Cooper Corder, 14, had just beaten his opponent in a wrestling match. When they went to shake hands, the other boy punched him in the face.
A high school wrestler in Illinois was punched by his opponent when they were shaking hands after the fight was supposed to be over.
Cooper Corder, 14, had just beaten his opponent in a wrestling match. When they went to shake hands, the other boy punched him in the face.
“We go to shake hands, because at the end of every match you shake your opponent's hand,” said Corder. “He did grab my hand a little bit, and then he did it.”
Both Corder's parents rushed to his side after Corder fell to the ground holding his face after the punch.
“First reaction was, go out there and see if Cooper was ok. Next reaction, I got a little intense,” said Corder's father. “The ref stepped in the way and said ‘it’s not worth it.’”
Corder’s mother, a nurse, ran to her son after seeing him balled up in a fetal position and shaking.
“I screamed and I ran right to him,” said his mother. “When I asked him to move his hands, it was just a copious amount of blood.”
Since the force of the punch was so strong, Corder now wears a protective face guard that clips into his normal headgear.
The investigation is ongoing and both families are cooperating. Corder’s family feels charges are warranted but currently, no charges have been made.
