Oak Park and River Forest High School athletics has had an exciting start. This is the first taste of sports at OPRF for the 2023 fall season. Below are a few highlights from teams with several home games so far. (Please note: all information was current at Trapeze press time).
Girls Field Hockey: On the newly renovated Lake Street field, a sizable crowd gathered on the west side to watch the field hockey team’s first game of the 2023 season on Aug. 21. The OPRF team started their season with a dominant win, a score of 4-1 against Antioch Community High School.
The team later went to the Gateway Tournament and got second place. The next home game is on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 10:30 a.m. against Saint Ignatius College Prep on the Lake Street field.
Football: On Aug. 26, OPRF and its fans invaded Fenwick High School’s home field in hopes of starting the crosstown rivalry with a win. After a mistake on the first kickoff of the game from the Huskies, turning the ball over and leading to a Friar touchdown, the Huskies were able to just trail the Friars at the end of the first half, 14-13. But after an astonishing performance from the Friars in the second half, the Huskies fell to the Friars, 34-13. The loss left the Huskies filled with determination, and they are ready for revenge.
On Sept. 1, the team hosted Lake Park to a loud crowd of fans. Junior Owen Watson was the quarterback for the Huskies, since starting sophomore Johnny Nelson had sustained an injury. During the entire game, the teams were going back and forth. Deep in the fourth quarter, Watson threw a great ball to junior and wide receiver Matt Winkelhake for a touchdown, taking the lead 16-12. After a missed two-point conversion, Lake Park needed a touchdown in two minutes. On the kick off, Lake Park’s receiver ran 96 yards for a touchdown. taking the lead with 52 seconds to go. The Huskies were able to bring the ball to the Lake Park 20 yard line to attempt a 37-yard field goal. The kicker, Eric Guerrier, missed the field goal, as the Lake Park Lancers invaded the Huskie’s turf. The Huskies lost 18-16.
The next home game is the homecoming game on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. against Downers Grove North in the stadium.
Boys Soccer: On Aug. 21, The Huskies hosted the Saint Ignatius Wolfpack for 80 minutes of pure suspense. In front of a loud crowd in the stadium, the Huskies started the second half tied with Ignatius 1-1. After 30 minutes of back-and-forth possessions, the Huskies finally got a goal in the 68th minute, pulling ahead with just 13 minutes left, and they scored another goal in the 80th and final minute to solidify the first game of the season, 3-1.
Boys soccer continues to thrive early this season, winning a tournament in Addison Trail. Their next home game will be Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. in the stadium against Hinsdale Central High School.
Girls Volleyball: The girls volleyball teams started the season with one-sided victories in their first five games, and their home and conference debut game on Sept. 5 was no exception.
The first set looked like it was the start of the closest game of the season so far against Hinsdale Central. The set was back and forth the whole time. With the help of senior and outside hitter Grace Nelson’s kills and junior and outside hitter Phoebe Shorney’s ace deep in the first set, the Huskies were able to win the first set 27-25.
The second set was just as exciting with the whole team coming together with killer shots and blocks, but the Huskies just came up short in the second set, 23-25. After the loss of the second set, the Huskies and their fans turned up the heat in the third set and the Huskies comfortably won 25-17, and the match two sets to one.
On Sept. 8, The Volleyball team invited Fenwick to the field house. Before serving a ball, OPRF and their fans – who crowded the stands, honored Grace Nelson, who got her 1,000th kill in her high school volleyball career on Sept. 2 in Avon, Ind. The emotions were high in the field house that night with many chants from the OPRF student section. The fans were loud and supportive as the Huskies were able to get revenge for the football team, winning the match easily two sets to none.
The next home game is Tuesday, Sept. 19, 25 minutes after the JV game (approximately 5:30 p.m.) against Downers Grove North High School in the Field House.
Huskie sports have started! Come support your classmates this season!
Other Scores:
8/25-8/26: Girls Volleyball tournament: 3 Wins, 1 Loss
8/26: Boys Soccer vs. Willowbrook: Win; 5-0
8/28: Girls Field Hockey vs. Evanston Township: Win; 2-1
8/29: Girls Field Hockey vs. Loyola: Loss; 3-0
8/29: Boys Soccer vs. Glenbard North: Win; 2-1
8/29: Girls Volleyball vs. Wheaton Warrenville South: Win; 2-0
8/31: Boys Soccer vs. Fenton: Win; 4-0
9/2: Boys Soccer vs. Geneva: Win; 2-0
9/2: Girls Volleyball tournament: 3 Wins, 1 Loss.
9/3: Girls Field Hockey Gateway Tournament: 2 Wins, 1 Loss.
9/7: Boys Soccer vs. York: Win; 3-1
9/7: Girls Volleyball vs. Nazareth Academy: Win;2-0
9/7: Girls Field Hockey vs. Glenbrook South: Loss; 9-2
9/8: Boys Football vs. Proviso West: Win; 33-14