Not Much Room Left on Thompson Twins’ Plate

Anyone who invites the Thompson twins over for a snack had better make sure the refrigerator is filled to capacity. And hide the chicken wings too.

It cost their mother $600 during one visit to Costco to feed these giant offensive linemen from Covina Charter Oak. Herb, 6 feet 6 and 284 pounds, is the starting center. Pat, 6-7 and 294, starts at offensive tackle.

They’re Eagle Scouts, climbed Mt. Whitney together when they were 15 and earned all A’s on their report cards last semester.

Seeing them walk into a room makes a stranger wonder why the ground isn’t shaking.

“We have a Saturday morning breakfast,” Coach Lou Farrar said. “They’re scary. You take them on the road, and it’s a pit. These guys can put away six, eight burgers.” Each.

The Thompson brothers are 17-year-old seniors who need their energy and protein because they’re so active. Besides competing in football, wrestling and the shotput, they help their uncle with construction jobs and have participated in community service projects.

Most of all, they say they believe it’s important to be a good person and accept the responsibility to help others.

“The best part of these kids is their character,” Farrar said.

Each obtained his Eagle ranking the year before reaching high school. Pat’s final project was a landscaping remodel for a local church. Herb’s involved revitalizing the quad area of a local middle school.

The Eagle Scout rank, the highest advancement rank in Boy Scouts, is much respected because it requires a three-year commitment of passing tests and challenges.

“We had a goal to get it done before high school because we knew we’d be busy with sports,” Herb said. “It shows you have great moral standards and you know how to be a leader.”

Football seems to be an ideal fit for the Thompsons, allowing them to express themselves by using their size and strength.

“I love football because it’s the only time you’re able to hit somebody without being arrested,” Pat said. “I love run blocking. When you go hit a linebacker, pancake him on his back, it’s the best feeling. You know you did your job right.”

Herb, as the team’s center, is the key on the offensive line in terms of letting others know blocking schemes and strategies. And he cherishes that role.

“The center is a great position, the most demanding of the linemen,” he said. “You have to know the calls. You have to be able to connect with the quarterback. You’re in the center of the play every time. You can see everything going on.”

One way to raise the level of production for each fraternal twin is to compare one to the other. That immediately gets their attention, not to mention starts their competitive juices flowing.

“We’re very competitive in everything we do,” Herb said.

Added Pat: “If we’re in the weight room and he’s bench-pressing 225 pounds, I’ll be like, ‘I need to put 235.’ ”

“And that means I need to do 245,” Herb countered. “If I get a 96 on a test and he gets a 95, I rub it in his face.”

College recruiters might not want to offer two scholarships to one family, so the brothers are already preparing for the day they will have to go their separate ways.

“It’s going to be a change in environment and a change in scenery, but both of us will get used to it and adapt,” Herb said.

Whatever happens, the brothers are committed to using athletics to help gain a college education. Herb said he wants to become a lawyer or teacher. Pat aspires to be an architect. Each knows the importance education plays in reaching a goal.

“When we were younger, our dad would take us to his job site and help him work, and I remember how hard it was, how back-breaking it was, coming home being all sore,” Herb said. “Unless you want to be a laborer for the rest of your life, you need a good education.”

It’s the final year of high school for the Thompsons, and they intend to make the most of it.

“I love having fun with my friends,” Herb said. “I love the competition. I love people having to pay to see you on Friday nights.”

And don’t think the Thompsons feel guilty about how much it costs their parents to feed them.

“I still eat the food,” Pat said.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.