LANCASTER, Pa. — They spend a lot of time wrestling together in practice and are close friends off the mats.
Jose Garcia and Kevin Olavarria are both undefeated this season and about to make their second consecutive appearance in the PIAA Tournament, which begins Thursday.
Don't bother asking them who is better—they won't take the bait.
"It's more than just wrestling," said Garcia. "A lot of people ask around the school, on the team, who is better? We don't even entertain that question because we're good at our own things."
Good is an understatement. Garcia is a senior in the 215-pound weight class. He's 36-0 and heads into states as the number three seed. Olavarria is a junior with a sparkling 34-0 mark and is number two in the 172-pound weight class.
"It's amazing, honestly," Olavarria admitted. "I've never experienced something like that, I'm kind of used to the feeling of oh, I lost, I'm going to have to get him back, let's get it. So now that I'm the number two seed, undefeated, yeah, it's a lot more pressure but I think I can handle it."
The AAA first round begins at 4 p.m. on Thursday in the Giant Center.