The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team entered its IHSA Class 3A dual-team quarterfinal in Bloomington against Joliet Catholic Academy Friday with momentum after rallying to defeat St. Charles East 36-33 at the Schaumburg sectional Feb. 25, with David Ogunsanya’s pinfall victory at 150 pounds in the penultimate match sealing things. While things began well for the Huskies, the Hilltoppers won the final two matches to secure a 38-29 victory, which ended OPRF’s season.
“Everybody showed up and competed hard,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t get all the things we needed to go our way. We weren’t able to score as many bonus points as we’d hoped, and couldn’t minimize [JCA’s] damage as well.”
The dual started at 138 pounds, and OPRF won three of the first four matches. Zev Koransky defeated Dawson Mack 3-0; Joseph Knackstedt notched a major decision (12-3) over Elias Gonzalez at 144; and at 157, Ogunsanya pinned Vince Tindal in 5:29, giving the Huskies a 13-6 lead.
“Zev, Joe, and David all bumped up in weight [against JCA],” Collins said. “We hadn’t done much of that this season, especially with those guys, but when their names were called, they answered. It was what our team needed.”
But JCA ran off three consecutive victories — two via fall as well as a technical fall victory — to take a 23-13 advantage. OPRF countered with three straight wins of their own to reclaim the lead. At 215, Eric Harris got a major decision (15-4); at 285, Terrence Garner got a 4-2 victory; and at 106, MJ Rundell notched a fall at 1:04.
After JCA retook the lead with a victory via fall at 113, Jamiel Castleberry tied the dual up for the Huskies at 29-29 with a 7-1 victory at 120. But the Hilltoppers received a major decision from Matthew Laird at 126 over Gabe Rojas to retake the lead, then clinched the dual in the finale at 132 when Jason Hampton scored a technical fall over Isaiah Gibson.
While disappointed about the loss, Collins feels it didn’t detract from a successful season for OPRF.
Oak Park-River Forest junior Zev Koransky (left) sizes up Dawson Mack of Joliet Catholic during their 138-pound match at the IHSA Class 3A dual-team wrestling state quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28. Koransky prevailed 6-5. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest junior David Ogunsanya (top) takes command of his 157-pound match against Joliet Catholic’s Vince Tindal at the IHSA Class 3A dual-team state quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28. Ogunsanya notched the victory with a fall at 5:29. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest senior Joseph Knackstedt ties up Elias Gonzales of Joliet Catholic in a 145-pound match at the IHSA Class 3A team state quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28. The Huskies were defeated by the Hilltoppers 38-29. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest senior Terrence Garner (left) ties up Joliet Catholic’s Elijah Wall during a 285-pound match at the IHSA Class 3A dual team quarterfinals in Bloomington, Feb. 28. Garner defeated Wall 4-2; however, the Huskies lost the dual 38-29. (Courtesy of Samantha Smart)
“Two years ago, we had one state qualifier,” he said. “We weren’t competing for conference or anything. We’ve been building toward getting things back to where they were: having multiple state qualifiers and placers, winning conference and regional titles, and competing for trophies. I don’t think many outside the program knew what we had this year, but we did, and we knew we could compete with anyone in the state.”
Collins thanked his seniors, including stalwarts Garner, Harris, Knackstedt, AJ Noyes, and Gabe Rojas, for their help in revitalizing the Huskies.
“Whether they were starters or not, they were committed to the team,” he said. “No one can question their loyalty; they came in every day to push each other. It’s a great group.”
Although OPRF loses 15 wrestlers to graduation, the cupboard is far from bare. The Huskies are scheduled to return four of its seven individual state qualifiers: sophomores Rundell (Class 3A champion at 106) and Castleberry (5th at 120), and juniors Koransky and Ogunsanya. Sophomores Lucas Albrecht, Alex Cohen, Zach Michaud, and Liam Nikolakakis as well as juniors Gibson, Jeremiah Hernandez, and Pierre Nelson were solid contributors who look to make a bigger impact next year.
“The train will keep on rolling,” Collins said. “This was a fun season to coach. We’re going to take time to reflect on the season we had, then start getting ready for next year.”