By The FirstIn a shocking incident caught on tape, a wrestling match between two 8th graders turned violent after the losing participant faked a handshake and sucker-punched his opponent. The incident took place during the 2023 Beat the Streets Developmental FS tournament held in Oak Park, Illinois, and is being investigated by the local police department.
Watch the shocking video below:
The match was between Cooper Corder of SPAR Academy and Hafid Alicea of Maine West High School in the 125-128 lb. category. Corder had clearly dominated the match and won 14-2. Alicea’s attack was completely unprovoked.
As the two wrestlers met for the customary handshake, Alicea extended his hand before suddenly punching Corder, knocking him to the ground. The referee escorted Alicea to his bench, while Corder’s coach and an unidentified woman rushed to his aid. TMZ Sports reports that Corder suffered a nose injury, and it’s unclear what disciplinary action Alicea will face.
SPAR Academy founder Justin Pearch confirmed that Corder is recovering from the incident and has resumed training. Pearch also stated that there was no provocation from Corder’s side that could have led to Alicea’s bad decision. Wrestling matches can get intense, but this behavior was entirely unacceptable.