Grant’s Ayane and Vince Jasinski ‘take no prisoners’ on the mat. That makes quite the sibling rivalry.

A lot of siblings wrestle at home, much to their parents’ chagrin. Ayane Jasinski and her younger brother, Vince, get to wrestle each other in a team setting day after day.

That has given Grant coach Mark Jolcover an opportunity to see the similarities between them.

“They are both intense wrestlers who take no prisoners,” Jolcover said. “They have a ruthless mentality about being the best, and they hate to lose.”

Those are beneficial traits for a wrestler. But when the Jasinski kids are practicing against each other in the Bulldogs’ hot wrestling room, their focus on the task at hand can get tested in the heat of the moment.

“Most of the time we get along,” Ayane Jasinski said jokingly. “(Vince) pushes me to be my best, so he is definitely making me a better wrestler.”

Vince Jasinski is a freshman who is in Grant’s varsity lineup at 106 pounds, and he has competed since he was 3 years old for the Fox Lake Wrestling Club. Ayane Jasinski, a sophomore, joined what is a family business of sorts when she decided to compete for Grant’s girls program last season.

Their father is Charlie Jasinski, who placed third at 130 pounds in the 2000 Class 2A state meet, and he has had a lot of influence on his children getting into the sport. He is one of the coaches for the Fox Lake Wrestling Club.

“At first I didn’t want to wrestle,” Vince Jasinski said. “But it grew on me, and I love it now.”

It took much longer for Ayane Jasinski to catch the wrestling bug. But when she started last season, she quickly displayed talent and a good work ethic.

“Ayane does not mind spending extra hours in the room trying to get better,” Jolcover said.

That extra work is helping her make up for lost time.

“I used to have to go watch Vince practice with the club team, so I guess I picked some things up that way,” Ayane Jasinski said. “I sometimes wish I would have started earlier than as a freshman.”

She missed part of last season with an arm injury. But she won the 100-pound title at the Evanston Sectional and finished fourth in that weight class at the Illinois High School Association’s first-ever girls wrestling state meet.

“I was a little surprised I did that well considering it was my first year,” she said.

Jolcover wasn’t.

“She’s fallen in love with the sport,” he said. “And she has the drive and determination to get better and be the best.”

Ayane Jasinski began her second season with a bang by posting a 2-2 record at 113 pounds in the prestigious Moore/Prettyman Invitational at Barrington in late November — competing in the top boys division.

“Practicing against my brother all the time gets me ready to compete against boys,” she said. “It will make me a better wrestler in girls meets.”

In that same event, Vince Jasinski got his high school career started with a fourth-place finish at 106 pounds.

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“Vince’s only two losses at Barrington were to guys who are ranked in the top 10,” Jolcover said. “It was a great start for him.”

Jolcover said Vince Jasinski’s lengthy junior career has prepared him for high school competition.

“Vince already has several go-to moves that can result in pinfalls,” Jolcover said. “We have told him to go out and get as many pins as he can.

“He’s a smart kid who knows what it takes to be successful. It’s going to be fun to watch him for the next four years.”

Ayane Jasinski is already talking about her future in the sport.

“I would like to wrestle in college if I can — and maybe even beyond that on the Olympic level,” she said. “I know that sounds silly, considering I’ve only been wrestling for a year, but I’m hooked. Plus, I get to wrestle my brother every day, and that’s fun.”

Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.