It’s the family business.

But the Bencas don’t dabble in carpentry, nor do they engage in “Godfather”-esque mafia activity. They wrestle. 

Ryan, a senior, and Sage, a junior, join forces for the last time in high school this wrestling season.

Ryan has been wrestling for eight years, following in the footsteps of his father.

“My father used to be a wrestler and he told me I would enjoy it,” Ryan said. “Tried it and I absolutely loved it.”

Ryan started as a football player before eventually becoming a wrestler. Its head-to-head nature and limiting variables drew him to the sport.

“I like the concept (that) it”s one-on-one so it’s me versus him,” Ryan said. “There’s no other factors to affect the outcome.”

Head wrestling coach Tim Clarkson recognized Ryan’s potential in wrestling after seeing his success in football.

“I knew that as a heavyweight, he had all the tools that he needed to be successful,” Clarkson said. 

Clarkson also recognized how the siblings could build off each other.

“We create (a competitive atmosphere) within the wrestling room to provide some motivation, but they really (do) get along well together, and they support one another tremendously,“ Clarkson said. 

The only issue is keeping the siblings in a competitive environment, so they can still get better. 

“We just continually want to provide them not only with a great practice environment,” Clarkson said, ”but we want to push them as far as competition and make them go and compete against teams and athletes that will make them better.”

For someone like Sage, Clarkson must continually keep the level of competition moving so that she is still able to improve. 

“We just continually want to provide them not only with a great practice environment,” Clarkson said, “but we want to push them as far as competition and make them go and compete against teams and athletes that will make them better.”

Sage came into the wrestling program two years ago, in the wake of her brother. 

“I started wrestling my freshman year and because my brother told me he thought I’d really like it and he’s who I look up to so I naturally joined wrestling,” Sage said. 

Sage grew in skill through a tough sparring partner and a hard coach.

“My coach at the time would work with me to get things a lot, and my partner was also a good wrestler,” Sage said. 

Wrestling helped Sage and Ryan grow closer and motivate each other to new heights.

“We’ve gotten a lot closer, he’s my No. 1 supporter and I’m his,” Sage said. “We go to all of each other’s matches if we aren’t wrestling at the same time, in school and national tournaments. It’s something we both share a love for so it has brought us so much closer.”