High school wrestling insider: Crystal Lake Central's Connor Burns is athlete of the week; plus power rankings, notes

Athlete of the Week

Connor Burns

Crystal Lake Central, Sr., 126 pounds

The Tigers' senior went 5-0 with five pins over the weekend at the Downers Grove South Invite. He helped Central go 4-1 at the 16-team dual tournament, finishing in fifth place.

Burns was a state qualifier at 126 in Class 2A last season as a junior. He is currently an honorable mention in the Class 2A rankings at 126 in the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association state rankings.

Burns improved his record on the year with 10-3 overall. His teammates Austin Ernd (138) and Frank Carone (160) also went 5-0 over the weekend.

Power rankings

1. Huntley (13-1, 3-0 FVC)

The Red Raiders won two FVC matches over Jacobs and Cary-Grove last week, then went three-for-three at the Lyons Quad over the weekend with wins over Lyons, Marist and Oak Forest. The Raiders are ranked No. 11 in Class 3A.

2. Crystal Lake Central (8-1, 4-0 FVC)

Central won conference matches over Hampshire and McHenry. The Tigers went 4-1 at the Downers Grove South dual tournament. The lone loss came against the host Mustangs, 38-30. The Tigers remain second in the Class 2A rankings behind two-time defending state champion Washington.

3. Marian Central (14-2)

The Hurricanes beat Waukegan and Dundee-Crown over the weekend in Carpentersville, after suffering a loss during the week to Aurora Christian, one of the top-ranked Class 1A teams. Marian continues to climb the Class 2A rankings, now up to No. 10.

4. Johnsburg (4-0, 1-0 KRC)

The Skyhawks won their Kishwaukee River Conference opener against Woodstock on Friday, 48-30. Johnsburg beat Vernon Hills and Palatine at Belvidere North over the weekend. Joey Calhoun is up to No. 10 at 160 in the Class 2A rankings.

5. Harvard (10-5)

The Hornets lost two dual matches last week, one to Byron, the No. 10-ranked team in Class 1A. The other was to conference foe Woodstock, 42-33. The Hornets beat the Durand-Pecatonica co-op and Belvidere North.

Noteworthy

Highly touted: McHenry County wrestlers continue to populate the top of the state rankings. Four local wrestlers are currently ranked No. 1 in their respective class and weight, according to the IWCOA rankings.

In Class 2A, Marian Central’s Anthony Randazzo is ranked No. 1 at 132. Prairie Ridge’s Nick Fetzner is ranked first at 170. Richmond-Burton’s Jaden Glauser comes in at No. 1 at 182. Crystal Lake Central’s Seamus O’Donnell is No. 1 at 195.

Marengo’s Landen Pfeiffer had been No. 1 until this week, when he was jumped by De La Salle’s Aaron Zebrauskas.

Huntley’s David Ferrante holds the highest local ranking in Class 3A at No. 3 at 160.

What to watch

51st annual Sciacca-Holtfreter Wrestling Tournament at Harvard, 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday

Harvard, Johnsburg, Prairie Ridge, Woodstock and Woodstock North will all compete in the Hornets’ annual tournament. Last year, Antioch took first-place, while Prairie Ridge had the best local finish in third.