High school wrestler viciously sucker-punches opponent, parents reportedly file assault charges

While it may be a stretch to suggest the actions of a high school wrestler displaying disgustingly poor sportsmanship is a reflection on society as a whole in the year 2023, an incident that took place recently in Illinois calls to mind a lack of values that resonates in America today.

After being defeated handily in a match, Hafid Alicea of Maine West High School viciously sucker-punched the victor, Cooper Corder of SPAR Wrestling Academy, who defeated him 14-2.

Captured on video, the referee can be seen bringing the competitors to the center of the mat for the traditional handshake at the end of a match, and that’s when Alicea feigned an attempt to shake Corder’s hand only to then blast him with a hard punch to the face. With Corder not expecting such a cowardly act, the blow landed squarely and dropped him to the canvas as the referee quickly pushed Alicea away.

The incident took place during the “Beat The Streets” wrestling tournament on Apr. 8 at Oak Park River Forest High School in Oak Park, according to Fox News. The network said police are investigating the assault.

The full match can be seen here, with Corder clearly dominating against Alicea:

A social media user responded to the post above to say Corder is friends with her nephew and that he suffered a broken nose from the cheap shot and that he is recovering well:

The incident resulted in some interesting responses from social media users, with all agreeing the defeated wrestler’s actions were uncalled for… here’s a quick sampling from Twitter:

Tom Tillison

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