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Athlete of the week
Christian Brunner
Dundee-Crown, Sr. 195 pounds
Brunner remained undefeated – extending his record to 27-0 – by taking the 195-pound title at the Newbill Geneva Invitational on Saturday. Brunner was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler and also took home the fastest-pin award for a 22-second fall in his first bout of the day. A state runner-up last season, Brunner is illinoismatmen.com's top-ranked wrestler in Class 3A at 195 pounds.
Power rankings
1. Huntley (15-4, 3-0 FVC Valley): Huntley remained perfect in Fox Valley Conference Valley Division action with a 34-25 win over McHenry on Thursday. The Red Raiders got pins from Juan Quiroz (145), Petros Mihalopoulos (195) and Dominic Swanson (285) to lead the victory and set up an FVC Valley showdown with Jacobs on Thursday. Over the weekend, the Red Raiders turned in another strong tournament showing, taking third out of 25 teams at the XLI Sycamore Invitational on Saturday. Swanson and Josh Stenger (120) won individual titles with teammate Zach Spencer finishing second at 112.
2. Crystal Lake Central (9-1, 3-0 FVC Fox): The Tigers remained unbeaten in the FVC Fox Division with a 52-16 win over Woodstock North on Thursday. The Tigers were led by pins from John Barth (106), Austin Ernd (132), Michael Petersen (145), Liam O'Donnell (160) and Austin Parks (195). This week the Tigers host Woodstock on Thursday before going to the Sandburg Super Duals on Saturday.
3. Jacobs (12-0, 3-0 FVC Valley): Jacobs remained perfect in duals with a 69-4 win over Cary-Grove on Thursday in FVC Valley action. The Golden Eagles got pins from Jack Golnick (220), Loren Strickland (170) and Chris Dranka (138). On Thursday, they travel to Huntley for possibly the biggest dual of the season before wrestling in the Urbana Invitational on Saturday.
4. Harvard (12-8): The Hornets went 2-0 on Thursday at the Antioch Triangular, getting wins over the hosts and Lakes. Harvard was led by 2-0 performances from Josh Fiegel (113), Sergio Esquivel (120) Sergio Jimenez (145) and Justin Wilcox (132). On Saturday, the Hornets competed in the Newbill Geneva Invitational, with Fiegel winning the individual title at 113 and Esquivel finishing fourth at 120. After facing Prairie Ridge and Wauconda on Tuesday, the Hornets visit Cary-Grove Friday then face Stillman Valley and Winnebago on Saturday.
5. Marengo (8-2, 3-0 BNC East): The Indians’ first action of the new year saw them sweep a conference triangular Thursday, getting wins over Genoa-Kingston, 62-16, and Burlington Central, 44-28, to remain undefeated in conference duals. Leading the Indians were Landon Pfeiffer (106), Cameron Miller (113), Austin Keefer (132), Bailey Miller (138), Joe Mier (160), James Mier (182), Kyle Gara (195/220) and Dylan Turner (285), who went 2-0 for Marengo. On Saturday, Marengo finished 16th at the 25-team XLI Sycamore Invitational. This week, they visit Auburn on Thursday before going to Round Lake Saturday.
Noteworthy
Harvard's Bielski commits to UW-Oshkosh: Harvard senior Reiss Bielski is having a good week. On Monday, Bielski announced he has committed to wrestle at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Either Tuesday or Friday, depending on his weight, Bielski will wrestle his first matches of the season after being sidelined to this point by a back injury suffered during football season.
“Reiss is very skilled, and I truly believe all an athlete needs to find a spot and be successful on the next level is a willingness to commit,” Harvard coach JD Oliva said. “Reiss's football injury showed him how important wrestling was to him, and I think the injury helped lead him to making this decision. I'm remarkably proud of him.”
Bielski was a Class 1A state qualifier last season at 126 pounds and a Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention. He is ranked as an honorable mention in Class 2A by illinoismatmen.com despite not wrestling yet this season. Bielski is a three-sport varsity athlete for Harvard, also playing on the Hornets’ football and baseball teams.
Oshkosh is an NCAA Division III program and compete in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
This week's top meets
Jacobs at Huntley, 6:30 p.m. Thursday
The top two teams in the FVC Valley meet, both coming in undefeated in conference duals, while the Golden Eagles haven’t lost a dual of any kind this season. The winner will clinch at least a share of the division title.
"I think everyone's marked that on their calendar since last year," Huntley coach BJ Bertelsman said after the Red Raiders beat McHenry last week. The Golden Eagles won last year’s meeting, 36-28.
McHenry at Dundee-Crown, 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Both teams have improved throughout the season and look to keep rounding into form with this matchup of two strong FVC Valley opponents.
Crystal Lake Central at Sandburg Duals, 10 a.m. Saturday
The Tigers travel to the Sandburg Duals, which will feature some of the state’s top teams.
Prairie Ridge at Marengo, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
An interesting nonconference matchup between two deep local teams that have wrestled well since returning from the winter break.