High school football preview: Buckeye's Snyderburns are twinning combination

Back when 33-year-old son Michael was 14 or 15 and 24-year-old Aaron was 5 or 6, Scott and Susan Snyderburn decided to try to have another child. They ended up getting two in identical twins Derek and Jacob, who turned 18 Wednesday and will be key seniors on both sides of the ball for the Buckeye football team. "One was planned," quipped Derek, who came into the world just before his brother, "so that makes Jacob the accident." Jacob, who was sitting next to his brother while he was being interviewed, laughed when he heard the comment, which is emblematic of the very tight relationship the two have. Both play the same sports — each will have earned four letters in basketball, three in football and two in track by the time they graduate — and have the same circle of friends, and each considers the other his best friend. "We're always together," Derek said. "We basically have the same mindset." Physically, most people who know them can tell the twins apart when they're together. At 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, tight end/outside linebacker Derek is the taller and leaner of the two. Wide receiver/outside linebacker Jacob, who is 6-2, 211, is the stockier and stronger one, though his brother prefers the word "chubbier." "The only way people can tell (who is who) is by our height," Jacob said. "If only one of us is there, they mess it up every time." That's because both have the same hairstyle, many of the same mannerisms and very similar voices. Even their dad can't tell them apart when one twin calls him on the phone and intentionally doesn't identify himself. "It's hilarious," Jacob said. "He'll just be, 'Come on, guys.' He gets what we're doing, but it's still funny." In terms of who's better at what, the twins agree on some things and disagree on others. Jacob, who carries a 3.9 grade-point average and plans to major in business and marketing in college, is considered the smarter of the two, though Derek, who has a 3.6 GPA and plans to pursue a business administration degree, adds one caveat. "He's probably smarter in terms of school," he said. "Street smarts, I'd say me." Both point to Derek, who can dunk a basketball while his brother can't, as the faster of the two and the better overall athlete. "He can't really jump," Derek said of his brother. Jacob proudly accepts being the stronger twin, calling his brother "tall and lanky," and each considers himself to be the better basketball player. The football field has been one of the rare places where the twins have been easily distinguishable — and not just because Derek wears No. 8 and Jacob wears No. 30 — but that will change this season. Derek played primarily defense as a junior, compiling 58 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack while forcing a fumble and making two interceptions. Jacob played more on offense a year ago, finishing with four catches for 94 yards (23.5 average) and one touchdown while compiling 18 tackles, one tackle for loss and forcing a fumble as the Bucks went 10-2 overall and 7-0 in the Cleveland West Conference. This year, both will be in a three-man rotation with Roman Krettler at the two outside linebacker spots, while Derek will play tight end and Jacob will be at wide receiver. "They're everything you look for as a coach because you don't have to coach effort," Buckeye coach Greg Dennison said. "They give everything they have. Jacob runs great routes and has a knack for getting open. He's got great hands and he catches it well over the middle in traffic. He's not afraid of anything, so he's a guy we can get the ball to a lot. "Derek is physical and can cause a lot of disruption (on defense) because of how long he is. Last year he was a backup offensive tackle, but he's adjusting well to tight end. He's athletic. We knew we needed a tight end and he's doing a good job of catching on to it." Now playing more on offense, Derek is appreciative of how well his brother runs routes and catches the ball. "Jacob's one of our best receivers," he said. "He's really good at finding the open spot, concentrating and bringing the ball in. After he catches the ball, he's good at finding the open seam." Jacob is equally complimentary of Derek — "If I was an offensive guy lining up against him, it would be very hard to stop him" — and their bond on and off the field is unmistakable. "It's fun having another person like me out there who I can connect with," Jacob said. "We both know what's going on. It's fun to have that guy you can talk about the team with and practice with." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X.