Grand Rapids snatches Twin Bowl cup from Harper College

Grand Rapids Community College delivered a crushing 33-9 defeat to Harper College Saturday in the first ever Twin Bowl football tournament.

It's not the first time Harper and Grand Rapids faced off since they are in the same Midwestern football conference.

But it was the first contest since 59-year-old identical twin brothers Kenneth and Steven Ender took the helm of Harper and Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan, respectively. The tournament was dubbed Twin Bowl for that reason.

Kenneth Ender took the defeat really well Saturday, handing over the Twin Bowl trophy and bragging rights for a year to his brother. He also owes Steven a box of cigars.

"My guys fought hard and they'll live to see another day," Kenneth Ender said. "We're going to play them again next week in the playoffs, so we'll have another shot at them."

Both teams will be vying for a place in the Midwestern League championship and national championship.

Kenneth Ender said there were many moments during the competition when the audience took a double take seeing the brothers side by side.

"We both had our respective school colors on so people were able to see who was who," he said.

Harper won the coin toss. Despite being the defending NJCAA national champions, the Hawks were no match for the undefeated Grand Rapids Raiders, who were averaging 55 points a game.

"We were in the game pretty much through the third quarter, and then it was done," Kenneth Ender said. "They were playing a very good team. Overall, it was a good game."

The Twin Bowl rivalry will continue as long as the Ender brothers are in charge at both colleges, at least for the next three years of their presidency.