Brothers At Heart: North Carolina's Aapri & Robert Washington Jr.

"Aapri and Robert call themselves brothers because they are closer than any siblings." Robert Washington Sr. on the relationship between his nephew Aapri and his son Robert Washington Jr.

*The news did to Aapri Washington what few defenders on the football field could do: It dropped him to his knees and made it nearly impossible for him to get up.

His brother Robert would need open-heart surgery.

"It tore me down. At first, I wondered why, but then I knew Robert would be in God's hands. I was still worried but I knew nothing bad would happen to him."

Robert Jr. is a 13-year-old in seventh grade. A year earlier, he was accepted into Davidson Day (Charlotte, NC), a prestigious private school. A talented student (3.3 GPA), Robert was required to take a physical as one of the entrance standards. He could hardly wait to play football.

The Patriots were starting their middle school program and he wanted to be at the forefront. But there were complications during the physical. Doctors detected a murmur.

When his Dad, Robert Sr. took him to a specialist, the news got worse—much worse.

Robert Jr. had a potentially fatal condition called an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery. In layman's terms, one of his arteries was lined up improperly. It would have to be surgically repaired, immediately.

The condition can result in chest pain or fainting. On rare occasions it can cause instant death.

"I wasn't sad or mad," Robert Jr. said. "I wasn't really (scared). It was just that I couldn't play football any more. I had really been focusing on playing football this year for Davidson Day. Now I had a heart problem and I had to sit out. Just thinking about having this for so long, since I was born, and never knowing about it. It was so much of a shocking feeling."

The news jolted his friends and family. "A lot of kids would come up to me and ask if Robert was going to die," said Robert Sr. "They were crying."

It devastated his head coach Dave Serecpa and his other players as well. "They were horrified," Serecpa said. "You think these kids are indestructible. They should be able to run and play forever. So when you see your friend is sick, then hear (the word) 'heart,' it is really difficult."

Aug. 31st was Davidson Day's second game of the season. The next day, Robert Jr. would go in for his heart procedure. Doctors had cleared him to play on a limited basis, but he stood on the sidelines in gear and watched as his Patriots built a comfortable lead.

Late in the game, his best friend Griffin "Little" Buck streaked down the sideline. He was untouched. The endzone awaited him.

Suddenly, he fell to the ground on the one-yard line.

"I thought he was going to score," said Robert. "I was getting ready to run over and cheer him on. But then he took a knee and I asked, 'What is he doing this for?'" On Serepca's directions, Griffin had gone down on purpose.

The coach then turned to an astonished Robert and said, "Go in there and score." On the next play, Robert took a pitch from quarterback Nash Grier and ran around the right end, untouched, into the end zone.

Open heart surgery was supposed to keep Robert Washington Jr. in the hospital for a week; his mind set and superb physical conditioning wouldn't stand for that—he was out in three days.

Robert was supposed to miss six weeks of school; he was back in three.

Friends stood over. Frequent sleepovers were the norm. Parents in the community and at Davidson Day prepared meals and food baskets for Angel and Robert Washington Sr., the parents in charge of a large blended household.

They were never alone. They were never in need. Signs of support were everywhere.

The Patriots wore wristbands with Robert Jr.'s number on it the balance of the season. The school painted his number on the giant rock in front of the building. All generous acts of kindness.

But it came back to Griffin "Little" Buck's play in that second game. Taking a knee so his best buddy could score. Not knowing if his friend would ever get to play football again.

"That last game, when they let him score, gave Robert a whole different perspective," said Washington Sr. "He walked off that field floating on clouds. He'll never forget what Little Buck did for him."

Doctors gave Robert Jr. clearance to play basketball this season. "I like the game. I'm good at it. It's just not as physical as football. I like running. And I like running over people."

He is using basketball to get back into shape. JuniorRank CEO Shaon Berry sent him word in November that he would be one of three players from North Carolina with the grades and ability to make the McDavid All-American Academic Team in Tempe, Ariz., in late December.

