Inseparable Long Island twin captains lead their teams and each other

The Defendini twins know how to win. Separated by just one minute at birth, Jackson and Lily are natural-born leaders and a one-of-a-kind set of senior siblings, each captain of their respective teams at Farmingdale High School. Lily captains the swim and dive team, while Jackson leads the lacrosse team he’s played varsity for since freshman year and is also challenging himself by suiting up for varsity football for the first time this fall. “There are nine periods in our school day — and we had eight of them together,” Lily, a talented sprinter, told The Post of their academic schedules most years. “I think that we were able to push each other just by the close proximity,” added the older twin. The 17-year-olds — also talented skiers who spend almost every winter weekend on the slopes with their 82-year-old grandpa, Charles — have been in each other’s corner since Day 1. They have always found ways to push one another and lend a hand by playing to their unique strengths, especially as Jackson and Lily narrowed down to one or two sports to pursue seriously in middle school. “He also pushed me a lot in the gym.I was not a frequent gym-goer.

He would bring me down to our basement, where we have some gym equipment, and he’d make me lift until I probably couldn’t even lift a pencil,” Lily said. Jackson, a lacrosse midfielder and a football edge rusher and tight end, calls Lily his academic motivator, who helps him study for challenging advanced placement courses. “We always have books out everywhere — just getting homework done and eating dinner at the same time,” he said. Sure, there were some growing pains in the early years, but Jackson and Lily used their uncanny bond to rise above their challenges. “Going into freshman year, with all the love in the world, you were a bit of a mess,” Lily said to her brother, “but watching you become the leader, the motivator that you are today has been an absolute honor in my life.�...