At a school that emphasizes the bond of brotherhood, Jacob and Kurt Hinish are cousins who are practically brothers.

The Central Catholic juniors line up next to each other on the Vikings' offensive and defensive lines: Jacob starts at right guard, Kurt at right tackle. On defense, they slide up and down the line.

“When people ask if he and I are brothers,” Kurt said, “we just say ‘yes.' ”

Actually, the sons of brothers were born five days apart and grew up within walking distance of each other's home. But this is their first season playing high school football together after Jacob attended Seton-La Salle.

“We've been together all of our lives. It's almost like a curse: You can't get away from him,” Jacob said with a laugh. “We're practically brothers, but we don't have that sibling fighting.

“The Hinishes, we have a bold personality, you could say. We like to joke around with the coaches and push buttons.”

Central coaches crack that the Hinish cousins are the Vikings' version of the Hanson brothers from “Slap Shot,” minus the thick eyeglasses and tin foil wrapped around their knuckles.

“They feed off each other,” Central coach Terry Totten said. “They're a loose bunch. They're good football players. They like to get after it, but have fun.”

The Hinish cousins will be looking for the last laugh when they walk onto the field together on Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium for Central Catholic (14-1). The Vikings will be there to play Parkland (14-1) for the PIAA Class AAAA championship.

“It's been a historic season, so it's great to have my best friend back with me,” Kurt said. “It's nice to have him next to me, so I can rely on him and know he's going to get the job done.”

There was uncertainty for Jacob when he transferred to Central after two seasons at Seton-La Salle. He had to earn a spot in the starting lineup. He said he watched the speed and tenacity with which Kurt plays as his cue.

“He's probably one of the most aggressive players I know,” Jacob said of Kurt. “It helped to come in and see how mean he plays and how I need to play.”

Not only is Kurt a 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive tackle with scholarship offers from Rutgers, Toledo and Vanderbilt, but he's also an honors student.

“Kurt Hinish epitomizes our program,” Central defensive coordinator Dave Fleming said. “He gets it done in the classroom. He's unblockable on the football field and a leader in the locker room.

“He's a charismatic kid.”

Jacob's arrival gave Central a pair of such players. A versatile 6-3, 260-pounder, he's a high honors student.

The cousins know each other's strengths and weaknesses and how to read body language and react.

Both earned first-team All-Quad North honors this fall and have played pivotal roles on the Vikings' front five.

They can thank their fathers for instilling motivation. Kurt's dad, also named Kurt, played defensive tackle at Slippery Rock. Jacob's father, Christian, played offensive tackle at Georgia Tech. Neither is shy about offering critiques.

“It does make a difference because they see what we need to fix,” said Jacob, who hopes to draw Division-I interest. “They're hard on us, and that makes us want to play better.”

While Kurt played on Central's WPIAL runner-up last year, Jacob fell one game short of Heinz Field as a sophomore. To win a WPIAL title and play for a PIAA championship together is beyond words for the Hinish cousins.

“It's a great relationship between us. We're going to be best friends forever,” Kurt said. “Playing for the state title is like a dream come true. It's nice that you get to share it with someone you love, so you can both cherish it forever.”

For cousins who are more like brothers, leaving Hershey with matching gold medals would have them looking like twins.

Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

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