Standing at around six feet tall, with wavy, dirty blond hair that falls at the shoulders, Trinity football players Tommy Lavine and Nic Hover bear a striking resemblance to each other and to Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass from the football classic “Remember the Titans.” This led their teammates to begin calling the two first years the Sunshine twins.

The two Texans don’t look as much like the real Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass as they do look like actor Kip Pardue’s depiction of the North Carolina quarterback in the 2000 film “Remember the Titans.” Nevertheless, Pardue’s depiction of a long haired Sunshine, is the most iconic. One practice when the two first years were facing one another in a speed and agility drill, teammates noticed that the two recruits shared the same long, blond hair as Pardue in “Remember the Titans.” Thus, Hover and Lavine were christened the Sunshine twins, and the name has stuck.

“I don’t have a problem with [the name],” Hover said. “It gives us attention. I’ve been here for two weeks and I’m already in the newspaper.”

Lavine and Hover both started playing football at age six, taking up tackle around the age of eight.

Hover played the linebacker position when he was young and took up playing corner in high school.

“I got to hit people,” said Hover, first-year defensive back. “That was fun for me.”

He came to Trinity from Tomball Memorial High School, located near Houston.

“We were 4-6 my senior year,” Hover said.

Lavine also switched positions, going from quarterback to receiver three years ago.

“I was always an offensive player,” said Lavine, first-year wide receiver, “I liked scoring.”

A graduate of Cedar Park High School near Austin, Texas, Lavine had a much more successful high school football experience.

“My senior year we ended on a good note,” Lavine said. “We went 16-0 and won state.”

While the boys first heard about Trinity through football, it was the caliber of the school that sealed the deal for the two student-athletes.

“The coaches reached out,” Hover said, “I researched the school and found out it was a really good school to go to and that caught my interest.”

The football team has been on campus training for the upcoming season for the past three weeks.

“We’ve been doing football everyday, whether it’s lifting or practicing or [watching] film,” Lavine said.

While grueling and exhausting due to early morning workouts, the past few weeks as a whole have been enjoyable, as the team has been able to grow close, Hover said.

“We’ve just been with the football players, getting to bond with our teammates,” Hover said.

“I think it was pretty special,” Lavine said, “A lot of the guys, we became pretty close in the first two weeks.”

“We’re on opposite sides of the ball so we always get to go against each other. It’s pretty cool,” Hover said.

The Sunshine twins, along with the rest of the Tiger football team can be caught in action in their first game next Saturday.