They’ve been teammates because they attended the same high school. They’ve gone to the same family reunions because they’re cousins.
Saturday afternoon, however, it all changes for O.J. Lennon and Shannon Gainey.
They’ll be enemies.
Well, not really, but for the first time since middle school, the Greensboro natives will be on the same field and but not wearing the same uniforms.
Gainey plays for Livingstone College, Lennon for Catawba.
So imagine how the summer went for the two cut-ups, who love to chide each other. They stayed in Salisbury all summer working out side-by-side.
“Every now and then, we talk a little stuff,” Gainey says with a mischievous grin. “But last year, it got out of hand so we decided to keep it a little low this season.”
“I’ve stayed humble,” Lennon quickly said.
They’ve stayed humble because both were humbled last year — by not playing.
Gainey tried. But a damaged hamstring limited his effectiveness in a season-opening 49-0 Catawba rout.
“My hamstring was hurt when I went in,” Gainey remembers. “But Carl (Jones, the Blue Bears’ star running back)wasn’t playing and I thought I needed to be in there. I only played a quarter and a half and got hurt even more. I missed the next five games.”
Which was one of the reasons the Blue Bears lost their first seven contests on its way to a 2-8 season.
Lennon’s story is even more heartbreaking. He found out just as summer school was ending that those wacky guys at the NCAA were ruling him ineligible for football because he was one class short. After being one of the top receivers in 1999, he was in on exactly zero plays in 2000, a year that Catawba was ranked as high as second in the nation in Division II. While the Indians forged to an 11-1 campaign, Lennon had to painfully watch from the bleachers.
“It hurt so bad,” he moans. “I was in the best shape of my whole career. But at halftime, if the receivers were frustrated, I’d tell them what I saw. They’re my brothers and they always made me feel like I was a part of the team.”
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So it’s easy to see why today is so important for the senior duo.
Gainey will surely see the ball in his hands more than his cousin. While Lennon is one of a horde of excellent Catawba receivers, Gainey will be the most important offensive threat for coach Greg Richardson.
He might play receiver. He might be a running back. He’ll return kicks and punts.
“You never know where I’ll be,” he says. “We’ll keep teams guessing.”
Gainey can’t wait to hit the field. Not only does Livingstone want to atone for last season’s record, they must atone for last year’s embarrassment in front of 4,000-plus fans.
“What do I remember from last year?’ Gainey mused. “I remember we started out strong but they got it back and scored. Then, they scored again. Then, they scored again. I kept looking up at the scoreboard, shaking my head.”
The head kept shaking as his hamstring kept him from reaching his potential.
“It killed me because I really concentrated on my junior year,” Gainey explained. “I knew there were (pro) scouts out there but there wasn’t much to look at. But they have told me they like things about me.”
And Gainey likes things about this year’s Blue Bears.
“Last year, we didn’t work as a team,” he said. “We had a lot of individuals. We’re still young but we’re gelling a lot more. If we work together, we can do some good things.”
Hopefully, beginning in Game 1 of 2001.
“We really believe we can win this game,” Gainey said.
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The question now is, which cousin will do more good things Saturday? Their talents are so even, it’s hard to make a prediction.
When they graduated from Dudley in 1997, they were quite an offensive tandem. Lennon was the quarterback, Gainey, an all-purpose back and receiver. One cousin’s stats always mirrored the other.
Both took an official visit to Livingstone but Lennon, a prized center fielder, wanted a baseball career too.
“Shannon said, ‘There’s a good school just down the road where you can play baseball and we can still be in the same town,’” Lennon recalls.
So he went to Catawba with the understanding that these two colleges hadn’t suited up against each other in three decades and probably never would again. So they kept their friendly rivalry going.
“When we were sophomores, I had more catches (37-34) but O.J. had more yards,” Gainey said. “That’s why we were really looking forward to last year. But nothing worked out.”
Now, Lennon’s grades are strong — and so is Gainey’s hamstring.
And they are finally going to be facing off in college.
It’s doubtful they’ll be kissing cousins Saturday or for the rest of the season. There is too much at stake, team-wise and individually.
“This is the year we decide who’s the best,” Gainey said.
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at rgallagher@salisburypost.com
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