The news brought tears of joy to everyone in the Washington family and in that Charlotte community.

"I never really had any doubts. I knew God would look over me. And he knows how much I love football," Robert Jr. proclaimed as he slowly worked his way back into shape.

Pushups, pullups and crunches by the hundreds.

I watch a lot of highlight tapes writing at JuniorRank.com. Robert Washington Jr. was special before surgery.

He compared himself to Dallas Cowboys' running back Marion Barber. Good choice. Dreads on a thick, powerful frame. I call him "Bash." To strike with a heavy, crushing blow.

At 5'5", 140 pounds, the 13-year-old had the power to run over guys. And once he did, he had the foot speed to go all the way. He liked punishing defenders. And you can see even the toughest tacklers shying away.

The East team defeated the West 27-13 in the desert that day. Robert Jr. returned to the playing field. All he did was lead his victorious squad in carries and rushing yardage. Defensive players bouncing off him.

You wouldn't have known he had missed a day. Bash was back and better than ever!

Aapri Washington was selected to the McDavid All-American Academic Team as well. While there will be a sixth grade All-Star game in Arizona in 2011, there wasn't one in late December.

The 11 year olds would do the same intense drills the high school kids did under the watchful eyes of JuniorRank's expert coaches: 7-on-7, 1-on-1, vertical leap, the shuttle test and the fastest man competition.

At 5', 95 lbs, Aapri is not as physically imposing as Robert Jr.. Built like a champion racehorse, lean and sinewy. Aapri compared himself to Chris Johnson, the Tennessee Titans tailback and one of the fastest players in the NFL.

There are a lot of fast 11 year olds out there. There are lot of 11 year olds with gifted skill sets in football. None of them won the National Youth Combine Maxwell Football Club MVP Award in Tempe for juniors (sixth through eighth graders).

Aapri Washington did and against elite athletic competition from across the country. Academics, discipline, leadership and character are the other variables in selecting JuniorRank's honoree.

More importantly, Aapri, a solid B student, also shined in these categories.

I nicknamed Aapri Washington "Dash." The act of moving with great haste. His game film for Davidson Day is jaw-dropping.

As a sixth grader, Aapri played up with the older kids through eighth grade. Two years at the middle school level is an enormous difference when it comes to size and strength, what dog years is in age. Aapri got his turn at running back in Robert Jr.'s absence. His stop-and-go moves left defenders grasping for air.

He would duck into a mass of tacklers, pop out of it and be gone. In record speed. Like trying to catch a waterbug in the gutter after a rain storm. Aapri is a track star too. He never mentioned a word in our interview. Ranked No. 25 in the Junior Olympics.

"Aapri has great heart. He never gives up on the play. No matter who he goes up against. There are a lot of guys bigger than him. There are a lot of guys stronger than him. Few are tougher. Even less are faster," said an admiring Robert Jr.

Great heart. I couldn't think of a more fitting way to end this fascinating tale of near brothers. So many gifts in both of them.

They look out for each other like siblings (when in fact they are first cousins). There is a true love and admiration there.

"If Robert is back on the team, the tailback position is his! I like playing defensive back better anyway. I'm a hitter!" chimed Aapri to me at the end of our conversation. That is brotherly love and not Coach Serecpa talking!

"Robert Jr. and Aapri are not only exceptional young athletes, but they are good students, good people and young men with an exceptional upside in life.

Robert's courage and strength embodies everything that our organization stands for and represents the type of young men that we become blessed as a company by knowing and becoming associated with," said JuniorRank's Berry.

"Bash & Dash" have already learned so many of life's lessons at such a tender age. Lessons that humans don't usually have to face in their pre-teen years.

Your health is your wealth. It's the only game in town that truly matters. It is your greatest possession. Your most precious prize.

Robert Jr. and Aapri both have that gift now. Like a football tucked under their arm, they plan to hold on to it tightly and never let it go