Richmond-Burton cruises past Johnsburg for 3rd straight Kishwaukee River Conference title

Rockets end conference slate undefeated

Richmond-Burton’s Lelan Nelson tries to pin Johnsburg’s Kai Surdick in the 106-pound match of a Kishwaukee River Conference wrestling meet on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at Johnsburg High School.

JOHNSBURG – For a moment Thursday night, Emmett Nelson and his Richmond-Burton teammates took a break from the season’s grind to have fun and appreciate what they had accomplished.

Freshman Lelan Nelson grabbed the Kishwaukee River Conference championship trophy and ran it over to the mat. The Rockets wanted to give the trophy to freshman Larry Ratts, who started wrestling this season, and celebrate the win with him.

Yes, the Rockets' goal is to win a dual team state championship in about a month. But after beating Johnsburg 54-19 to capture its third straight KRC title, R-B wanted to appreciate what it accomplished together as a team.

“I just love competing alongside all my teammates,” Emmett Nelson said. “It’s really fun, and winning it with them is even better. I don’t want to [look] past anything. It’s just conference. It’s still fun.”

The Rockets (19-2, 7-0) had fun after another dominant night and season in the KRC. After beating Lake Forest 65-18 in its first dual of the night, R-B showed off its depth by beating the Skyhawks.

Emmett Nelson (144 pounds), sophomore Breckin Campbell (190) and freshmen Lelan Nelson (106), Maxwell Martin (157) and Shane Falasca (215) won their matches by fall. Freshman Adam Glauser (120) and sophomore Blake Livdahl (175) took their matches by technical fall, and senior Dalton Youngs won 150 in an 8-3 decision.

Seniors Colin Kraus (285) and Clay Madula (126) each won their match by forfeit.

The Rockets and head coach Tony Nelson said Thursday’s win was a community win. Each grade level has contributed to the team’s success and helped R-B win three straight conference titles.

“I think we do a really good job of just bringing that team together,” Emmett Nelson said. “It’s not like we all have our little groups. Everyone’s really helping each other out.”

Richmond-Burton poses with the  Kishwaukee River Conference Wrestling Championship trophy after they defeated Johnsburg on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at Johnsburg High School.

Johnsburg sophomore Micah Klos (132) won his match by fall while freshman Chase Vogel (113) earned a win by major decision. Freshman Jackson Hjorth (165) won 4-1 while senior Landon Johnson (138) won by forfeit.

The Skyhawks’ (16-3, 5-2) loss came after they dominated the Scouts in a 69-11 win. Vogel, Chase Davis (120), Johnson and sophomore Josh Key (144) each won their first matches by fall. Junior Kainoa Ancog (150) won by technical fall while sophomore Drew Jesuit (157) took his match by major decision.

Although the Skyhawks dropped their second dual to the Rockets, Johnsburg coach JD Sylvanus felt Thursday showed the progress his young team made in a year.

“The matches in my head that I knew we could be competitive in, we were,” Sylvanus said. “The other ones, they simply outworked us, they’re better wrestlers in that sense. But we’re a young team and we’re closing the gap on them. That’s meaningful.”

Both teams now have about a week before starting the postseason at the Class 1A Marengo Regional on Feb. 8.

While the Rockets celebrated a big accomplishment Thursday, they also believed they reached a peak at the right time.

“We had some tough competition,” Tony Nelson said. “These guys have all been tested. Our entire lineup has been tested with tough matches. ... I’ve seen improvement from one week to the next the entire time, and this was the best they looked as a team all year in a dual meet. So I think we’re peaking at the right time.”

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