Bradley Central wrestler T.J. Hicks is proud of his family name but thinks of his reputation in terms of family.
"I guess it's a cool thing," he said of being a Hicks. "A lot of people know my Pappaw and my dad. It's a small community, and a lot of people tell me stories about them."
When they talk now about the Hicks family in Cleveland, the conversation is more about the triplets: T.J., his brother and fellow Bradley Central wrestler Trey and their sister Amanda. She serves as the Bears' leading statistician, and coach Ben Smith said she repeatedly has saved the team during matches.
T.J., with an undefeated season and back-to-back state championships, has brought acclaim, but referees and opposing coaches have dealt with Amanda enough to know that she knows her stuff.
Both brothers won championships and were factors in Bradley claiming the team title in its own tournament, which finished Saturday afternoon. The Bears scored 281.5 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Commerce by 76.5 points.
Many folks, especially those who follow wrestling, recognize the trio whether it's Amanda in her part-time job at Hardee's or the brothers when they're earning walking-around money at Long John Silver's.
"Most people know me as their sister," Amanda said.
"With Amanda there's no middle ground," Smith said. "She's either the nicest, kindest person or, well, there are times folks need to tread lightly. But she knows as much wrestling statistically and organizationally as any coach."
Added T.J. with a laugh: "She'll try to wrestle with us, pick on us every now and then. That doesn't really work too well for her."
She also can serve as a referee, specifically when T.J. and Trey begin mixing it up.
"She doesn't take anything off either of them," Smith said.
That can often be more than a handful. The Hicks brothers' practice-room duels are legendary, especially as Trey has caught and now surpassed T.J. in size. He no longer gigs Trey about those state championships.
"He's bigger than me now, so I have to watch what I say," T.J. said with a laugh and a quick roll of his eyes before glancing his brother's way.
"I'm proud of being a Hicks and I'm proud to be T.J.'s brother, but I also like to be my own person," Trey said. "I didn't win (the state championships), but it's a good thing to me that I've gotten to be a part of it. He's my brother first and foremost."
"There's never a dull moment," Smith said of the brothers' mat battles. "It's often too hot to be handled and we often separate them to work with others. But if one of them has had a tough day, whether it's getting down to weight or whatever, I've seen the other one pull back."
Those scraps have morphed into another dose of challenges for opposing coaches with Trey finally stepping into the Bears' lineup at 120 pounds, a notch above the 113-pound Trey. Those scraps also have strengthened the bond that seems such a part of a twin's or triplet's lifestyle.
"They're always working and looking out for each other. They take care of each other, and it's a really cool dynamic to see," Smith said. "All three are individualistic and each marches to the beat of his own drum, but when rubber meets the road, they're extremely tight and you see a lot of caring, whether they want to show it or not."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.