By Chris Forsberg, Globe Correspondent Boston, MA—August 18, 2005—Yale University football coach Jack Siedlecki was in Florida last November to watch his daughter compete with the Massachusetts-based Cape Ann Coalition club field hockey squad. While the amiable Siedlecki didn’t find it too startling that local Floridians approached him to talk about his football program, he was surprised by where the conversations often veered. “The first day we’re down there a man approaches me and asks how the recruiting of the Abare brothers is going,” said Siedlecki. “He knew their whole story and he wanted to know if they were going to end up with us at Yale or Harvard or the University of New Hampshire. There’s something to be said for that, those brothers come with some notoriety.” Such is the case for the Abare brothers, Bobby and Larry, on the heels of what may be the most impressive four-year performance by a brother combination in state high school football history. After losing their very first game as freshmen, the twins guided Acton-Boxborough to a state-record 50 consecutive wins and four consecutive Super Bowl titles. Siedlecki told all those inquirers in Florida he’d do everything in his power to lure the Abares to Yale. Three months later, the brothers made their official visit to New Haven and found themselves smitten by the third-oldest college in the nation. “Yale stood out because we felt comfortable there,” said Bobby Abare, the elder twin by five minutes. “We took our visit in January and after the first night me and Larry realized this was the place for us.” The brothers were scheduled to depart for their new digs last night and open preseason training camp with their new football team this afternoon. “We’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Larry Abare. Anyone who has worked with the Abares knows there’s nothing these brothers enjoy more than a challenge. They stepped into a football program steeped in tradition and took Acton-Boxborough to another level. Bobby had to replace the school’s all-time leading rusher in Barry Jeanson, and he shattered his marks by rushing for 4,400 yards and 44 touchdowns. Larry had good numbers of his own, finishing his career with more than 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving and scoring 39 touchdowns. The brothers were no less daunting on defense. Bobby registered 250 tackles as a linebacker and Larry added 250 tackles (and nine interceptions) as a safety. Now they head to Yale with goals of conquering the collegiate level the same way they blitzed the high school stage. And Siedlecki couldn’t be happier to have landed them. “Kids that come out of good programs understand the values of competition, work ethic, and winning,” said Siedlecki. “Players like that expect to win, and these boys certainly know how to win.”

Hard at work Acton-Boxborough football coach Bill Maver first coached the Abares in the seventh grade when they joined the middle school basketball and baseball programs he also heads. Maver said he had seen a lot of quality athletes come up the ranks throughout his career, but knew he had something special in the Abares. “Sometimes good players at that age have a tendency to level off,” said Maver. “These guys just kept getting better. And what nobody realizes is how hard they work in the off-season. Remember, these guys were playing three sports, but I’d always find them in the weight room or I’d drive past the school and they’d be running on the track.” The Abares certainly knew how to make an impression when they arrived at A-B in the fall of 2001. The Colonials had been to six Super Bowls over the previous seven years, but hadn’t won since their first-ever appearance in 1994 (a 23-0 triumph over Stoneham). Four years and four Super Bowl titles later, the program is mentioned in the same breath as elite local programs like those at Everett and Brockton. Bobby had himself a coming-out party during the 2001 playoffs. Backing up Jeanson, he rushed for two scores to propel the Colonials to a 27-14 victory over Haverhill in the semifinals and added two long touchdown jaunts in his team’s 27-7 triumph over Wakefield in the Division 2 Super Bowl. Those were merely wins 10 and 11 of what would grow to the state record of 50 consecutive wins. The duo lost their varsity debut in a 28-21 defeat to Chelmsford but put an exclamation point on their careers and the streak by handing those same Lions a 28-6 loss in the Division 1A Super Bowl last December. The state record for consecutive wins fell with victory No. 41 on Oct. 1, 2004, a 19-7 triumph over Concord-Carlisle. Ironically, it was Concord High that boasted the previous record, having won 40 consecutive games between 1948 and 1952. “The whole thing seems like a dream,” Bobby Abare said. But leave it to dear old Dad to put things in perspective. “I told them college is a new stage and a new chapter in their careers,” said Lou Abare. “Their high school careers are something they can talk about in the future, but right now they’re back to being freshmen and they have to prove themselves all over again.”

A new beginning In selecting a college, Bobby and Larry agreed that they would find a school they both approved of. Fortunately, they were looking for the same things. “Academics were our top priority and Yale was the total package,” said Larry Abare. “The players and the coaches were outstanding and Yale has tremendous facilities. . . . There wasn’t anything we didn’t like about it.” The brothers will get their space by living in separate dorms. Bobby figures they’ll only bump into each other at practice and the weight room, maybe a football meeting here and there. They might see more of each other if they both follow through with a plan to major in economics. They come with big reputations on the gridiron, but they figure to be role players on this year’s squad. Coaches peg Bobby as a linebacker, while Larry could end up at safety. “We want to go in there and make an impact,” said Bobby Abare. “So if that means doing something on special teams, we’re going to do it.” For all intents and purposes, their collegiate careers began just days after their high school careers ended when the summer training regimen arrived with a New Haven postmark.

If the brothers looked a little pale departing Acton, it’s only because they spent so much time in the weight room this summer. They also worked out three times a week with performance specialist David Jack using the Competitive Athlete Training Zone at Acton Indoor Sports to improve their speed and conditioning. Such rigid summer training is nothing new to these twins. What will be new is losing a game, something the Abares haven’t experienced in more than 1,400 days on the gridiron. “If we lose a game, we’ll be all right,” said Larry Abare. “We just have to play our hardest and prepare our hardest. . . . All we did over the past four years was work as hard as we could. So that’s all we can do at Yale and the rest will take care of itself.” Boston Globe—Record Number 0508180115