East Peoria boys wrestling is having a strong year, exemplified by sending four wrestlers to the IHSA State Finals on Feb. 20-22 in Champaign.
While the Raiders have quality wrestlers up and down the board, there are two words and one name that say it all for them: Del Toro. The surname roughly translates to “of the bull” in English, fitting given that all three Del Toro brothers are hard to contain and leading the charge.
East Peoria senior Jose Del Toro is coming off a fourth-place finish at state. The heavyweight powerhouse is setting the stage for his family, with his brother and junior Alec Del Toro looking to follow in his brother's footsteps and the youngest, freshman Gabe Del Toro, hoping to continue the family legacy.
“I see myself as a mentor, in some ways, as the big brother,” Jose said. “I'm always trying to take care of them, make sure they're on the right path. So if something happens, I'm always trying to set them straight.”