NORTON SHORES – Just for the record, Dahmir and Ke’Waun Farnum are not twins.
They are half-brothers who are both seniors, have the same dad, and have the same type of explosive football talents.
Of course that means little to overwhelmed opponents after the games.
All they know is that someone named Farnum kept scoring touchdowns, and they couldn’t keep up.
[1]A good example came in the first quarter of Mona Shores’ game against Grand Rapids Union on Sept. 23.
Union jumped out quickly and punched Shores in the nose, scoring a touchdown on a 74-yard pass – but that just ignited the Farnum brothers.
Dahmir answered right back with a 68-yard touchdown run, then Ke’Waun intercepted a pass that set up a 13-yard TD run by Dahmir.
Union counterpunched with an 80-yard TD run and tied the score 14-14, but then the Sailors literally exploded.
Dahmir scored two more touchdowns before the end of the first quarter, Ke’Waun intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD, and teammate Jaylen Vinton caught a 60-yard scoring pass.
Mona Shores led 43-14 after one quarter and never looked back, winning in a rout, 64-14.
The Farnums were back at it last Friday at Zeeland West, in another important O-K Green conference game.
[2]The Dux scored first on the game’s opening drive, but it was all Sailors from there. Mona Shores took the lead in the first quarter on a 35-yard TD reception by Vinton, then rattled off 21 more points in the second quarter when Ke’Waun caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and Dahmir ran in two touchdowns.
Dahmir added his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, and the Sailors claimed a 34-6 victory and sole possession of first place in the conference.
Their explosive plays bring the same great results, but there are definite differences between Dahmir, a running back and linebacker, and Ke’Waun, a slot receiver and cornerback, according to Mona Shores head coach Matt Koziak.
“They are two totally different kids,” he said. “Dahmir is more outgoing. He was voted a team captain, and if you’ve ever heard one of his speeches before the games, you would understand why. He’s very team oriented. Ke’Waun is very quiet, and kind of just speaks with his performance.
“Ke’Waun is probably a little more athletic. To play cornerback you have to be athletic. He’s a great basketball player, too. Dahmir has kind of changed his game. He used to be more of a bruiser of a back, and now he can run away from you or around you.”
The great thing for the Sailors is that both brothers are capable of breaking a game open at any moment, which is very comforting for a head coach.
“We are very blessed to have kids who can really go, in the running game and short passing game,” Koziak said.
Having skill players like the Farnums and Vinton surrounding new sophomore quarterback Jonathon Pittman is a very good scenario, according to the coach.
“What a great cast of players to have around a young quarterback,” Koziak said. “They are all seniors and all tremendously gifted. They can tell him, ‘Calm down, you’re doing good, you’re doing great – just get the ball in our hands!’”
Dahmir was a lineman in youth leagues!
It’s clear that the Farnums are pretty equal in the explosiveness department.
But somehow Ke’Waun was always a half-step ahead when it came to opportunities.
They both made the Mona Shores varsity as sophomores, and Ke’Waun was a starter right away on defense while Dahmir was the backup running back and had to wait for his turn in the spotlight.
That patten goes all the way back to youth league football, when Ke’Waun played running back while Dahmir – now one of the most explosive running backs in the state – somehow was assigned to play on the offensive line.
[3]‘’I played center, tackle, a little bit of tight end,” Dahmir said.
Ke’Waun laughed and said his brother got his share of ball touches as a youth league tight end – but there were more than enough running backs at the time.
“We played a wing-t offense in youth league, we had a lot of fast guys back there, and he was bigger,” Ke’Waun said about his brother. “But then we got to middle school, he switched to running back, and he’s been great ever since then.”
The Farnums were both destined to be football standouts, based on their upbringing.
Their dad, Willie Farnum, had them playing when they were very small, and they were both in youth leagues by the time they reached school age.
They had a great example set for them by their older brother, Elijah Farnum, a standout slot receiver for the Sailors who graduated in 2021.
[4]They had their normal sibling arguments over who’s better at this or that, which is unavoidable between brothers playing the same sport.
“I’ve been playing with him my whole life,” Dahmir said. “I was four and he was five when we started. We used to go at it all the time in the back yard, with full pads on. We’ve both cried and shed a little blood. That’s the way it was.
“We were always going at it about who was faster and stronger. He had me in speed growing up, but I had him in strength. I think he still has me on speed. He’s fast.”
Ke’Waun admits that there were lots of sibling rivalry moments, but he also notes that he and Dahmir are very close and proud of each other’s accomplishments.
“Sometimes we fought it out, I’m not going to lie, but at the end of the day he’s my brother, and I love him,” Ke’Waun said.
Dahmir agrees.
“I talk to him about everything,” he said. “It’s always good to see my brother, and all of my teammates, succeed.”
‘We haven’t even scratched the surface’
The Farnums are both very confident in their own abilities, and the numbers back them up.
Dahmir is having a terrific year, rushing for 715 yards and 12 touchdowns on 66 carries through six games.
Ke’Waun is a jack-of-all trades, making big plays on both sides of the ball. He has 10 catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively he has 11 tackles on the season and two interceptions.
He would probably have more interceptions, but opposing quarterbacks are aware of him and do their best to throw where he’s not.
The brothers are also very confident in their team’s abilities, and again the numbers tell the story.
[5]The Sailors, 5-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play, have outscored their opponents 290-85 so far this season.
“I feel like we haven’t even scratched the surface of how good we can be,” Dahmir said.
The Farnums were not deterred from their confidence by the painful results of their Week 2 game, when they built a 27-7 second-half lead over powerhouse Rockford, then were stunned when the Rams plowed back and stole a 31-27 victory.
“That just woke us up,” Ke’Waun said. “We focus on playing four quarters every day in practice now, so when the games come we know not to let up.”
Both brothers were sophomores on the Sailor squad that won its second straight state championship in 2020, so they know what it feels like to reach the top of the mountain.
They also know what it feels like to fall short, which was the case last season when their state-title streak came to a painful halt in a 49-12 loss to Caledonia in the district finals.
[6]Now that they’re seniors, they are determined to get their team back to Ford Field, and they’re not afraid of any potential playoff opponents.
“It hurt me, it was a down year,” Dahmir said about 2021. “I feel like this is actually my team now, and it’s my goal to lead us to a state championship.”
Regardless of how far Mona Shores advances this season, the Farnums know their biggest fan – their dad – will be in the stands every game.
“He gets to all the games, but the past few he’s been leaving a little early because we’ve been blowing teams out,” Dahmir said.
Dahmir said every weekend, following every game, there are conversations between him, Ke’Waun, their dad and their grandfather, who is also named Willie Farnum.
“We talk to our dad usually the next day,” Dahmir said. “We also go over the game with our grandpa and talk about how we did. He played football back in the day in Florida before his sophomore year when he hurt himself. He’s a big part of our lives.” 
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