Oak Park and River Forest High School’s new varsity boys lacrosse head coach should be well known to fans.
Dan Ganschow, who graduated from OPRF in 1993 and served as head coach for 14 seasons before stepping down, is back leading the Huskies. He returned last year to serve as an assistant to Justin Porter, who departed OPRF after two seasons.
Ganschow likes how things are looking so far this spring.
“At this point, the team has worked hard to become a cohesive unit,” he said. “I believe this year’s coaching staff has worked hard to implement the principles of our offensive and defensive systems to become stronger at the fundamentals of lacrosse.”
Ganschow adds that the staff’s methods are designed to help the players succeed both on and off the field, believing the skills they develop will benefit them as they get older.
“As a teacher, father, and coach, I want our players to not only have fun and learn about the sport, but to become good role models and community members,” he said.
OPRF, which returns 13 players from last season, is 3-0 this season, with victories over Riverside-Brookfield (16-1), Niles Notre Dame (10-0), and Mount Carmel (11-8). The Huskies have received top efforts from sophomore attacker Connor Ganschow (11 goals, 5 assists, 7 ground balls); junior midfielder Dylan Clarke (5 goals, 5 assists, 5 ground balls); junior face-off midfielder Ravi Mitchell-Chablani (64% success rate), and senior defender Luke Fougère, an Illinois Institute of Technology signee.
Top newcomers for OPRF are freshman attacker Thomas Carter, sophomore attacker Arlo Hungerford, and sophomore goalie Charlie Dawson.
“We’ve had eight different players score in our games and our defense has worked very well together,” Ganschow said. “But it’s very early in the season, so we’re bound to have more standout play as we move through the schedule.”
Ganschow feels discipline and teamwork will determine how OPRF fares this season.
“When everyone in the lacrosse program is moving in the same direction to accomplish the same goals to be successful,” he said, “each member of the team will bring dignity to themselves, our program, and our school. By doing so, I believe our players will develop skills they can take with them through life, as well as the beginnings of lifelong friendships.”
OPRF visits Maine South, April 12, and begins West Suburban Silver play at York, April 15.
Fenwick
Connor Lamb, a 2016 OPRF graduate, is Fenwick’s new head coach. Lamb takes over from Daniel Applebaum, who led the program the previous five years.
Fenwick is off to a 2-2 start this spring, with victories at Nazareth Academy (16-4) and Lane Tech (8-6) and losses to St. Ignatius and Kimberly, Wisconsin. In the victory over Nazareth, senior attacker Charles Bastedo and junior attacker Marco Litton each scored four goals, and junior midfielder Duffy Monahan went perfect in the face-off dot.
Bastedo, Litton, and Monahan are among 13 returning players for Fenwick, which went 12-8 last year. The others are sophomore defender Adam Chrastka, sophomore midfielder Luke Benton, junior defender Robert Arroyo, junior goalie Will Ristau, junior midfielder Truman Sabatino, senior attacker Jack Hardy, senior defender AJ Guercio, and senior midfielders Ninos Ameer, Sam Guercio, and Dylan Keith.
Having plenty of experienced players should be of great help for Lamb. Fenwick hosts Providence Catholic, April 10 at Triton College, and has road matches at Hinsdale Central, April 12, and Brother Rice, April 15.
