SAVANNAH, Ga. () — The Washington family boasts two exceptional football talents living under one roof, though each represents a different Savannah team this past season.

Joshua, the elder sibling, showcased his skills as a senior wide receiver at Benedictine Military School.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Justin held his ground on defense, playing as a sophomore defensive back for Calvary Day School.

Their father, Herman, a former football coach in the Savannah region, now relishes the thrill of watching his sons take the field every Friday.

“There’s certainly a sibling rivalry,” Herman remarked. “We often spend hours discussing the teams, their competitiveness, and debating who’s the better player.”

Joshua and Justin said they have been competitive with each other their entire lives.

“He would say he’s making me better but I’m making him better,” said Joshua. “He thinks he can guard me, with him playing DB and me playing receiver.”

Justin said, “He doesn’t want me to catch him, but I think I have. And anytime I get the chance to rub something in his face I probably will.”

Ericka Washington, the boys’ mother, said that along with the competitive spirit comes a lot of encouragement.

“They’re always supporting each other when they don’t have games,” Ericka said. “Or if one game is aa running clock they’re trying to hurry up so we can get to the next game.”

In week one, both of the brothers made a play she said she will never forget.

“Josh made an interception and he was on one end of the field in his game,” she said. “And then Justin came back the next day and made the same type of interception on the same play.”

Joshua recalled the moment, “It was crazy. Then all our friends compared us and stuff saying it was crazy we both got a pick the same way.”

Not only did the brothers mirror each other in week one, but their teams also mirrored each other all season. Both Benedictine and Calvary Day made state championship games in its respective divisions.

Joshua and Benedictine played first in the GHSA Class AAAA state title game on Monday, Dec. 15 against Creekside.

Two days later, Justin and Calvary Day played Hebron Christian in the title game of the private division.

Both Benedictine and Calvary day finished runner up in its divisions. Benedictine fell to Creekside 42-39, and Calvary Day lost to Savannah Christian 28-21.

Despite the hardware, the real prize turned out to be the bond the brothers shared throughout their high school journey.

“I’ll never tell him but I’m proud of him,” said Joshua. “And I know he looks up to me even though he doesn’t say it, but I’m proud of how well he can make plays at a different school.”