TWINS, TEAMMATES
Spence brothers enjoying final year on the gridiron together at CNU.
NEWPORT NEWS — Jamal and Julien Spence are identical twins, and they do little to help anyone tell them apart.
They have the same hairstyles and often wear matching caps. They have the same major (information science), hobbies (skateboarding, fishing), and likes (music, the New York Giants). They even held the same job (Motor World in Virginia Beach) last summer.
They also like football, which is what brought them to Christopher Newport University. Jamal is a 5-foot-9, 230-pound linebacker; Julien is a 5-9, 240-pound
defensive end. To further complicate matters, Jamal wears number 23 and Julien number 24.
“If they’re standing next to each other, I can tell because one is just a little thinner than the other,” CNU coach Art Link said. “But if just one were to walk by, it takes you a while to figure it out.”
“I just call them ‘Spence,’ ” said Matt Kelchner, the twins’ coach in their first two seasons at CNU. “As in, ‘Hey, Spence!’ ”
They’ve gotten used to the confusion and double-takes. It goes with the territory, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“From day one, somebody’s always had my back,” Julien said. “And I’ve always had his no matter what.”
“We’ve been with each other ever since birth,” Jamal said. “It would be weird not to be with him.”
Which is why they’re together at CNU. After graduating from Ocean Lakes High, where they won a state championship in 2014, the Spence twins had no intention of going their separate ways.
“We wanted to keep playing ball together,” Jamal said. “CNU is a great school, and they really wanted both of us to come here. Some coaches kind of wanted me or kind of wanted him, but the CNU coaching staff really wanted me and him to come here.”
There was another reason. “We wanted to make it easier on our parents so they don’t have to go to one place and then the other,” Julien said. “It was a really easy decision to come here.”
Kelchner, now an associate athletic director at CNU, loved having them.
“They’re full of energy, they play extremely hard, and it’s very, very important to them,” Kelchner said. “They can challenge you, but they challenge you in a good way. And I liked it.”
Jamal became a starter his junior year and was the Captains’ second-leading tackler with 71, including 10 for a loss of yards. He also led the team with three fumble recoveries.
Julien missed four games with a dislocated elbow, which he sustained in week two against Hampden-Sydney. But this season, he leads the New Jersey Athletic Conference with 3.5 sacks in two games. He had none through his first three years.
When Julien got his first sack against Southern Virginia, nobody was happier than Jamal. But now, Julien has a higher career total — by half a sack.
“We’re always competing with each other,” Jamal said. “I think I’m a little more athletic than him.”
Countered Julien: “That’s debatable.”
Kelchner and Link have seen the bond they share. And sometimes, it’s fascinating to the point of spooky.
“Twice this fall already, one of them hurt their shoulder, and four plays later the other one’s shoulder goes out,” Link said. “They’ve both had the same shoulder surgeries. It’s unreal.” Unreal, but real.
“If something’s not right with him, I can tell because of the vibe he’s giving off,” Jamal said. “There’s definitely that twin connection.”
The connection will always be there, even when they go their separate ways. After graduation, Julien hopes to work in database management or web design. Jamal plans to join the military like his father, Chester, who was in the Navy for 26 years.
Until then, they have at least seven more football games together.
“I’ve loved playing with my brother, and I know he’s loved playing with me,” Julien said. “It’s been great to play with my blood brother on the field.”
Notes
After an unexpected bye week, thanks to the threat of Hurricane Florence, the Captains (2-0, 1-0 NJAC) will host Montclair State (2-0, 1-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday. Each team’s conference win came against Southern Virginia — CNU won 38-9, Montclair won 24-3. …
This will be the fourth meeting between these teams, with the Captains having a 2-1 lead in the series. CNU won 16-8 last year in Montclair. … The Hawks are coached by Rick Giancola, who is in his 36th season and has 241 wins.