Sibling rivalries can be rather intense at times.

That said a pair of local brothers from Hawaii are supporting one another as members of the Patrick Henry High School wrestling team.

Elijah Vinoray (senior) and Ethan (freshman) have turned in quite successful seasons to date for the Patriots.

According to Patrick Henry Head Wrestling Coach Sam Litvin, the father of the Vinoray brothers wrestled and played football back in the day. The boys, both ranked in California, have been wrestling since they were kids.

Elijah was recently ranked 24th at 220 pounds and Ethan scored honorable mention at 113. Elijah placed first at Granite Hills and fourth at Hamada while Ethan placed second at Granite and sixth at Hamada.

While Ethan has several more years of scholastic wrestling in front of him, his older brother is making the most of his senior season.

For Elijah, the road back to success has been an interesting one at that.

Elijah was wrestling at 160 pounds last season when he suffered a very scary injury. The junior at the time broke two vertebrae in his neck.

“We didn’t know this at the time and Elijah actually finished and won that match, but he was out for the season,” Litvin remarked. “He came back to wrestle this year after six months of wearing a neck brace but lifting weights and has been dominating at 220lb. His goal is to wrestle at a Division 1 wrestling school.”

According to Elijah, breaking his neck turned out to be the biggest threat he ever had to deal with in his wrestling career.

“I didn’t use this time to sit and wish I could’ve done things differently,” Elijah commented. “I used that to not only bond with my team but also to improve myself and think about how I come back bigger, faster, stronger, and better. Those seven grueling months of my life will never be forgotten and we’re the hardest parts of my career, however I am still blessed for it because I have come back stronger and ready to go to state and become one of the greatest.”

According to Elijah (29-4 on the season), he is happy for who he has become and is grateful for the opportunities he’s had.

“There is always room for improvement,” Elijah stated. “With that being said I’m happy to be wrestling this year and to be wrestling along side my teammates again for one last ride.”

For Elijah, having a younger brother on the team is like having a mini me on the team, it reminds him of his freshman year.

“I try to be the guidance since I’m his older brother,” Elijah remarked. “Having Ethan on the team is one of best things that ever happened to me. We have worked all our lives to come down to this very year. All the blood sweat tears has finally paid off.”

Once his high school wrestling days are over, Elijah said he wants to attend a university that will provide him his wanted major and also wrestle for their team.

For younger brother Ethan, this season has also had its share of highlights.

“I did better than i expected as a freshman going up against experienced wrestlers,” Ethan stated. “With a record 27-7, I would say its been pretty good so far.”

With his older brother close by, Ethan sees the benefit to keeping it in the family.

“Having my brother in the room has been pretty helpful over the season cause of him pushing me and also teaching me that things you want will never come easy unless you work for it.”

According to Elijah, his highlight of this season was avenging a first loss in the finals at his first varsity tournament. He beat the wrestler in a league dual and became a league champ and then beat him again in the finals of City Championships.

“My dad wrestled as a youth and he passed it too us, teaching us what he learned,” Elijah stated. “I’m probably gonna take what I learned and use it on the mat for my next years at Patrick Henry and also in college.”

For this season, Elijah was first at Hilltop, first at Granite Hills, fourth at Jimmy Hamada and fourth at the Battle for the Belt.

Meantime Ethan was second at Hilltop, second at Granite, and sixth at Jimmy Hamada.

The man who has gotten to watch all the success unfold for the Vinoray brothers is Litvin.

In his first season as varsity head coach, Litvin said coaching the boys has been unique. The brothers both arrived with experience unlike most other wrestlers who join the program.

“They are both very self-sufficient and rely on each other a lot,” Litvin said. “There is also a big age difference between them. This makes it such that the boys require very different approaches as far as coaching and motivation when it comes to each other and the team. This is tough but a good challenge to have.”

According to Litvin, Elijah has been with the program for four years, so he brings a lot of experience and seniority that is respected through his wrestling abilities and his age. Ethan as a freshman inspires the team and also brings a lot of pride through his performance on the mat. He is also more quiet and measured especially for his age and this is another way that he models for the younger guys.

“Elijah has a lot of talent that has yet to be explored,” Litvin commented. “It was his goal when I came to the program to wrestle in college and he has actively pursued that goal with better grades and outreach to colleges and recruiters. It is rare that someone finds their talent, it is rarer that they find someone to develop that talent to full potential. Wrestling in college would develop his talent to its true potential.”