INDIANA–Most football coaches hope their players will develop a close bond, to help the team cope with tough losses in between the victory celebrations. For three members of Indiana High School’s squad, that fraternal feeling comes built-in. This season, when senior quarterback Adam Chakot takes a snap, his younger fraternal twin brothers, Lucas and Marcus, will be there to back him up. Having joined the roster as sophomores, Lucas is a center while Marcus is a fullback. Completing the Chakot clan’s football contingent is their father, John–who coaches the Little Indians’ offensive line. “It will be a good experience,” said Adam. “We’ll be able to experience everything together and share those memories.” It would be unusual for Adam, who has been tapped as the starting QB, to be in the game at the same time as his brothers. But the siblings’ close ties and the love of football they inherited from their father remain important influences, whether they take the field together or separately. Of his sons, John Chakot will be working most closely with Lucas, in his role at center. Lucas noted the family familiarity means his coach already understood his qualities as a player before he reported to Indiana’s pre-season training camp. In his dad’s estimation, Lucas could stand to work on his “intensity, technique and strength.” It’s a critique which the sophomore center can’t dispute. “He knows my strengths and weaknesses and knows how to exploit them,” Lucas said of his father. Drawing on more than three decades of experience as a coach, their father said, “I always tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.” Considering his eldest son, Adam, John Chakot observed, “He has a good feel for the game. His athleticism is a good asset for him. ” Adam agreed with that assessment: “I’ve got the speed and agility, where (Lucas and Marcus) are more physical. They’re two different specialties.” “I can think on my feet pretty well,” Adam added. “I like playing defense, too,” he said, noting he is assigned as a defensive back. “It’s completely different from offense. You run around, hit people and have fun.” Adam, who also plays at defensive back for the Little Indians, cited last season’s victory over Hampton as a personal highlight for him as well as a great win for the team. He recalled, “They threw a ball to their tight end, and I broke up the pass.” He also “recovered a fumble in the first quarter.” According to Indiana Head Coach Mark Zilinskas, Adam has set a good example for his younger brothers to follow. Playing mostly in the secondary last season, “He’s emerged as a leader on the football field,” his coach said. “He had a great scrimmage this year against Mt. Pleasant, and he’s made some key plays in critical situations.” But he added that the three brothers are “all alike in their work ethic and commitment. “They’re competitive with one another. They’re always pushing one another.” Like most brothers, the Chakots spent plenty of time in their younger days tossing around balls of various shapes as soon as they could walk outside on their own. “We always had a little football field in our backyard, where they played with a couple of the neighbor boys,” their father said. “We get pretty competitive at home,” Adam said. “We get mad if the other brother is beating us.” “There have been a couple bloody noses over backyard football,” Lucas acknowledged. “Sometimes the two of us would gang up on (Adam),” Marcus added. Healthy sibling rivalry also keeps the brothers on their toes during team practice sessions. Not wanting to be outdone by one of his younger brothers, Adam said, “I always want to make sure they don’t get a tackle on me.” “That’s a goal of ours,” Lucas said of taking their senior sibling down on the ground–all in the line of gridiron duty, of course. With size playing in their favor, Marcus added, “We try to anticipate what he’s going to do. If we can get to him, we should have a good shot” at a tackle. Adam’s “little” brothers have outpaced him on the growth chart. While he weighs in at 165 pounds, Marcus and Lucas tip the scales at 185 and 205 pounds, respectively. The twins also have a height advantage of an inch or two over their older brother. “We’re always competing with each other,” Marcus noted. But, at the same time, “We give each other advice if one of us is struggling.” This year, Marcus said he and his twin have been turning to their older, more experienced brother for advice on how things are done at the varsity level. “If there are any questions we have, he pretty much knows the answer”–even something as simple as how much to pack for the Indiana team’s annual tradition: holding the first week of training camp at The Kiski School near Saltsburg. According to their father, the three brothers have dabbled in basketball at Indiana. But, in addition to football, they’ve been most involved in baseball. He noted the youths in January will launch into off-season training in preparation for the 2006 varsity baseball schedule. When it comes to their second sport, baseball, Adam acknowledged the twins are the authorities in the family. Adam plays in the outfield while his younger brothers both have spent time on the pitcher’s mound. Along with pitches, “They’ll throw in little tips,” Adam said. “They always try to help me.” The Chakot brothers previously played under their father, as a coach, when they advanced through the ranks of local youth baseball. Two years ago, all three siblings spent one season playing together on the Creps United Junior Legion baseball team. At times, Lucas has pitched to Marcus, who doubles as a catcher. “I like to throw a fast ball, he noted. For his part, Adam said, “I like playing center field. There’s a lot more space to cover.” Though the brothers did not begin playing organized football until the ninth grade, they were exposed to football through their father’s previous extended stint as an assistant line coach with the IUP program. “When I coached at IUP, they were always around,” John Chakot said of his sons. In fact, the elder Chakot was a part of the IUP staff for 22 years, well before his family gained its three future gridders. Chakot, who teaches social studies at Blairsville High School, switched from IUP to the Indiana varsity football program in 2002, after one of his former players, Zilinskas, became the head coach. Following in their father’s footsteps, “At least one of us probably will be a coach some day,” Marcus said. Each of the brothers can cite athletic axioms they’ve picked up over the years. Adam stressed discipline as a key to success on the field: “You don’t want to let your team down,” he noted. Lucas focused on mastering the fundamentals of the game, while Marcus pointed to the importance of endurance. Then there’s another observation from their father: “Football is as much a mental game as it is physical.” Though having a coach as a father clearly has inspired the brothers, John said, “They make their own choices” about sports and extra-curricular activities. But, he acknowledged, “I feel proud that they’ve committed to doing something as part of a team. It gives them a shared goal.” “Obviously, academics come first” for his sons, John Chakot said. Keeping up grades has not been a problem so far for the clan. Adam has been named to the National Honor Society. Their father observed, “They’ve also done well in music and with people skills.” The Chakot brothers don’t confine all their playing to the stadium. All are able to perform tunes on the violin and the piano as well as other brass instruments, but the twins are most adept in the music field. Last year, both participated in the county band festival, while Lucas advanced to the district event. A player on the family team who often isn’t given the credit she’s due is the trio’s mother, Mary Jane. She indicated one of the most involved tasks was getting all three of her sons, as well as her husband, ready for the recent Kiski School training camp. “I had to get four sets of clothes ready and then unpack it all again when they got back,” she said. With three boys involved in sports, scheduling conflicts often have sent Mary Jane and John in opposite directions, accompanying members of the family to different venues for simultaneous athletic events. In the past, John noted, his wife usually had home contests covered. He would accompany any sons who were participating in away games–since most of Indiana’s opponents are located to the south, closer for him to reach from his Blairsville workplace. “At least, now, they’re all going to be at the same school building,” he said of his sons. Cell phones have helped to keep everyone in tune with all the action. At the touch of a programmed key, John noted, “You can get an update on scores.” And, in return, “If there’s a bit of action going on where you’re at, you can relay it to the other person.” At this point, Adam Chakot can’t be sure if his football career will extend beyond high school. “A lot will depend on this year and how it goes,” he said.

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