Husayn Bonaparte doesn’t look at it as an insult.
The way he sees it, his role in the duo is just as important and he’s proud to have the nickname.
The senior running back and safety is known to everyone around the George Washington High School football program as Robin. His twin brother, Hassan, is known as Batman.
Both Husayn and Hassan, a wide receiver and linebacker/defensive back, are talented football players and two of the captains for the Eagles this year.
The nicknames were given to the duo a few years back when they joined the team and they had little to do with their superhero abilities. That was just a coincidence.
“It wasn’t about football, it was because we went in the weight room one day and nobody really knew us,” said Husayn, who arrived at Washington as a junior after being homeschooled. “My brother was wearing a Batman shirt, and when people asked us or name, we told them. But Coach (Stephen “Kyle” Benzio) saw us and he said, ‘You’re Batman and you’re Robin.’
“We love it. I don’t mind being Robin. I like being Robin. He’s the one with the Batman shirt, and in some of the comics Robin (is better) than Batman. Plus, we work together, so I think the names are great.”
The nicknames might not be perfect enough.
Batman and Robin were close, but these brothers are even closer.
The two have always inspired each other by working hard and lending a hand to each other.
If one needs the other, they don’t have to look far.
“It’s good to have your brother as a teammate because you can trust him, you know you can depend on him,” Hassan said. “We made the decision to play football together, we wanted to play together. And we love it. I think we have more fun because we’re both playing together. I love football, but it is more fun because he’s here.”
Playing together is fun. Winning together is even better.
And thanks to the Bonaparte boys, the Eagles are starting to find a little success against some tough competition.
The young Eagles are hanging tough this year. After opening with four straight losses, they recovered to win two straight. The Bonaparte twins are doing their best to lead the way.
“We are both captains, so we are leaders,’ Husayn said. “I think we’re doing a good job, so is the whole team. We’re getting better all the time. It started in the weight room, and we’re still getting better.”
The brothers are very competitive when it comes to helping Washington win football games.
But when it comes to each other, the competition ends.
Sure, when one works hard, the other wants to work just as hard to help the team and get better, both individually and as a unit, but they don’t compete with each other. They don’t want to be better than the other. They want both to be the best they can be.
“He’s a great player, he can do a lot of things out there,” Hassan said of his brother. “I love seeing him do great and he feels the game way.”
“We play well together, but we do different things,” Husayn said. “He’s faster. He’s really fast and he makes a lot of plays using his speed. He’s a great receiver. I’m more of a runner. But he can do a lot of things out there. He’s a very good player.
“He’s the older brother, he’s got me by 45 minutes, and he’s a good leader. I look up to him, and he looks up to me.”
They hope their hard work and talent means good things once the playoffs start.
The Eagles will take part in the postseason, and while they might not go into the playoffs as a favorite, the talent is there to make some noise.
“I think this team is pretty good,” Hassan said. “We’re doing better every game. You can see us getting better. We are doing everything we can. We have good players and our coaches are good. If we don’t make mistakes and play a full game, we can be good.”
A championship would be the perfect ending to their Washington career, but they’ve already put in the work to ensure a successful future.
Just like in football, they hope to continue to follow in each other’s footsteps when they attend trade school next year. The ultimate goal is to become electricians and just like they do in school and football, they’ll help each other every step of the way.
But no matter what happens after they play their final snap at Washington, they’ll always look back at the fun times they had on the football field.
And no matter what happens, they’ll always have each other.
“I have other siblings, and I love them, but I’m definitely closest with him,” Husayn said. “I definitely think you’re closer when you’re twins. It’s a bond we definitely have.”
“We are best friends, we do everything together,” Hassan said. “It’s always been that way. We’ve been like this our whole life and we always will be like this. We’re brothers. The bond is real.”
