Grayslake Central’s Anthony Alanis wasn’t going to rest on his laurels during his junior season.
Alanis was the Class 2A state runner-up at 106 pounds in 2022 but wasn’t satisfied.
“I knew I had not taken wrestling as seriously as I needed to before my sophomore year, so I wasn’t going to make that mistake again,” he said.
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Instead, Alanis used last summer to put in more work at the Relentless Training Center in Johnsburg. He also tried to find the best competition by entering events throughout the Midwest.
“I wasn’t home that much this past summer, but I didn’t mind,” he said. “I knew I was doing the work for a reason.”
Alanis, the 2022-23 News-Sun Boys Wrestler of the Year, made sure of that at the University of Illinois’ State Farm Center in Champaign last month, when he won the 2A state title at 106.
“It feels good to accomplish something that I have been working toward for a long time,” he said. “But I’m not going to rest with just one state title. I want to win another one next year.”
Alanis (44-1) finished this season with an 8-6 victory against Wauconda’s Gavin Rockey in the state championship match. However, in Alanis’ mind, his 5-2 loss to Antioch’s Gavin Hanrahan when he moved up a weight class for a tournament early in the season is the match that stands out.
“Yeah, a lot of things happened that day, but that loss stings because it prevented me from finishing the season unbeaten,” he said. “I used it as motivation for the rest of the season.”
Alanis also remembered his 5-2 loss to Chatham Glenwood’s Drew Davis in the 2022 state championship match. He wanted to make sure he didn’t fall one win short again.
“Anthony used the summer to get stronger,” Grayslake Central coach Matt Joseph said. “He got ridden out on the bottom against (Davis), but with his increased strength, that did not happen this past season as he was able to work his way out of trouble.”
Alanis has set his sights on having another successful summer, which he hopes includes a second chance to participate in USA Wrestling’s junior national tournament in Fargo, North Dakota.
“I just missed out on placing last summer in Fargo, so I definitely want to do better this time,” he said.
Alanis also wants to put more muscle on his frame because he expects to move up to 113 this summer.
“I’m always working on my technique, but I want to get stronger too,” he said.
Joseph said Alanis will draw more interest from college programs if he gains weight and increases his strength. The lowest weight class in college is 125.
“It takes hard work, heart and focus to continue to grow and get better, and Anthony has plenty of that,” Joseph said. “We are blessed to have him in our program.”
Winning his first state championship has already put Alanis on the map, however. He got to meet some college coaches when he attended the NCAA Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma, over the weekend.
“A lot more coaches know who I am now that I won state,” he said. “I’m going to take some visits to colleges this summer to see the campuses. I definitely want to wrestle on the next level.”
Alanis said competing for a strong program like Grayslake Central — which had four wrestlers qualify for the state meet and will bring back two state champions, including Matty Jens, next season — makes his high school years productive.
“Everyone on the team is close and works well together to get better,” Alanis said. “We have a lot of good young wrestlers coming up, so I want to be able to lead by example to show them how hard work can pay off.”
Darren Day is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.