In the middle of a high school volleyball match between two strong Pennsylvania teams, the crowd’s attention was diverted from the match.

During a break in the action, the players noticed the crowd cheering for something going on outside the gym, rather than for the game on the court.

Two elementary-school-aged boys were wrestling in the lobby of the gym. Headlocks, body slams and tackles pushed the crowd to its feet. The spectators were too busy picking sides to notice the volleyball match.

The boys grew up to be football players Patrick and John Bedics. When the Bedics brothers were in elementary school in Bethlehem, Pa., their older sister Tiffany was busy being an all-star high school athlete.

Their parents, Denise and Ken Bedics, lugged the brothers to as many of Tiffany’s games as possible.

And while it might be torture for some little brothers to be dragged to their big sister’s events, the Bedics boys loved it. They relished being able to support Tiffany in her sports endeavors.

“Tiffany started in the third grade, and she’s eight years older than Patrick,” Denise Bedics said. “She was quite good, and seeing her was exciting for the boys. That probably played a part in getting them so interested in sports.”

Whether it was standing under a basketball hoop to rebound for Tiffany in every kind of weather imaginable, or wrestling in the lobby during one of her volleyball matches, the brothers were always there for her.

“I try to make it to everything they do,” their sister, now Tiffany Gallis, said. “They supported me through everything – getting stuck in the back seat for long drives – I want to be there for them, but it’s also my duty to be there for them. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Denise Bedics said she made it a priority to raise her family so the children would be close.

“She always said blood is thicker than water,” Gallis said. “Family always comes first.”

Mission accomplished, according to the brothers.

“We came from a family that was very close,” Patrick Bedics, a redshirt senior fullback majoring in communication, said. “My sister was definitely a big part. She was always working hard, out shooting hoops in the sleet, in the rain, whatever. We knew our role.

“We were the rebounders growing up. We were her biggest fans, and she’s our biggest fan. She comes to every game no matter where it is.”

Traveling to the games wasn’t always an easy experience for the Bedics family. Before transferring to N.C. State prior to the 2005 season, Patrick Bedics started his college career at Penn State University in College Station, Pa., after a stint at Hargrave Military Academy. The arrangement was particularly tough for the family when John committed to the Wolfpack.

“At Penn State, he was just a quick car ride from home,” John Bedics, a redshirt junior defensive lineman majoring in communication, said. “I was eight hours away.”

Denise Bedics said she and her husband split up who went where for games.

“I’d go to one game while their father went to another,” she said. “It’s absolutely wonderful now, though.”

Gallis agreed it’s a much better situation for the family now that the brothers are on the same team. She said it often got difficult when Patrick was playing at Penn State.

“If there was a Penn State game at noon, we tried to get a flight out after the game to make it to N.C. State for a night game,” she said. “I travel a lot with my job, so it’s nice only having to go to one place on the weekend for games. But if I had to go to Penn State and N.C. State every weekend, I’d do it.”

With the brothers on the same team, their parents have an easier time planning the travel itinerary. In fact, Denise Bedics said she’s planned the season already.

“We have our flights booked,” she said. “We go all the time. We might have missed one road game last year, but we’re always around to support our family. I never get a rest either. One’s on offense, the other’s on defense. I’m always watching.”

While the brothers said they love being at the same school together, they said it was never a plan to play at the same school in college.

“It was just like, wherever we go, we go,” Patrick Bedics said. “[John] was here, and then I had the chance to transfer here. It was a good decision. I didn’t come here just for the football; I wanted to be able to hang out with my brother.

“Penn State was great. I was second on the depth chart, and I played special teams. I wanted a change and just to get away. It was a good experience, but it’s easier for my family now, too. Now they can just all come to the same place.”

John Bedics said while playing together in college wasn’t necessarily the plan, it’s working out well both for the brothers and their family.

“It’s nice to be able to have the whole family come,” he said. “Once football season comes, we’re here from August until January. It’s really great to have our family come watch; they’re really supportive of everything we do.”

Playing college football allows for plenty of traveling around for games. Since the Bedics family makes the trek whenever John and Patrick are playing, they’ve been afforded an “exciting life.”

“We’ve enjoyed it a lot – going to all the games,” Denise Bedics said. “We’ve traveled all across the country. I don’t know what I’m going to do when they’re done playing.”

But no matter what happens, Gallis said, when it really matters, the siblings all support each other.

“If one of us is doing well, we’re all proud,” she said. “If one of us is struggling, we all feel it. We really are the best of friends, and we talk daily.”