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Sports

Minooka Honors Wrestling Team's Season

Students, faculty recognize Indians' second-place finish in 3A Dual Team State Wrestling Championships.

It looks like Minooka needs to do some renovating.

The Indians must add some wall space to fit another banner, this one  celebrating their second-place finish in the 2011 IHSA 3A Dual Team State Wrestling Championships. Glenbard North beat the Indians, 31-24, Saturday at Bloomington’s U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

Students and faculty, including Supt. David Middleton, greeted the wrestlers in warm fashion during a pep rally Monday morning at Minooka High School. 

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“This is turning into a great program here,” Minooka coach Bernie Ruettiger said. “We’re one of the few schools to make it downstate three years in a row now. It’s becoming a nice little tradition.”

It should continue next season as well. The Indians could return as many as 11 starters for 2011-12.

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“We fell a little short of winning another state title, but we have 11 out of 14 coming back so we’ll have a great chance next year,” said Kalvin Hill, the 3A state champion at 160 pounds. “Today it’s a chance to savor all we’ve accomplished.

"We know high school isn’t going to last forever, so this is a good time to think of all the friendships we’ve made, the moments we shared during the season and how close we’ve gotten as a team.”

Sitting on the floor of their home gymnasium with the bleachers packed with fellow students will be one of the final wrestling memories of their high school careers for seniors Kevin Akers, Blake Montella and Leo Ruettiger.

“It’s a little different after winning the title last year but it’s still nice to be here today,” Leo Ruettiger said. “For us seniors you realize that it’s ending. Wrestling has been a part of my life for 13 years and I don’t know what I’m going to do with college, so it’s nice to enjoy things like today.”

Minooka has compiled an outstanding 75-8 record in dual meets the past three years. This season alone they posted a 26-4 record even though a combination of injuries, sickness and personal issues led to 26 different lineups.

“We’ve probably traveled over 1,000 miles in the past four-week span,” Bernie Ruettiger said. “We went from Moline to Granite City to Champaign, and back to Darien and then to Bloomington. I think everyone is still exhausted."

The Indians had a dozen all-conference selections and sectional qualifiers, five state qualifiers and three state place winners this winter.

In addition to recognizing the wrestling team, Monday’s pep assembly also acknowledged band members, cheerleaders, the girls basketball team’s first regional title in 31 years and the girls bowling team’s ninth-place finish in state.

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