Last season, a young Oak Park-River Forest High School football team struggled to compete in the rugged West Suburban Silver, winning just one game while suffering multiple running-clock defeats.
This season, the Huskies have been more competitive and there have been no overly lopsided defeats. Even so, putting together a complete game has been challenging, and this was on display in a 31-14 home loss to Willowbrook in a West Suburban crossover Oct. 11.
“We haven’t yet put together four quarters of football,” said OPRF coach John Hoerster. “We got a great quarter here, a great quarter there, but when you play a tough schedule against well-coached teams, you’ve got to find a way to put four quarters together. Every phase of the game, we had opportunities, but we just didn’t finish.”
Willowbrook (4-3) took a 17-0 halftime lead thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Jahonise Reed and a 31-yard field goal from Dean Romano. But the Huskies (1-6) started the second half on a very promising note, getting a defensive stop and then marching 70 yards on 10 plays to score on an 1-yard run by sophomore RB Liam Smith (11 carries, 34 yards; four receptions, 52 yards).
However, the positive momentum generated dissipated immediately when on the very first play of Willowbrook’s next drive, Reed hit Jesus Gomez deep over the middle 66 yards for a touchdown.
“They hit us over the top, and the air deflated [on the sideline],” Hoerster said.
OPRF junior quarterback Johnny Nelson (17-of-29, 208 yards, TD, 2 INT) regenerated hope when he connected with senior wide receiver Mikee Vielehr on a 58-yard pass that got the Huskies inside Willowbrook’s red zone on the ensuing drive. But the Warriors’ defense stiffened, and OPRF turned the ball over on downs.
With 8:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Nelson’s three- yard touchdown pass to senior wing Jake Karnick brought the Huskies back to within 10. But with the Huskies’ defense needing a stop on third down, Reed made a backbreaking play: a 52-yard pass completion to Kenneth Rhodes. A few plays later, Rashard Morrison’s three-yard touchdown run sealed the victory for the Warriors.
“[Willowbrook] has some great athletes,” Hoerster said. “Their quarterback really played well and made some plays when he had to. They play an uptempo brand of football that puts you on your heels and exploits you. I tip my cap to Willowbrook.”
Yet Nelson and Smith played well, and Hoerster said he feels they’ve been OPRF’s most consistent players.
“When we look at film and break down games,” he said, “we see those two stand out week in and week out. Johnny and Liam’s ceilings are so high and their futures bright. They’re two really tough kids and we put a lot on their shoulders, but they don’t back down. I’m really proud of the two of them.”
With OPRF now eliminated from playoff consideration, Hoerster said he wants the Huskies to finish up the season as strong as possible while taking a holistic approach.
“Our seniors, 99.9% of these guys are playing two more games of football in their lives,” Hoerster said. “That’s the reality. Some of them might play at the next level, but who knows how long that lasts. The only thing that’s guaranteed is these next two weeks. You can’t look past the next practice, film session, or game; you have to really live in the moment and enjoy those opportunities with your buddies who you grew up with and played in Junior Huskies with. I hope they do because this is a really great group of kids who enjoy spending time together; I hope they finish strong, and I really believe they will.”
OPRF has its final home game this season against Hinsdale Central Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.