Their favorite food is sushi. They dress the same. They both excel academically and athletically. The Hatten twins have represented a mirror image of each other since they were little.

Hayden and Hogan Hatten have been playing football since they were 5 years old when their father took them to a Firebird youth football practice, which instilled a lifelong passion for the game.

“Dad pressed football on us and we were all for the idea,” said Hayden. “That’s where the love for the game all started.”

It was in the first grade when the twins were first introduced to someone they would refer to as “coach” 10 years down the road.

“My wife was their first grade teacher,” said Pinnacle coach Dana Zupke. “It wasn’t until middle school that I really started to get to know the twins.”

Zupke wasn’t the only person they’d keep a close relationship with as they grew up.

“We’ve played on the same football team since we were in the third grade,” said Pinnacle High quarterback Spencer Rattler. “And the same basketball team since we were just 6 years old.”

Rattler has grown up with the twins throughout their pivotal points in boyhood and knows them like no other.

“They’re goofy and they both talk a lot,” said Rattler. “Hayden has a higher voice, though.”

The twins credit their mom and dad for the talented young men they are today.

“Get to know them even more,” said their mom Lourdes Hatten. “They will warm your heart every step of the way.”

The Hatten family is close knit and have been involved with the Pinnacle football and basketball programs for the last three years.

The Hattens own a Chick-fil-A. “We donated over $10,000 to Pinnacle’s basketball program last school year,” said Lourdes.

The twins have combined for 11 touchdowns and 570 yards receiving in Pinnacle’s 3-2 season.

Both bring different strengths to the field.

“Hayden is our receiving strength and Hogan is a strong blocker,” said Zupke.

Hayden is Pinnacle’s varsity starting wide receiver and Hogan is their interchangeable tight end and linebacker.

Their bond is strong.

“As little kids they shared the same crib for the first three or four years,” said their dad, Matthew “Cheese” Hatten. “When they had the opportunity to have their own room they didn’t want it; they wanted to share one room.”

Now as student-athletes, the Hattens have some big decisions to make in their near future.

While Hayden looks to major in business and Hogan has his mind set on hospitality and restaurant, the twins are open-minded and have already made official visits to a few colleges in Arizona together.

“We do want to play in college together, that’s an absolute dream,” said Hogan. “It would be a blessing.”