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Brother vs. brother in East Lake-Tarpon Springs game

 
Published Sept. 20, 2016

At some point Friday night, Tupac Blanch will take a handoff and turn upfield. Amani Saunders will be waiting for him.

There likely will be a collision, one that is forceful and powerful and instant.

Those kind of impact plays are expected in rivalry games.

But the intensity is not just because it is East Lake vs. Tarpon Springs.

It is also brother against brother.

Friday has become a prominent date in their lives. It will be the first time the two face off against each other in varsity game.

Last season, Blanch and Saunders both played for East Lake.

Blanch, a senior, still is there. He is playing with younger brother Dionte, a freshman.

Saunders, a junior, left to play for the Spongers.

"This game is going to be lit," Saunders said. "I'm hoping to have a good game. It's exciting to be able to play against my brothers. I'm hoping to take this win home."

Saunders is a half-brother (same dad) to the Blanch trio of Tupac, Dionte and Kenny (older brother who also played for Tarpon Springs).

It did not take long for the family to examine the schedule and see an intersection in late September.

"I've been waiting for this game for a long time because I have a lot of family that's from Tarpon," Tupac said. "It's even better that the game is at Tarpon this year."

The family tree is steeped in this rivalry.

Tupac remembers watching older brother Kenny play at Tarpon Springs. But Tupac did not want to follow the same path. He started off playing for Clearwater before transferring to East Lake last season.

A two-way player, Tupac was solid on both sides of the ball last season. He was the team's second-leading rusher with 419 yards and had 34 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a defensive back. He has offers from Florida International, Marshall, North Dakota State, Troy and Western Kentucky. All five schools are recruiting him as an athlete.

Dionte has had an immediate impact with the Eagles as a defensive back.

Saunders recalls watching Kenny, too. He also went to Sponger games when another older brother, Bubba Golden, played for the school in 2008 and '09.

It is not just a bond between brothers. Saunders said he has five cousins who are teammates at Tarpon Springs. And that's just on varsity.

"I have four more cousins on junior varsity," he added.

Saunders started off as a Sponger. As a freshman, his appendix ruptured during a 7-on-7 summer tournament.

"I thought my high school career was over," he said.

He recovered then transferred to East Lake before coming back to Tarpon Springs this season.

"I thought about staying at East Lake, especially because it was Tupac's last season there," Saunders said. "But I sat down with my mom and we made the decision to come back."

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"I was very surprised that Amani left," Tupac said. "It is what it is."

Saunders has played well this season as a starting linebacker. He leads the team in sacks (three), forced fumbles (three) and is tied for the team-lead in tackles (28).

"I grew up idolizing my brothers," Saunders said. "Almost all of them were running backs. But I didn't really like that. I like delivering the hit."

Saunders makes sure to let people know whenever he makes a tackle. In fact, he talks so much that Tupac admits to missing his voice in practice.

"Amani would just crack jokes and make me laugh all the time," Tupac said. "I know he'll talk during this game. But I'm not going to do that. I'll let my play do my talking."

Contact Bob Putnam at bputnam@tampabay.com. Follow @BobbyHomeTeam.