The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys’ golf team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its 2024 season.
Following a second-place finish in the season-opening Payton-Jones Invitational, Aug. 16, the Huskies won their own quad invitational, held Aug. 17 at Indian Boundary Golf Course, with a team score of 295 strokes. OPRF coach Bill Young says it’s the school’s lowest score since he has been leading the program.
“We played pretty well,” he said. “It’s still early, but we had good days.”
At Payton-Jones, the Huskies finished second with a score of 303, just one stroke behind champion Evanston Township. Individually, junior Luke Roberts and senior Reese Brotman (two of OPRF’s three returnees from last year) tied for fifth with rounds of 74, while junior James Kelly tied for seventh with a round of 76.
Oak Park-River Forest High School sophomore Karsten Davis tees off at the OPRF Boys Golf Quad Invite held at Indian Boundary, August 17. Davis helped the Huskies win the team title. | Carol Dunning 
Oak Park-River Forest boys golfer James Kelly lines up a putt at the OPRF Quad Invite held at Indian Boundary, August 17. Kelly, a junior, finished in a three-way tie for second, carding a 74, to help the Huskies win the team title. | Carol Dunning 
Oak Park-River Forest junior Luke Roberts watches his putt go towards the hole at the OPRF Boys Golf Quad Invite held at Indian Boundary, August 17. Roberts shot a 71 and won medalist honors as the Huskies won the team title with a score of 295. | Carol Dunning
The following day at Indian Boundary, Roberts won medalist honors with a round of 71. Kelly and classmate Griffin Lane carded rounds of 74 to finish in a three-way tie for second with Payton’s Henry O’Toole. Junior Adam Dominowski tied for sixth with a 76, and senior Charles Newman (the Huskies’ other returnee) took eighth with a 77.
“That’s Luke’s first time breaking par at OPRF,” Young said. “It’s his third year on varsity so he’s more experienced than anyone else. He’s off to a good start.”
In addition to Dominowski, Kelly, and Lane, OPRF’s other varsity newcomers are junior Hugh Dwyer and sophomores Karsten Davis, Jackson Dodd, and Will Timchak.
“Jackson finished All-Conference last year in the West Suburban Silver junior-varsity tournament,” Young said. “Will shot 81 on Friday and 80 on Saturday. Karsten shot in the low 80s this weekend. All of them have been working hard and they’ve steadily improved. They’re letting the other guys know they need to improve as well. This “in-house” competition makes us a better team because they have to push one another.”
OPRF will need all hands on deck to take on a rigorous schedule this fall. The Huskies have a quad with Evanston, Lake Forest, and New Trier, something Young calls “a big test for us,” followed by the Champaign Invitational and the Lake Park Invitational.
Then there’s the always-tough WSC Silver to deal with. Young said Downers Grove North, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Township, and York all return plenty of strong players.
“We’re going to have to play our best just to have a chance against those teams,” he added. “[But] I’m really excited about this team. We have 10 young men who are really committed to improving.”
Fenwick returns experienced squad
With 15 returnees from last season’s IHSA Class 2A De La Salle regional championship team, head coach Jerry Kribs likes how Fenwick is looking this fall.
“The team has four new players in the top six,” he said. “We have a lot of potential.”
Junior Luke Sherlock placed fourth at regional with a round of 74, while sophomore Grant Hickman tied for eighth with 76. Kribs will rely on their experience to help guide the Friars.
Two newcomers to watch are seniors Michael Carmignani and Luke Nowicki, both of whom Kribs feels have a chance to be solid contributors.
Fenwick’s other golfers are seniors Erich Kosch, Charlie Shishman, and Timmy Woods; juniors Ryan Brennan, Johnny Cox, Aidan Haefner, Mack Hamilton, Conor Hanley, and Michael McMahon; sophomores Clayton Dine, Alex Kulisek, Alec Lozano, Danny O’Donoghue, Jay Raber, and Jack Weiler; and freshmen Johnny Anderson, Frank Grote, and Peter McFadden.
As usual, the Friars have a tough schedule.
“The Providence Catholic Invitational on Sept. 7 is always a good measuring stick against other top programs,” Kribs said.
The Chicago Catholic League meet is Sept. 23 at Cog Hill in Lemont. Kribs says Loyola Academy is the team to beat, and he also views Marmion Academy, Providence, St. Francis, and St. Ignatius as top contenders.
“We want to have continuing improvement throughout the season with the goal of peaking during the state series,” Kribs said.