Cravens uphold tradition of wrestling twins at South Brunswick

Sammy was the one who got us into it,"Matt said. "I didn't intend on wrestling my freshman year, and then I came out there and saw how great they were and I wanted to be there.

"They've helped us a lot and pushed us," Corey added. "They took us to summer tournaments and they've just been a really big, big help."

The extra time on the mat paid off. Last year, Matt and Corey both qualified for the state tournament. Matt finished with a 46-8 record and Corey was 22-11.

"When the Craven boys saw how hard me and Jeromy worked, they just jumped right into it and worked with us," said Sammy, who is now in his second year as an assistant coach. "They came out one summer and busted their butt with us and now they are doing great.

"Everybody has to start somewhere and that's what I'm telling these guys. We all didn't start off great, so you have to push yourself and you've got to want to do it."

Being so close in weight has its pros and cons. They get to practice with each other, which makes them both better, but things can also get a little heated.

"You kind of have to watch those kids, because they've got that family thing going on as well," South Brunswick head coach Jack Southern said. "I've had them just about get in fist fights in the room and you just separate them, send one to one side and one to the other and wait until they cool off. You know that they will be alright, because they are brothers first."

The brothers enjoy practicing against each other, as well as Jeromy, who is now a senior and wrestling 125.

"We work hard with each other and push each other to get better," Corey said.

Southern sees two completely different wrestlers when he looks at Matt and Corey.

"Corey is a lot taller, so sometimes he adapts things differently because of his height," Southern said.

They might have different styles, but their goal for the season is the same.

"Not only to get to states, but we want to place again," Corey said.

"This year we want to place high, at least top six," Matt added.

Having siblings in his program has been a blessing for Southern. He now has the Roundtree's younger brother, Jack Mendez, as a freshmen and the Craven's have a brother on the way.

"They've got a little brother named Michael who is in the third or fourth grade, but I don't know if I'll make it that long," Southern said.

(Edit:Ruby)