Their dad was a constant presence. To this day, John and Josh talk so much lacrosse — John is now the junior varsity coach at Marshfield, where Josh, a junior, is a defensive midfielder — it sometimes drives their grandmother, Dorothy, a bit crazy.

Deirdre White still lives in the area, but Josh is not quite sure where. He and his brother have little contact with their mother — when asked for a phone number, John hesitated, then said: “She changes her number a lot. We’ll have it one week, and then it’ll be different.’’

Josh remembers the details surrounding his father’s death more clearly.

Last June, he was asleep when state troopers knocked on the door shortly after 2 a.m. His father had died in a car accident. Though it was never confirmed, police suspect William White suffered a heart attack while he was at the wheel.

“It just doesn’t seem fair, the things that happen to good guys like that, families like that,’’ said Marshfield varsity boys’ lacrosse coach Rick Bagby, who has known the family for years. “It’s disheartening.’’

John White, now 23, played for Bagby at Scituate High, serving as team captain his senior year.

“He was a mudder,’’ Bagby said of John. “He was a kid that, all he wanted to do was win. He was very fundamentally sound, nothing showy. Everything was just textbook. There was no flair to his game. He was just a mudder.’’

The 17-year-old Josh, according to Bagby, has a bit more “flash’’ to his game, but the style is still the same.

Neither sibling is very big — John is 5-foot-7, while Josh packs 170 pounds onto his 5-foot-6 frame.

What Josh lacks in size he more than makes up for with his aggressiveness.

His coaches and teammates have taken notice.

“He’s tough as nails,’’ Bagby said. “He has that refuse-to-lose mentality.’’

Assistant coach Tom Flanagan added: “That kid’s engine’s always running. He is in constant motion and is a lot of fun to watch.’

Junior Matt Entwistle said, “He’s unbelievable — an animal.’’

But that demeanor does not carry off the field.

“He’s a character, sort of Mr. Gregarious,’’ Bagby said. “He’s the nicest kid in the world. Off the field, kids just love him. He’s just a really easy kid to like. He’s probably the — I don’t know if I’d call him the glue, but he’s pretty close to it, and he’s only a junior. He really keeps the guys up.’’

“Everyone loves him,’’ junior Ty Martina said. “He’s the nicest kid on the team.’’

Money has been tight in the White household since Bill’s death — Dorothy is retired, so the boys are the sole breadwinners.

In addition to his JV coaching duties, John works at Bia Bistro in Marshfield, and is also taking classes at UMass Boston, where he is pursuing a degree in nursing.

Josh, meanwhile, works three jobs in addition to playing two sports, but still maintains a 3.3 grade point average, and is one of many valuable players on the 10-2 Marshfield lacrosse squad.

“They’re very hard workers, but their father was, so they’re just taking right after him,’’ said Dorothy White.

Between his work in the classroom and his athletic ability, Josh has the profile of a student-athlete who could play in college, as long as he can handle the burden financially.

“I’m definitely looking for financial aid,’’ he said.

“If I can, I can. If I can’t, I can’t,’’ White said of his college plans. “I would love to play because I love lacrosse.’’

“He can definitely play,’’ Bagby said. “If he can get in and financially get it taken care of, he should be able to. He’d be great for a lot of programs.’’

Josh White is a member of the 2010 Black Jacks - Team Black