Pope John Paul II wrestlers Ryan and Matt Vulakh extend their sibling rivalry to the mat

Matt and Ryan Vulakh have taken their sibling rivalry to the mat, and the Pope John Paul II wrestling team has benefited from the family conflict.

The pair are brothers and teammates on the wrestling team, and they describe their relationship as, well, competitive.

“It’s that big brother-little brother dynamic,” sad Ryan, a senior. “We’re very competitive. We always have been.”

It’s that aggressive nature, the boys say, that has pushed them to their recent success on the mat.

“Having your brother on the team is great," said Matt, a sophomore. "We push each other, and we like to out-do each other. We like to see who’s quicker, who scores the most points, things like that.”

As the district match approaches, Ryan is ranked first by pa-wrestling.com in District 1 at 152 pounds with a record of 25-0. Matt is ranked third at 106 pounds with a record of 18-7. Their success is nothing new. Ryan was 31-5 last year and placed third in the PIAA state meet, and Matt went 30-8 overall and placed eighth at states.

Ryan finished first in last year’s section, district and regional matches, and Matt was first in his section and district and second in the region.

Pope John Paul II coach Tom Hontz said the brothers are identical in their work habits and ability to make the most of their skills.

“These boys are out here six to seven days a week working their hardest,” Hontz said. “But they also have this natural talent. These boys have it in their blood to do this.”

If that is true, it didn’t come from the brothers’ immediate relatives. They said they are the first in their family to take up wrestling. But their parents did play a part when they signed the boys up to wrestle on a whim when Ryan was 10 and Matt was 7.

And while the boys say they love the passion they feel for wrestling now, it was something they had to develop over time.

“I had to grow into it,” Matt said. “I couldn’t see right away that I would like it or even continue to keep doing it. But the passion developed as I went on with the sport.”

Ryan, who expects to wrestle next year at George Mason, recalled the same feelings.

“I wasn’t naturally good. I had to work for it,” Ryan said. “Even at that [young] age, it was tougher than any other sport I did. So, it was tough to get into. But I stuck with it.”

Ryan credits his developments as a wrestler to two things.

“At first, in order for me to improve, it was just about practicing,” he said. “But as I got older, all of my coaches really helped me out."

Matt attributes his steady improvement to working with the right people.

“It’s more so the coaches that helped me get to where I am now,” he said. “I’ve learned so much through them, and its all developed over time.”

Next up for the brothers is the District 1/12 Class 2A match on Feb. 23.