For many years, the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team ruled the West Suburban Conference Silver Division, winning many consecutive championships. In recent seasons as the Huskies went through a rebuilding process, they were knocked off their lofty perch. If this season is any indication, the program is back to its winning ways.
Last week, OPRF claimed the outright WSC Silver title with back-to-back dual meet wins: 44-17 over visiting York on Jan. 16, then 38-25 at Glenbard West, Jan. 17. It’s the first time in four years that the Huskies have finished atop the conference.
“It’s awesome,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “These guys wrestle hard for each other. It’s amazing to watch our seniors (Ruben Acevedo, Emmett Baker, Isaac Davies) scrap and do what they could. They helped us win both of those dual meets, and our younger guys stepped in and built off of their momentum.”
OPRF hosted its annual Huskie Invitational on Jan. 20, finishing third in the standings with 317 points. Sophomore Zev Koransky was the Huskies’ sole individual champion, winning the 126-pound final via major decision, 13-2, over Glenbard West’s Alejandro Arenda.
“Zev beat a tough kid who’s stymied him a little bit this year,” Collins said.
Oak Park and River Forest sophomore wrestler Zev Koransky picks up Glenbard West’s Alejandro Arenda in the 126-pound final of the Huskie Invitational, Jan. 20. Koransky won via a major decision, 13-2. | Carol Dunning 
Oak Park and River Forest High School freshman wrestler Michael Rundell ties up his opponent in a 106-pound match at the Huskie Invitational, Jan. 20. Rundell finished fourth in his weight class. | Carol Dunning 
Oak Park and River Forest High School junior wrestler Eric Harris tries to pin Noah Wenzel of Dakota in a 215-pound semifinal at the Huskie Invitational, Jan. 20. Harris lost this match 7-3, but rallied to finish third in his weight class. | Carol Dunning
Junior Joe Knackstedt (138 pounds) and sophomore David Ogunsanya (150) had runner-up finishes; junior Eric Harris took third at 215; freshman Michael Rundell was fourth at 106; junior Gabe Rojas was fourth at 113; junior Terrence Garner was fifth at 285; and sophomore AJ Noyes was sixth at 132.
While Collins is happy with how his team has done in dual meets, he’d like to see improvement in tournament performances, especially timely with the Huskies hosting an IHSA Class 3A regional in less than two weeks.
“Our tournaments haven’t been bad overall. Today was solid,” Collins said. “[But] the way I operate, I only think about missed opportunities. Between the 157, 165, and 190 classes, we scored only four team points. If we’re thinking about winning a regional title, we’ve got to be better than that. There were a lot of winnable matches we lost today, and we have a lot of work we need to do over the next two weeks.”
The Class 3A OPRF Regional takes place Feb. 3.
Fenwick
Fenwick placed 13th with 41 points in the Chicago Catholic League tournament, Jan. 20, at St. Rita. The Friars had two individuals place fifth in their respective weight classes: Dominic Esposito at 165 pounds, and Patrick Gilboy at 175 pounds.
Up next for Fenwick is the IHSA Class 2A regional, Feb. 3, at St. Ignatius.
