Spirited Siblings

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Senior Anthony Asay knew eventually this day would come.

But it wasn’t until the Lakewood Ranch defensive back grabbed his helmet and walked onto the football field at Wauchula Hardee Nov. 12 for the Mustangs’ final game of the season that reality began to sink in.
After all, it wasn’t simply his final game in a Lakewood uniform. It was more than that. It was his final game with his younger sister, Hannah, by his side.

“I didn’t think about it being my last game with Hannah,” Anthony said before the game.

For the past three years, Hannah has been a fixture on the Mustangs sideline as one of Lakewood’s most spirited varsity cheerleaders. And nobody has garnered more cheers from the junior captain then her older brother.

“He’s really good at football, so whenever he makes a tackle, I’m usually the only one jumping up and down,” Hannah said.

“It’s pretty cool,” Anthony said. “I just expect it. I look over on the sidelines, and I see little Hannah. It’s pretty special to have someone from you’re family always cheering for you.”

FOOTBALL FAMILY
Hannah began cheering for her older brother 11 years ago when the two were involved in the East Manatee Bulldogs organization. As the younger of the two, Hannah always looked up to her older brother. So when Anthony began playing football for the Bulldogs, Hannah knew she wanted to cheer for him.

As the years went by, Hannah, who is 18 months younger than her brother, moved up whenever Anthony moved up a division, so the two could be on the field at the same time.

“It just seemed important that there was always someone there,” Hannah said of cheering for Anthony. “I wanted to support him.”

Hannah took a break from cheering for her brother when Anthony went off to high school. Anthony made the varsity football team as a sophomore; and as luck would have it, Hannah made the varsity cheerleading squad as a freshman.

“She just jumped right back in to cheering for me again,” Anthony said.

Prior to the start of every football game, Hannah searches for her brother on the field and tries to at least say “Hi” and wish him good luck. And sometimes if they’re lucky, the two will meet out on the field and warm up together with a brother-sister back flip.

Hannah mastered the move long before her older brother attempted his first back flip on the sand at the beach. And after witnessing his stunt, Hannah knew something had to be done about her brother’s form.
“It was ugly,” Hannah said, laughing.

“I didn’t tuck my legs,” Anthony said while rolling his eyes.

But Anthony and Hannah’s support for one another isn’t limited to the football field. Rather, the two, who have always been close, spend time together even off the field.

When Anthony and Hannah aren’t busy doing back flips and breaking tackles, the two can be found huddled around a bonfire, lounging by the pool, going to lunch or spending time together with their family.

“I know he’ll always be there to protect me, and we have a lot of fun together,” Hannah said.

FAREWELL
Over the past three years, Anthony and Hannah have witnessed the triumph of advancing to the playoffs and the disappointment that comes with a losing season. But no matter how the Mustangs have faired on the field, Anthony has always had the support of his younger sister.

But as Anthony prepares to head off to college, the two siblings know that next year won’t be the same.

“It’s going to be really different,” said Anthony, who is looking into Florida State University, the University of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University. “I won’t have someone to talk about my problems with or steal money from.”

And as the two walked off the field together for the final time following the Mustangs 23-16 victory over the Wildcats, Hannah savorsx the moment. After all not only was her brother walking away from the game he loved, but a part of her was walking away as well.

“It’s not going to be the same when he goes away to college,” said Hannah, who has aspirations of eventually cheering for the University of Florida. “We’ve been on the field together since we were 6 and 7, and now it’s coming to an end. This is the last game that I’m going to be cheering for him. It’s crazy.

“He’s going to be leaving, and a big part of high school is going to be missing,” she said.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].