COAL CITY — On a warm summer evening at Coal City High School that didn’t seem to hint at the impending fall, Jake and Michael Czaja don customary red pennies as the Coalers run through their team defense.

The boys are twins, and for the past two seasons, they’ve been responsible for locking up opposing wide receivers as the team’s bookend cornerbacks.

After two straight weeks of facing the ground-oriented offenses of Wilmington and Dwight, the Czajas were tested for the first time last week against Manteno. The Coalers escaped with a 9-6 win, while Jake and Michael were named players of the week by the Coal City Touchdown Club.