UPDATE: Since FOX 2 reported the East St. Louis Wrestling Club having equipment stolen this past Sunday, various organizations, businesses and John Beal Roofing have offered the club financial support and/or equipment for the wrestlers to continue preparing for the state championship tournament in Chicago next weekend.

COLLINSVILLE, IL (KTVI) – The East St. Louis Wrestling Club pulled off a major victory Sunday when it placed third in a divisional meet in Edwardsville which qualified the 22-member team to compete in the State Championship Tournament.

It’s the first time in the club’s eight year history that it has accomplished such a tremendous goal. To celebrate, Head Coach Rashad Riley, took the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade wrestlers to the Golden Corral restaurant in Collinsville to enjoy a good meal and relive their incredible moment in time.

However, the joy they felt was replaced with disappointment when they returned to their vans and discovered someone had broken into them and had stolen all of their equipment, including their shoes and head-gear. Because they don’t have those items, the wrestlers can’t practice on their mats because of safety reasons.

Collinsville Police are investigating the incident. Meantime, the young wrestlers are trying to figure out how to come up with the resources they need to compete in the state tournament being held in the Chicago area in two weeks.