The Mount Carmel wrestling program has a storied tradition. This year’s team added another trophy to the already packed trophy case as the squad picked up the Cheesehead Tournament Championship in Kaukauna, Wisconsin the weekend of January 8-9. The team defeated Sandburg High School in the final match.

The Caravan Newspaper caught up with Coach Kading and asked about the win at Cheesehead. Although the Cheesehead features mostly Midwestern teams, this year’s tournament included five top 25 nationally ranked teams.

Kading was happy about the win as it was the first time the Caravan had won the tournament. “This is a good feather in the cap for us. It was a good performance.”

Jake Tucker, ’16, a Michigan State commit, also felt good about the win. “I wasn’t able to wrestle last year so I’m glad I got to comeback and do well.” Tucker had suffered a knee injury last season that kept him from wrestling.

Kading believes one of the reasons his team is doing well is that the Chicago Catholic League has 3 teams in the top 25 nationally. In addition, “Illinois is one of the top wrestling states in the country.” This keeps his team ready and focused.

He added that “The Cheesehead is a great way to prepare the wrestlers for bigger matches. It helps them to not be shocked or surprised when they get into the big matches like individual state or team state.”

Both Tucker and Kading spoke about the desire to win a team state championship this year, something that hasn’t been done since 1994. “I want to see everyone with their hand raised at the end of the season,” said Tucker, while Kading expressed a similar goal, since this is the best team he has ever had. “The boys really practice hard and the coaches see it. The team is capable of state and because they listen so well, they are reaping the rewards.”