Seneca Valley juniors Alex Lynch, top, and Ben Lynch are both two-time WPIAL qualifiers with 73 and 69 career wins, respectively. Both are hoping to find more postseason success this season.

JACKSON TWP — The Lynch boys are after the Barron boys.

But it's not a family feud. It's about attaining the ultimate measure of respect in the annals of Seneca Valley wrestling.

Alex and Ben Lynch are twins. They are juniors on the Seneca Valley wrestling squad this year, both sporting 13-0 records entering the holiday break.

And both are chasing records owned by former SV matmen Mark and Rich Barron.

Mark Barron is the all-time wins leader in Raider wrestling history with 125. Rich Barron is the school's only state champion in the sport.

“My goal is to leave here as the all-time leader in wins,” Alex Lynch said. “I believe I can get there.”

“Becoming the second state champion in school history would be the ultimate,” Ben Lynch said. “For both of us to do that would be awesome.”

Both of them could. They both won matches as sophomores at the WPIAL Tournament last season and both hope to return to that meet this year as section champions. Alex is the Raiders' 113-pound wrestler while Ben wrestles at 120.

“I've really had to work to cut weight this year,” Alex admitted. “Next year, I'll probably jump up to 126. That will be more natural for me.

“I cut weight the right way, though. If you try to do too much in too short a time that way, you lose too much strength.”

Strength is somthing the Lynch's don't lack.

Alex is 73-19 in his career. Ben is 64-23. Both are likely to finish their prep careers with more than 100 wins.

How close they can get to the school record is the only question.

“Their demeanor is the same the way they work,” SV wrestling coach Kevin Wildrick said. “But their strengths are different. Ben is probably stronger on top. Alex is solid in technique.”

The two face each other in the practice room fairly often — but not all of the time.

“I try to keep them separate when I can,” Wildrick said. “The thing is, they know each other so well and they're high intensity all the time. It's easy for things to escalate when they go at each other.”

Ben smiles at the thought.

“It's just brotherly love,” he said, laughing.Seneca Valley senior wrestler Austin Leon, who hopes to notch his 100th career win this year, knows the Lynch boys well. He's come up through the system with them.“They're pretty aggressive guys,” Leon said. “They're always pushing each other. When they do match up in the room, there's usually some pushing and shoving involved.”The Lynch brothers have been wrestling since fourth grade. They grew interested in the sport through their father, Jim Lynch, who wrestled, played football and baseball for Bedford High School in Ohio.Jim Lynch's wrestling partner in the room won a state championship.“Dad helps us a lot,” Alex said. “He tapes our matches and we go over them with him. He breaks everything down and helps us get better.”The fact the Lynch brothers continue to wrestle in the lighter weights helps, too.“It definitely does,” Ben said. “We face a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Our bodies are a little more developed,. we're physically stronger and we have more knowledge of the sport and what it takes to win because we're farther along.”Once the high school mat season ends, Ben plays lacrosse in the spring. Alex competed in freestyle wrestling last summer and plans to do so again.Both have interest in wrestling in college. Neither knows where yet.“Right now, we're all about winning,” Alex said.So far this season, neither has blinked yet.