Grant twins help Red Hook reach playoffs, cherishing final season as soccer teammates

There are the occasional squabbles, most often petty bickering over use of the washing machine or who gets to drive where.

And there even is a classroom competition, the two racing to raise their hands, hoping to respond first to a teacher’s question they suspect the other has the correct answer to.

“They’re fiercely loyal to each other,” Holly Grant said of her daughters, “but they’re siblings, so there are conflicts.”

But there will undoubtedly be tears when this season concludes. Should it follow a playoff heartbreak, or even during a rambunctious celebration at the end of a state final, it is certain the Grants will be overcome with emotion.

Because Peyton and Gabriella have shared a womb and shared a childhood and, for most of their lives, shared a soccer pitch. For the identical twins, the “Teammate” chapter will close at some point in the coming weeks, and that is all the more reason these moments are cherished.

“It wasn’t something I gave much thought to even a month ago,” Peyton Grant said, “but the realization hits you as we’re getting toward the end, and you start appreciating it more.”

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As the Red Hook girls soccer team honored its seniors Oct. 6, coach Jason Pavlich shifted Gabriella to the forward line, giving the defender a chance to score.

Peyton imagined herself pushing the ball upfield, maneuvering through the defense and setting her sister up with a beautiful pass to finish for what would be her first varsity goal.

Gabriella chuckled as they recalled the actual sequence. She did score on a long pass in that game… but it was on a through ball from teammate Ani Safaryan.

See, this was another instance in which Peyton didn’t get to drive for her sister.

That mattered none as the twins embraced afterwards, sharing a hug in what their mom called “a special moment” that immediately became a forever memory.

The hope, of course, is to create a few more of those as the Raiders ready for the postseason. Red Hook long has been a Section 9 championship contender and, in recent years, its defense has been bolstered by the twins.

After getting off to a slow start that included a three-game losing streak, during which the team was uncharacteristically inconsistent and dealt with a spate of injuries, the Raiders have seemingly found their footing in recent weeks.

“We were in a rut for a while, but we’re turning it around,” Peyton said. “We always wanna do well and go far, but it would be (especially) meaningful this year.”

Twin billing

The sisters have very different personalities. Their mother described “Bella” as being “sporty” and reserved while Peyton, who is two minutes older, is more outspoken and into fashion.

But soccer always has been a unifier for them — to each other and for themselves to teammates, especially early on.

The sisters were born in Connecticut, then spent parts of their childhood in Vermont and Olivebridge, before the family settled in Red Hook four years ago. Through those relocations, adjusting each time to surroundings and social circles, soccer was the constant.

It helped them make friends and develop routines. In fact, while residing in Olivebridge — about 30 miles southwest in Ulster County — they belonged to a Red Hook-based travel team and played alongside some of the girls who now are teammates.

Their older sister Makenzie played, and the twins followed in her footsteps, getting enrolled in a peewee program as 3-year-olds. They didn’t initially enjoy it, Holly Grant said with a laugh. Peyton left the field in a huff and Gabriella followed. They gave it another try the following year, though.

Among her favorite memories, their mom said, was a game during the spring 2021 season when Makenzie was the senior goalie and the twins started as freshmen.

They’ve been inseparable since. With Peyton at center back, Gabriella often is flanked to her right, and their chemistry and easy communication is a benefit.

“As different as they are,” Pavlich said, “they’re both very intelligent and intense. They’ll do whatever is asked of them.”

Both enjoy volunteer work and, at home, they’re often on social media together… between arguments. Their differences do sometimes complement each other. “I like to bake,” Gabriella said as an example, “and Peyton likes to eat.”

(Peyton interjected, raving about her sister’s from-scratch banana bread.)

In each other, Gabriella said, the two have an immediate support system and both will vehemently defend the other. Against outsiders, at least.

Many of their disputes center around the car they share. As they frequent the same places, Gabriella usually drives to the location and Peyton handles the return trip. Peyton often requests first dibs at the wheel but there is a reluctance, Gabriella said, “because she’s a slow driver.”

Despite that, the sisters said, it’s “been a joy” to watch each other grow up, with many of their high points shared, and having a ready shoulder to lean on during the lows.

“It’s been better than I could’ve imagined,” Holly Grant said of raising twins. “The toddler years were tough, but it’s been a thrill to see them become great kids, great students.”

Almost identical students, actually. The two are separated by a tenth of a point in GPA so when either does better on a test, Gabriella said, they “like to rub it in.”

Delaying the finale

The Raiders went 4-1-1 to close the regular season and will compete next week in the Mid Hudson Athletic League tournament before the Section 9 playoffs begin.

That successful stretch included a 2-1 win over Franklin D. Roosevelt that gave Pavlich 300 career victories. The team then decorated his classroom and parking spot with balloons and congratulatory messages.

“It meant a lot to them and I’m very grateful,” said Pavlich, who had coached for 22 years. “I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great athletes on this team over the years.”

This year, too. Red Hook has a talented roster that’s headlined by Safaryan, an explosive scorer who overcame an early-season injury. Midfielders Kaitlin Murphy and Katie Boyd are among the standouts, as is Molly Button and goalkeeper Isabella Faraldi. And, of course, the lookalikes on defense.

The twins likely will part ways for college, though both have interests in education-related majors. Gabriella became choked up while discussing the upcoming separation.

“It’ll be different,” she said. “We’ll probably be texting all the time those first couple months… It might be difficult.”

So, too, will the end of this fall scholastic sports season, whenever it comes. With each playoff win, of course, they’d delay that finale a bit more. And that’s the goal.

“I’ll definitely be crying,” Holly Grant said. “As a parent, you become so invested in the things that make your children happy, and it’ll be sad seeing it end. But this experience has been so incredible. I’ve loved every second of it.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls soccer: Twins Peyton, Gabriella Grant cherishing Red Hook season