By Sara Page, Midlothian Exchange
spage@midlothianexchange.com

Another chapter played out in the lives of brothers Connor and Gavin Paul this year; and they seem to be writing the book on success.

In one year, the brothers won, not one but two, State championship games, earned two conference- and three state-level awards, and set four school records.

Yet, the two remain as down-to-earth and mutually supportive as they were in the last chapter.

The Paul brothers held State championship trophies as athletes, on both the varsity football and baseball teams, at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School during the 2009-2010 seasons, which will make for a lot of stories around the grill as they get older. But almost overshadowing the game trophies is the story of how the two even remained on the same teams this year.

Connor and Gavin have been playing sports as long as anyone can remember. Football has always been Gavin’s sport of choice, while Connor stuck with baseball. Still, as community members in a small school, both brothers played both sports from their first opportunity.

Older by one year, Connor made his mark, during his freshman year, as a wide receiver, on the junior varsity football team. He moved into a prominent role on the varsity team during his sophomore year and started every game during the Knights’ undefeated 2008 regular season. But when he turned in his uniform, after a disappointing loss in the State championship game, it was with the understanding that he would not be returning for his senior year.

“He just said, ‘Thanks for everything,’ and it was kind of a given that he wasn’t going to play. He wanted to focus on baseball,” BSH varsity football head coach and assistant principal Mike Henderson said.

Gavin started the next chapter of his football career – the one where he finds himself on the field in a huddle and looks up to realize that his brother isn’t there – a little early. But injuries started to take their toll on the small team, and Connor just couldn’t stay away.

“A couple of games into the year, he asked if he could come back out, and we were struggling with numbers at that time, and I could see that he missed it, but I said, ‘I’m not going to make any guarantees about playing time or about you even getting out on the field,’” Henderson said. “He said, ‘I don’t care. I want to help my brother win a State championship. I’ll be a practice player.’”

Connor took on a supporting roll as scout team captain, a special team’s player, and as the third-string wide receiver.

Gavin, meanwhile, had a great year defensively as a free safety.

“He anchored the secondary for us,” Connor said. “There’s a de facto rule in our league where they have to give an award to somebody from each team. So, one team that didn’t have many players got the [first-team all-conference] award ahead of Gavin, but I feel like he made first [team].”

The brothers tasted their first State championship together on Nov. 21, with a win over Isle of Wright in the Virginia Independent School Division III championship.

Here is where you might expect the next twist in the plot – an injury or a team that can’t be fielded due to lack of players or funding – because one selling point that brought Gavin to BSH as a 9th grader was a succulent fruit dangled before him.

Gavin Paul breaks free of the defense on a rush. - Photo courtesy of the Paul Family

As an 8th grader, Gavin was already a contributing player on the Midlothian High School junior varsity baseball squad. His brother and his parents – Patrick and Luann Paul – were hoping he’d choose BSH for his high school years, but it was important to all of them that he want to go to the private school in Powhatan.

Enter Anderson.

The coach saw a potential leader for both the football and baseball teams and for the school community as a whole. It was Anderson who planted the seed of how exciting it would be to share a State championship trophy – two in fact – with a sibling.

“I ended up looking like a genius,” Anderson laughed.

The BSH baseball team fielded just 10 players, only nine of whom had any varsity game experience. Admittedly not in a great position – “I thought we had a stronger team last year,” Gavin said – the team took it the proverbial one game at a time. After a decent start, the team exploded for the middle and end of the season.

“We played [Virginia High School League Group AAA regular season District champions] Manchester High school,” BSH head baseball coach James Poore said. “They beat us 10-0, but it was good for our kids to see players like that … We came out of the game saying, ‘We’re OK.’ It gave us a lot of confidence I think.”

According to Connor and Gavin, the team stayed pretty relaxed all season. They made the playoffs and continued rolling from there.

“It was a really special season,” Poore said. “The number one thing about this team is they never ever thought they should lose. It got them through a lot of close games.”

The Knights averaged nine runs per game, thanks in part to the first two on the line up card – Connor and Gavin.

A .329 hitter, Connor took the lead off role. He was followed by Gavin, who led the team offensively. He averaged .427, had 18 RBI, 32 hits and nine doubles.

“[Connor] was tough in the lead off spot. He can run and bunt. If he hadn’t accepted that role, I don’t know if we’d scored nine runs [per game average],” Poore said. “Then, you know, as a pitcher, you face Connor and right off the bat, you’re having a bad day; and then you get to face Gavin right behind him.”

Defensively, the brothers were leaders for the Knights as well. Gavin played another solid year at shortstop, earning first-team, all-conference and second-team, all-state honors. Connor had an astounding year on the mound, pitching 53 1/3 innings with a 7-2 record and 70 strikeouts. He leaves the school as the record holder for career wins (17), season strikeouts (70), career innings pitched (151 2/3), and career strikeouts (160).

A State championship – and a good book – wouldn’t be complete without a little drama, of course, and the excitement began in the semifinals for the Knights.

After three consecutive seasons of having their season draw to a close in the State semifinals, the team was ready to move on. But the semifinals, as has become the norm, brought a little bad luck for the Knights.

“I don’t usually cover the bag on steals [at second], and then I had to [in the semifinals], and I kind of remembered at the last minute, and I was running over trying to make it,” Gavin recalled. “I caught [the ball], and I was sort of out of position, because I started late. I didn’t want to look really bad and miss the tag because it was a nice throw, so I had to stop him somehow. My right hand, I don’t know what it was doing, but it wasn’t close enough [to the bag], so I just put my face in front of the guy, and I guess it busted open my eye.

“The first pitch of the next inning, the ball hit me and hit my hand and pushed it back in my eye,” he added.

“He had a swollen eye in the championship game,” Connor said.

Even with a swollen eye, Gavin turned in another fine performance from the shortstop position in the championship game, and helped his brother close the door on Carlisle.

“I hadn’t had a ball hit to me all game and then two balls are hit to me in the first two pitches [of the 7th inning],” Gavin said. “I was told if anyone gets on base, I’m going on [as pitcher], and I was in the bullpen throwing with Eddie [Johnson], and I wasn’t really throwing strikes …”

“He made a couple nice plays, is what he’s trying to say,” Connor laughed. “The first two outs of the inning, he made it. They were hit right to him. One took a bad hop, but he stayed with it and got the guy for the first out.”

Connor pitched the complete game and allowed only two hits in a 2-1 win over Carlisle for the baseball State championship. He was named first-team all-conference, first-team all-state and VISAA Division III Player of the Year. Connor will play baseball at Hampden-Sydney College in the fall.

Gavin, meanwhile, has one more year with the Knights. And the school couldn’t be happier to have him back.

“It’s been good for the program,” Poore said. “They’re just really good baseball players and great kids … They’ve meant so much to the program … You’re lucky to have one kid [like them] in the time that you coach, but to have two [at the same time], it’s just great. I’m going to miss Connor a lot, and I’m lucky I’ve got Gavin back. When he graduates, I’ll miss him too.”

Meanwhile, their audience waits patiently for them to pen the next chapter.