Bandits Final Wrestling Tournament

Submitted By Todd Finkenbinder.

Well, we are now wrapping up our Bandits wrestling season.  We have reached the event that wrestlers work all year for; The State Tournament!

We took about 9 - 12 kids into our Sectional event but only 5 have emerged within the top 3 placers and earned their trip to the 2006 IKWF State Tournament at the Rockford Metro Center.

It is standing policy that we allow the Bandit State Qualifiers to choose their celebration location and it almost always leads us to the same place.  Isaac Garcia, Josh Isaac, Jared Jones, Gus ”The Bus” Eisele and Keenan Murphy are all pictured with all the Rockford Hooters waitresses that were fighting and falling over each other to get in this photo.  Looking at these lovable mugs, can you blame them? My question is are the wrestlers smiling because they made it to state or surrounded by women?

You can also see our Head Coach Rafe Mejia grinning from ear to ear with joy of taking 5 to the State tournament.

For all you up and coming wrestlers and athletes that slack off at practice, if you work hard, do your sit-ups and push-ups, you too can have women lining up to sign your steel-like rippled abs like these 2 hard workers pictured here.

For wrestling fans that are interested in attending the IKWF State tournament or for the proud parents that have qualifiers going, please visit www.ikwf.org for more information.

Bandits practice this week will be Monday and Tuesday from 6 – 7:30 or 8.  Please come in and check with the coaches to see what time they will be practicing to.  Wednesday is questionable but it’s looking like we will skip it and give our Qualifiers an extra day of rest.

Thanks to all the kids that wrestled and worked hard this season, all the parents that supported the Bandits and came all those long Sundays to watch their kids at work and most of all, our sponsors and supporting vendors and restaurants that pitched in to help with donations and discounted food for our tournament.

We hope to see many of our wrestlers back next year and by all means, scout your school for some talent and bring them in with you!