Sarah Mason

Story #1

The Lewi a package deal on and off the field

The "Lewi" finish each others sentences, share the same wardrobe, room together and take the same classes. Both freshman members of Linfields football team, they say they never, ever get tired of being around each other.

Freshmen Mitchell and Dylan Lewis often referred to as the "Lewi," a makeshift plural for "Lewis" are unmistakably identical twins.

The twins both stand 6-6, both have light brown hair and blue eyes and are both right handed. One of the only noticeable differences is a darker brown patch of hair on the back of Mitchells head, which isn't visible under a football helmet.

When we were born, one of my toenails was painted red to keep us straight, Mitchell said. For all I know, our parents could have confused us and I could be Dylan.

The mixups never get old for the twins. Mitchell and Dylan are notorious for sneaking to the bathroom to swap clothing, causing confusion among friends, babysitters, substitute teachers and athletic opponents.

Were bad, Dylan laughed. Its kind of funny, and really easy, to confuse people. Sometimes I have full conversations with people who think Im my brother, and I dont even correct them.

The confusion and double-takes surrounding the twins have continued ever since their arrival at Linfield four weeks ago to begin football practice. They recalled their first week on campus, when they felt every single person they encountered gave them a second glance.

Even the guys on the football team were a little surprised about how close we are, Mitchell said. I think they get it now, that we consider ourselves a package deal.

Playing college football without each other was never an option for the Lewi. In fact, the twins never even considered going to different colleges.

Asked what it would have been like to play football with out each other, they answered in unison: They wouldnt be playing if that were the case.

Choosing a college was a group decision for us, Mitchell said. We visited the University of Oregon and Western Oregon University, but we didnt feel like they were schools we wanted to spend the next four years at.

The Lewis brothers got good vibes from the coaching staff and players at Linfield, so opted that direction.

We liked Linfield because the team is close and feels like a family, Dylan said. The community felt similar to that of Sheldon High School, where we just graduated.

In addition to their identical looks and shared interest, they have identical academic goals and hobbies. They are both majoring in business, have the same class schedule, work on homework together and even share a room on the third floor of Mahaffey.

In high school, despite taking different classes, the twins had the exact same grade point average, down to the thousandths.

Their free time is spent together, of course. They play baseball, target shoot, hunt birds, squirrels and deer, and fish for salmon and trout in the Willamette River behind their house. They also play Mario Party with older sister Amanda, who attends Oregon State,

You would think spending every waking moment with someone who looks and thinks exactly the same way you do would get annoying. However, that is not the case for the Lewi.

Its weird when we tell people that we never want space from each other, Mitchell said. Most siblings cant stand to be around each other all the time, but for us, it's more weird when the other twin isnt around.

The longest the boys have spent apart is one week. This past summer, Dylan played football in the Les Schwab Bowl while Mitchell stayed home.

Mitch didnt go, and it was terrible, Dylan said. He sent me a text as soon as I left the driveway. A couple days after I left, Mitch texted me that whenever he saw a picture of me around the house, he told me that he felt like he was trying to forget about me or like I had died or something.

On rare occasions, the twins are apart, of course.

Mitch has a girlfriend, which sometimes makes Dylan a third wheel when they hang out. Also, the twins parents separated when they were 2, forcing them to split their time between mom and dad, sometimes splitting up for nights at a time.

If we do split up, its only for one night, because that's all we can handle being away from each other, Mitchell said. We have been extremely fortunate in the sense, because they still live close to each other. So we still have family dinners and they still come to our scrimmages together, which makes it as easy as possible on us.

According to the twins, there is absolutely nothing they dont agree on. As freshman on the football team this year, the Lewi plan to be coachable, accept their roles on and off the field and practice hard all the time.

Mitchell, a safety, will be wearing jersey No. 1. Dylan, a cornerback, will be wearing No. 13.

The boys have been playing football since the first grade, always on the same team. So it's probably no big surprise to learn they love playing on the field at the same time.

People always ask me what it's like to be a twin, Mitchell said, and Im like, 'What's it like to not be a twin?

People are like, You guys are weirdly attached to each other, Dylan said. And Im always just like, Yep, you dont really get it.