For brothers Bilal and Sincere Bailey, the success they’ve had this season for T.F. North has been even sweeter because they’ve done it together.
“It means the world to us,” Bilal said. “This is what we’ve been training for together. We see each other on our worst days, our best days, and we work our hardest together.”
Bilal (27-1), a sophomore, is ranked No. 2 in Class 2A at 145 pounds by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, while Sincere (22-1), a freshman, is No. 5 at 132. Both captured South Suburban Conference titles.
“It’s great when me and my brother can celebrate together,” Sincere said. “When both of us win instead of just one of us, it’s so much better.”
Bilal and Sincere, along with their 13-year-old brother Nasir, have been wrestling together for eight years.
“My dad got us all into it together at the same time and we’ve been doing it together since,” Bilal said. “It’s been fun, especially since we grew and started winning and getting recognition together.”
First-year T.F. North coach Tim Springs has been impressed with the way the Baileys push each other.
“They’re both willing to do whatever it takes to get better,” Springs said. “If one of them is not working as hard, the other brother will get him going. They don’t let each other slack off.
“Going into the postseason, they just need to stay aggressive and not hold back. If they do that, I don’t think anyone in the state can beat them.”
The duo has created excitement in the T.F. North wrestling program.
“I had some kids who didn’t want to wrestle, and next thing I know I see Sincere and Bilal talking to them in the hallways and they come wrestle,” Springs said. “Last year, they had about 10 kids at the end of the year. We’ve got 36 kids now.”
Bilal and Sincere are aiming to become T.F. North’s first state champions since Rich Casiano in 1968.
“I want to push myself further in practice every day,” Sincere said. “I want to be ready to go out there and become a state champion. I have four years to do big things, and I want to leave an imprint on our wrestling team for generations to come.”
Last hurrah: Providence coach Keith Healy is ready for his final postseason. Healy is retiring at end of the season after a 26-year stint that’s included six team state championships.
The Celtics will compete in Saturday’s 3A Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional.
“We’ve got to get better wrestling in certain situations,” Healy said. “If we can make those adjustments and wrestle like we’re capable of wrestling, we can have some success.”
Healy already experienced one finale: The Celtics finished fourth in his last Catholic League Meet.
“I’ve been a Catholic League guy since 1980,” Healy said. “It’s always great to go to the Catholic League Meet and it’s great to see how it’s grown and expanded. I didn’t think too much about it being my last one. I just wanted to see us perform a little better.”
Tough test: Lincoln-Way West, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, enters the Bradley-Bourbonnais Regional as the favorite. But the Warriors know they’re in for a battle against a deep field.
No. 16-ranked Lincoln-Way East has had a tremendous season, while Providence also figures to muster enough team points to challenge the Warriors.
Marian Catholic, which had four East Suburban Catholic champions, and Homewood-Flossmoor, also possess talent.
“It’s going to be really tough,” West coach Brian Glynn said. “It’s a loaded field. We need all our guys to wrestle hard and score points, and we hope we can take advantage of our depth.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Top 10
With last week’s ranking in parentheses
1. Mount Carmel (1)
2. Lockport (2)
3. Lincoln-Way West (3)
4. Sandburg (4)
5. Lincoln-Way East (5)
6. Andrew (6)
7. Providence (7)
8. Oak Forest (8)
9. Richards (9)
10. Lemont (10)
Wrestler of the Week: Marian Catholic senior Carlos Champagne (33-1) became a four-time East Suburban Catholic champion, topping Marian Central’s Anthony Randazzo 16-11 in the 132-pound final.
