The Oak Park and River Forest High School wrestling team fondly refers to itself as the Huskie Wrestling Family. But among the families who have participated in the program over the years, there’s one that stands out. In 2015, Matthew Rundell, a 2015 OPRF graduate, won the IHSA Class 3A individual title at 160 lbs, finishing with a 34-3 record. Three years later, Matthew’s younger brother Jake (Class of ’20) won the 106 lb title.
At the IHSA Class 3A individual state finals in Champaign, Feb. 22, another Rundell followed suit. Sophomore MJ Rundell defeated Loyola Academy’s Niko Odlotti 4-1 to win the 106 lb title. He’s the Huskies’ first state champion since 2020, when Josh Ogunsanya won the 145 lb title.
“It’s pretty nice. It’s definitely something I’ve been working hard for,” said Rundell, who improved his season record to 41-2. “It’s good to see it pay off.”
Rundell is quick to credit his brothers, whom he says have been a major influence in his career.
“They give me a lot of aspirations,” he said, “and expectations for myself.”
“We felt really good about the way MJ wrestled,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “He gained more confidence and got better as the tournament went on.”
Besides Rundell, two other OPRF wrestlers earned All-State status with top-six finishes in their weight classes. Following a quarterfinal loss, sophomore Jamiel Castleberry (31-7) won two consecutive wrestlebacks to secure a spot on the podium at 120 lbs. In the fifth-place match, he defeated Andrew’s Nadeem Haleem, 10-3.
“Jamiel didn’t wrestle his best in the quarterfinals and he’d be the first to say that,” Collins said. “But he was able to respond and focus his energy on the right things that allowed him to compete to the best of his ability. It was a point of growth for him.”
At 138, senior Joseph Knackstedt (35-5) reached the semifinals. He lost via technical fall to Seth Mendoza of Mount Carmel, but rebounded in the wrestleback with a victory via fall at 2:57 against Fremd’s Drew Fifield. In the third-place match, Knackstedt lost 11-5 to Grant’s Erik Rodriguez.
“Joe was better prepared this year to compete,” Collins said. “For him to go from not placing last year to top-four this year is a great achievement.”
The Huskies had four others competing in Champaign. Junior David Ogunsanya (27-8) and senior Eric Harris (28-13) each went 2-2 in the 150 and 215 lb classes respectively. Junior Zev Koransky went 1-2 at 132, while senior AJ Noyes (11-7) dropped both matches at 144.
Now that state individuals are over, OPRF turns its attention to the dual-team tournament. The Huskies faced St. Charles East in a 3A sectional semifinal at Schaumburg, Feb. 25, after deadline. The winner advances to the quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28-March 1.
While thrilled with his individual accomplishment, Rundell plans on doing his part to help OPRF win a team state title, which would be the program’s fifth and the first since 2016.
“We’re just gonna keep training hard,” he said. “It’d be amazing to win. I feel confident in my ability to put it on the line for my team and get that win.”
Oak Park-River Forest sophomore MJ Rundell gets his hand raised in victory at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling finals in Champaign, Feb. 20-22. Rundell won the 106-pound division to become the Huskies’ first state champion since Josh Ogunsanya in 2020. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest senior Joseph Knackstedt (second from left) placed fourth in the 138-pound weight class at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling finals in Champaign, Feb. 22. (Photo Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest sophomore Jamiel Castleberry (far right) finished fifth in the 120-pound weight class in the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling finals in Champaign. (Photo Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest senior Joseph Knackstedt (top) takes command against his opponent at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling finals in Champaign, Feb. 20-22. Knackstedt placed fourth in the 138-pound division. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest wrestlers (left to right) Jamiel Castleberry, MJ Rundell, and Joseph Knackstedt at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling finals in Champaign. Rundell won the 106-pound title; Knackstedt was fourth at 138 lbs, and Castleberry fifth at 120. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest wrestlers (front row, left to right) Jamiel Castleberry, MJ Rundell, and Joseph Knackstedt with head coach Paul Collins (upper left) and the coaching staff at the IHSA Class 3A individual finals in Champaign. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest High School sophomore MJ Rundell with his championship medal and banner at the IHSA Class 3A individual wrestling state finals in Champaign, Feb. 22. Rundell became the Huskies’ first state wrestling champion in five years, defeating Loyola’s Niko Odlotti 4-1 in the final to win the 106-pound title. His brothers Matthew (2015) and Jake (2018) also won state titles at OPRF. (Provided by Paul Collins)
Fenwick
Fenwick entered the Class 2A state finals hoping to gain All-State honors for its four qualifiers. But in a tough field, the Friars were shut out.
Aiden Burns (43-6) had Fenwick’s best showing, going 2-2 on the weekend. After edging past Plano’s Caldan Ronning 16-15 in the opener at 157 lbs, he lost his quarterfinal via major decision to Highland’s Tyson Rakers.
Burns notched a technical fall victory against Deerfield’s Charlie Cross in the wrestleback. But in the next wrestleback, he dropped a 4-2 decision to Rockford East’s Ty Smart. Had Burns prevailed, he’d have secured All-State.
“Aiden had a phenomenal year,” said Fenwick coach Seth Gamino. “He wrestled his tail off and left it all on the mat.”
At 190, Jack Paris (41-13) won his opener 9-7 over Plano’s Prince Amakiri, before dropping his next two matches. CJ Brown (33-13) and Dominic Esposito (38-14) went winless at 113 and 175 lbs respectively.
“They all left it on the mat as well,” Gamino said. “It was fierce competition.”
Brown, Burns, Esposito, and Paris are among 10 graduating wrestlers. Gamino thanked them for their efforts the past four years in helping to reestablish Fenwick’s program as one that is respected in the Chicago Catholic League.
“They put in some hard work and left behind something for us to build on,” he said. “We’ve got very strong freshman and sophomore classes. We’re staying positive and thinking the best.”