Bonded Brothers

Maybe Will Vitalis can tell people that his older brother, John, is the reason that his right foot is bandaged and he's on crutches.

No one would believe it.

The truth is, there's plenty of brotherly love between Will, a junior at South Oldham, and John, a senior. They are two reasons why the Dragons boys' soccer team got off to a sizzling start this season--winning 10 of their first 11 matches.

"I've got a little brother and I know if we had been on the same team we wouldn't have gotten along so well," South Oldham coach Denis Beall says.

The Dragons have an experienced team. John is one of 15 seniors, and Will has always been part of that group. Even though he's a year younger. He's never been the tag-along little brother.

"They all get along real, real well," Beall says.

The Dragons got off to a 4-0 start with Will providing the offense--he had eight goals and one assist--and John providing the defense--he had three shutouts as the goalkeeper.

But over Labor Day Weekend, Will's penchant for kicking got him into trouble. Swimming with some friends at a local lake, he kicked a boat propeller, cutting a tendon in his right foot. He is out most likely until the district playoffs.

Ironically, though, it was Will's missing a match when the brothers were younger that led to John becoming a goalie.

"When we started out in rec league, Will played goalie, but then one game he wasn't there and I played goalie. Apparently I was really good at that, so I just stuck with it," John recalls.

John is nearly three inches shorter than his brother (5-8 1/2 to Will's 5-11). "It's horrible to be the older brother that's shorter," John says. But he prides himself on his goalkeeping.

"I've got mad hops (and) I have 18 yards to myself and I don't want to move more than that," John jokes, before adding. "I like being in the back and telling my team what to do, directing, that sort of thing."

Through his first nine games in goal this season John had allowed only seven goals (0.8 per game).

"Since he's been here he's gotten better and better," Beall says of John, who has a 3.8 grade-point average and wants to attend an engineering school.

Will, who has a 3.94 GPA, hopes to get a soccer scholarship. He was averaging two goals a game before his injury.

"Will is very quick and creative with the ball," Beall says. "He not only can score, but finds ways to feed the ball to guys in the right spot."

The brothers have been in the right spot at South Oldham. The Dragons won seven games John's freshman year, 10 in 2006 and 14 last season.

And this year they hope to finish with their best record yet.

"The main goal, like every other team, is to win state," Will says.

On and off the field, the two get along well, smiling and joking with each other during a recent interview. There's no sibling rivalry here, likely because they joined forces for a united front against older brother Matt, who is 21.

"He practiced his wrestling moves on us," Will says.

But there's still time for teasing. When some people see Will on crutches for the first time they approach and ask what's wrong.

"He's milking it," John jokes. "He's got to come up with a better story."

Like maybe his older brother beat him up? Nah. Anyone who knows Will and John Vitalis wouldn't believe that.

Josh Cook is a freelance writer living in the Louisville area.