MINOOKA WRESTLING FAMILY

The Minooka Wrestling Family is a tight knit group of parents, coaches, and wrestlers that are focused on the goal of making Minooka Wrestling one of the premiere programs in the state of Illinois.

YOUTH CLUB PROGRAMS

The foundation of Minooka Wrestling Family starts with it's multiple "IN-DISTRICT" feeder programs. The Little Indians Wrestling Club introduces the great sport of wrestling to youth starting at the age of 5. Established in 2000, the Little Indians have grown as an organization in numbers and successes. Each year around 100 wrestlers adorn the Little Indian Singlets and compete in local and state IKWF events. In 2007 & 2008, the Little Indians placed as a team in the IKWF State Dual Series. The Indian Elite Wrestling Club, founded in 2008, is an expansion of the Little Indians. Indian Elite wrestlers compete at local IKWF events and participate in the Regional/State elite competitions on the Novice and Senior Levels.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAMS

Both Minooka, Channahon, and Troy Jr Highs provide School wrestling teams that compete in duals and tournaments under the guidance of the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). Students at either school can begin competing for their school in the 5th grade. All three programs have storied histories that date all the way back to the 1980's. It is the strength of these programs that helps feed the Minooka Wrestling Family with successes.

MINOOKA COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

Success on the High School level in Minooka dates back to the 1970's & 80's. It has found a rebirth in the late 90's and 2000's. Minooka brought home thier first state trophy in any sport in 1976 when Mark Mitchell and Reed Perry lead the Indians with back to back titles at 145 and 155 pounds and a 4th place trophy. MCHS accumulated 6 regional titles in the 1980's placing 5th in state in 1983. In the 90's MCHS was crowned regional champs 3 years in a row (1996-1998) and crowned 2 all-state athletes. In the 2000's the MCHS program has emerged as a state power on the individual and team level. In 2003, Russ Weil shocked the state on his way to becoming Minooka's 1st AA State Champion. In 2004 he repeated this feat winning the 215 lb division for the 2nd year in a row. The 2004 season marked the beginning of 4 team regional championships in a row and 5 championships in 6 years. The '04, '06, & '07 teams all won sectional titles advancing to the ELITE EIGHT and Dual Team State Tournament. The 2006 team managed to qualify 8 individuals to the state tournament. The 2007 team set the bar even higher qualifying 10 kids to the state tournament with 9 of them in the sectional finals match and 4 of them garnering ALL-STATE honors. In 2009, MCHS 'Broke the Mold' as a team when they advanced to the inaugural AAA Dual Team State Series. With 5 state qualifiers and 2 ALL-STATERS, the INDIANS relied on a deep lineup with quality kids at each weight class to beat powerhouse Glenbard North in the Semi-Finals before falling to Oak Park in the finals and finishing AAA Dual Team State Runner-Ups.

FUTURE OF THE MINOOKA WRESTLING FAMILY

What does the future hold for the Minooka Wrestling Family. If recent past is any indication the Future is bright on all levels. Participation numbers in the Clubs and Junior High programs exceed 200 pre-high school wrestlers every year. As the program has grown the goals have grown with it. In 2009, the Family's feeder programs qualified 22 wrestlers to their respective state tournaments. Seven of those qualifiers garnered ALL-STATE honors, with Four advancing to the State Championship match and Two bringing home Titles. The formula is simple, as a family we continue to develop growth in numbers as we expose more and more youth to the great experience of wrestling. In doing so, we aim to make the Minooka Wrestling Family the model of what a community can accomplish by working together.

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