Blue Brothers
By Brendan Hall bhall@sentinelandenterprise.com
Article Launched: 11/21/2007 10:06:04 AM EST


 LEOMINSTER -- Alex Medina and Alex Rivera are lifelong pals,
 inseparable since they first met, tight as a knot. So when Medina
 decided to go to Twin City Ink before the start of this football
 season for another tattoo, it was only natural that Rivera followed
 two weeks later.

On the underside of Medina's left and right forearms rest two one-word
sermons: "Love" and "Hate."

On the underside of Rivera's left and right biceps: "Life" and
"Death."

The tattoo tale underscores the friendship these two Leominster
running backs share, yet only scratches the surface. Medina and
Rivera, both of Latino heritage, have been inseparable since they
first met while living at Riverside Village. Both have since moved --
Medina to Mechanic Street, Rivera to Chestnut Street -- but that
hasn't stopped the two from often spending weeks at a time hanging out
at each others' houses.

"We're around each other so much that our moms get sick of us," Medina
said. "He'll stay at my house for a month, then I'll stay at his house
for a month. Like, 'Are you ready to go back to my house?' 'Yeah.'"

They've got just about the same of everything -- right down to their
first names.

Oh, about that. Rivera's real first name, the one that shows up in all
official documentation, is Osualdo.

"I wanted to be like him, so they called me Alex," Rivera said. "We
were always together, so now everyone calls me Alex."

Alex and Alex are essentially brothers without the bloodlines.
They both drive a standard, enjoy the same tastes in hip-hop and
reggae, have been playing Pop Warner since the fourth grade, have been
in nearly the same classes and bear an additional tattoo of somebody's
name.  On Rivera's left bicep is the name of Cesar "Macho" Collazo, a
cousin who died in a car accident in 2002. Medina's right forearm
bears the name of his mother, Lesley O'Connell, who, likewise, has
Medina's name tattooed on her.

Both Rivera and Medina have been raised virtually without a
father. Rivera last saw his two summers ago, down in Florida, while
it's been eight years since Medina said his father last came into
town. Even then, Medina claims, it was for a wedding -- not one of his
Pop Warner games.

Still, Rivera says his next tattoo will be on his chest, and it will
read the name of his mother, Maria Rivera.

"She's been the mother and the father throughout my whole
childhood. She's raised three males all by herself," said Rivera, who
has two younger brothers.

On the field, the two are second-year starters in the
secondary. Rivera provides lock-down coverage from the cornerback
spot, keeping some of the region's premier wideouts in check with his
sharp agility. Medina is a force at free safety, honing in from over
the top and providing the well-timed hit when necessary.

"We read each other's minds," Rivera said.

But offensively, their running styles differ. At 6 feet, Rivera is an
all-around back in an upright style popularized by guys like Darren
McFadden and Adrian Peterson. Rivera possesses bullishness inside the
hashes, but he makes his name with finesse and breakaway speed.

Medina, meanwhile, isn't the most intimidating figure at 5-foot-10 and
170 pounds. But he packs a powerful pop, and is considered pound for
pound the Blue Devils' toughest.

The two have carved their own signature look. Rivera sports a
close-shaven head, lined off perfectly, with a thin goatee to
match. Medina's floppy, long hair, ponytailed loosely and coming to a
rest just below his shoulders, makes him the most noticeable man on
the field.

One might say they reflect distinct running styles -- Rivera clean and
precise, Medina gritty and rugged. Though Rivera says he used to have
equally long hair.

Anything else they don't have in common?

They both have to pause and ponder.

"I'm a righty, he's a lefty," Rivera says.

And even then, as the two speak candidly outside Leominster's locker
room, they are wearing the same style of gym shorts -- black,
knee-length, with green trim and the Boston Celtics' familiar
three-leaf clover logo stitched on the bottom left side.

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