” Andrew said of the transition this season. “We’ve only practiced handoffs about three times all year, which shows you how good we are with it. We just got it down real quick; it’s always really efficient.”
The foursome is just a fraction off last year’s best time and confident they can top it and move up at states; William thinks a top three finish is realistic.
“We got a lot faster (individually),” William said, “me, Andrew and Charlie. The combination of us getting faster and Ethan running better than (he did) last year (gives us confidence).”
As much as Andrew and William enjoy competing against – and beating – the other they remain good teammates and best friends, on and off the track. They may push each other, and maybe even mix in a little smack talk, but they remain each other’s biggest fan and support system.
“They’ve been buddies with each other through the whole thing,” Jim Delp said. “On the field it’s the same thing, they support each other when one has a good day and the other doesn’t. It’s been a really neat experience.”
The brothers enjoy the special bond they share, even if people mix them up from time to time.
“I think it’s nice (having a twin) because you have a built-in best friend, 24/7,” William said. “There’s always someone you can rely on when you’re confused about something or need help someone. You always have someone to depend on.”
