Sense of Stability

BRADEN RIVER — On any given night, seniors Ben Peacock and Mike Blakely can be found sitting at home talking shop — aka football.

But this past week, the Braden River High defensive back and Manatee High running back’s usual play-by-play conversation turned into a trash-talking spectacle. In the week leading up to the Pirates’ homecoming game against the Hurricanes Oct. 15, Ben tried to get Mike to unveil Manatee’s offensive schemes, while Mike, who moved in with the Peacocks three years ago, continually reminded his brother why the Hurricanes are still undefeated and ranked 35th in the nation on rivals.com.

“The whole week, we just sit at dinner and talk trash to each other,” Ben said of getting ready to play against his brother. “It’s pretty neat. My coaches and teammates would ask me what their schemes were. Mike would never tell me, but I would try and squeeze it out of him.”

The two brothers got a taste of what it was like to play against each other last season when the Pirates invaded Hawkins Stadium and nearly pulled off a monumental upset. Throughout the game, the two brothers made it a point to greet one another on the field — only the two weren’t busy slapping high fives or patting each other on the back.

“Last year, it was fun playing against him,” Mike said. “Every play, I’d like try to trip him, or he’d try to trip me. It was pretty fun.

“I’d rather play against him because it’s fun for both of us no matter what,” he added. “He would probably be mad if (they lost), but it’s all in fun and it’ll make us stronger in general. We’re still going to be family no matter what.”

In that game, Mike’s Hurricanes got the upper hand; but on the field, Ben, who tackled Mike once, and the Braden River defense held an advantage over Mike, limiting the rusher to just 29 yards on the ground.

Last Friday, Ben and Mike once again found themselves playing against each other on the same field — only this time the circumstances were all together different because the two brothers both sustained right ankle injuries. Ben had severely bruised the bone in his ankle, which has prohibited him from playing for the past few weeks, while Mike twisted his ankle earlier in the week.

Ben could only watch the game from the sidelines, while Mike went in for a series in the third quarter, which he capped off with a 6-yard touchdown.

“It was pretty hard to watch, especially after last year being so close,” Ben said. “It’s been hard the past couple weeks not playing.”

Mike agreed.

“It was difficult,” he said. “I know it was difficult for both of us but probably more so for him. It’s kind of better for our parents though rather than having us go against each other and one of us having to lose.”

Mike was right. There was one person who was somewhat relieved after learning that the two boys weren’t going to be clashing on the gridiron.

“I’m OK watching because neither should be playing,” the boys’ mother, Karen Peacock, said before the game. “If both were playing I would be a wreck because there’s no good outcome — one’s going to win and one’s going to lose.”

Home sweet home
Ben and Mike met three-and-one-half years ago while playing together on an AAU basketball team. The two became friends, and over time Mike began coming over to the Peacock house two to three times a week. About six months later, Mike approached Ben about the possibility of staying with his family for a while.

At the time, Ben thought Mike would only be staying for a few days. But as days turned into months and months turned into years, Ben and Mike both realized Mike was right where he belonged.

“I always felt comfortable here, and knowing them, I (asked) if they would take me in for a couple days,” Mike said. “A couple days turned into a couple months, and (those) months turned into years. It’s family.

"It’s been great,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot about family and doing the right things. I’ve learned more about God in the last years than I (ever had) before, and that families stick together — no matter what.”

When Mike first moved into the Peacock home, he would grab his books and sit down right next to Karen’s husband, Tom — eager to create a sense of stability for himself. Tom and Karen soon began instilling in Mike the values and work ethic they had spent years teaching Ben and his younger brother, Sam.

“He’s a joy,” Karen said of Mike. “He radiates, and he’s just so happy and appreciative of every day. He’s amazing.

“He wanted the change,” she added. “Anytime he could’ve left and he hasn’t. He’s ours. He’s our family.”

But even though Mike wanted to change his life, the Peacocks didn’t want to alter his life completely. So instead of transferring to Braden River with his brothers, Mike continued to attend Manatee.

“He changed his life drastically moving out east,” Karen said.

“I’ve talked with him just joking around saying, ‘You should come over here,’” Ben said. “But it’s not really realistic. Why go to Braden River when Manatee has all of that tradition?”

Brotherhood
Outside of football, Mike and Ben enjoy spending time together doing typical brother activities — watching movies, playing games, talking about football and school and having gentlemen’s arguments.

And as the two now prepare to close out their high school careers, both Ben and Mike are starting to look ahead to the future. Ben’s football career will more than likely conclude following this season, while Mike, ranked sixth in the nation at his position by espn.com, is being recruited by a number of different schools. But no matter where they end up, the two brothers will continue to visit each other as often as possible.

“It’s all been a fun and exciting experience,” Mike said. “God put me here for a reason, and He put them here for a reason. It’s changed me in a lot of different ways, but I think I’ve changed him a little bit too. It’s all love.”

“It’s just been a humbling experience,” Ben said. “Living with him has taught me a lot of different things.”

But for now, their conversations are still primarily centered around football. Although last Friday night following Manatee’s 24-7 victory over Braden River, the boys’ conversation quickly drifted from football to royalty after Ben was crowned Homecoming King.

“I just told him that now there are two kings in the house,” said Mike, who was crowned Manatee’s Homecoming King. “We took some pictures, and I just told him to have fun and enjoy it. That’s a great thing that we both won Homecoming King.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].