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Community Corner

I Love Mokena: Wrestling Rep for Michael Kelly is Growing

Can you help think up a nickname for the 8-year-old champion?

Welcome back.

Last year, we talked about Mokena resident and national wrestling champion Michael Kelly. At the end of the article I revealed that Michael won that title at the tender age of 6.

Well, Mike is no longer 6 years old. He is now a dynamic and passionate competitive 8-year-old champion wrestler. Yes, you read correctly, champion! Again.

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At the recent ASICS USA National Wrestling Championship in Cedar Falls, IA, our own Mike Kelly did it once more. He quite easily dispatched his opponents in three separate matches to win the Bantam 70 National Title. His winning scores were 10-2, 10-0 and 14-1.

So frustrated were Mike's opponents that one of them rammed him with an illegal head butt and knocked out one of Mike's teeth! Fortunately, he doesn't have all of his permanent teeth yet so that one will be growing in soon. The head butt-er? He was the one who lost 10-0.

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Mike is a lifelong Mokena resident and wrestles under the Tinley Park Bulldogs banner. 

The kid from Mokena is making quite a name for himself and his hometown all over the youth competitive wrestling circuit.

It would be kind of neat if Mike Kelly had a cool nickname to go with his wrestling accomplishments. Maybe we can give him a hand with that. So how do you come up with a worthy nickname for an 8-year-old champion wrestler?  

I know one great way to do that. I'm inviting our readers to send in some suggestions for a possible nickname. I'll print them in a future column and find out which one the Kelly family approves of, if any.

How about it friends and neighbors, Mokena is a place you just have to love.

I would also like to take a moment and give a shout out to former Mokena Patch editor Paul Dailing. Good luck on your future ventures. It was great working with you.

As you move on in your career, be sure to tell people about our beautiful little village. I know you grew to love it, too.

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