They say good things come to those who wait. And wait. And wait some more.
It was a long bus ride to Matteson for the Oak Park and River Forest football team Friday, as the Huskies kicked off their season against host Rich Township. OPRF walked away with a 28-6 win, but that nearly two-hour bus ride, thanks in part to the Labor Day weekend traffic, was a pain.
“We do this thing where we’re not allowed to have phones on the bus, [so we’re] locking in,” said junior running back and linebacker Liam Smith, who said he and his teammates spent their time “chilling out and getting ready mentally.” Senior outside linebacker Isaiah Gibson said you could tell when game time was approaching.
“When we were about 10 minutes out, we all got quiet and we just locked in, just dialed in and just visualized,” Gibson said.
But the ride home, after Smith rambled for 119 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving), and two fumble recoveries and an interception by Gibson?
“On the way home it was a little faster,” said coach John Hoerster. “It’s a whole lot more fun when you come back with the victory.”
And how, especially after a 1-8 campaign a year ago.
“It’s big for these kids, they were excited about it, it’s great for their mental attitude and positivity and getting some excitement for the season,” Hoerster said.
It may not have been a cast of thousands for the Huskies against the pesky Raptors, whose only score came on an 84-yard touchdown on the second play of the game, but there were a whole lot of contributors. They say it starts up front, and for OPRF, the tandem of junior nose guard Ben Lambe, and defensive ends Connor Krumrei, a junior, and senior Caleb Collins hanged tough. Their work allowed Smith to rack up eight tackles.
“He’s a big physical kid; he was taking on double teams and that allows the guys behind him to make plays,” Hoerster said of Lambe.
But it was Gibson, a wrestler, who seemed to be everywhere. Hoerster said Gibson is “such a scrappy athlete” and had some nice open-field tackles.
All in a night’s work for Gibson, to be sure.
“I just knew what they were going to run,” he said. “I spent all week watching film and telling my teammates what they do in this formation and what they do in that formation.”
Smith had plenty of kudos for his teammate.
“For me, Gibby brings so much energy and heart to our defense on Friday and he gave us that spark to keep going,” Smith said. “He’s a big leader on his team.”
Offensively, Smith was solid and so was junior quarterback AJ Porter, who entered the game after halftime and ended up throwing three touchdown passes – one to Smith (16 yards) and two to junior running back Norlan Davis (35 and 16 yards respectively). Davis also had a solid night as a blocker, Hoerster said.
Smith said it was important for his team to get that first W, especially since crosstown rival Fenwick awaits in Week 2, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m., at Triton College.
“This is our Super Bowl right here, this is the game we talk about all season,” Smith said. “This to us is who owns Oak Park.”
Gibson agreed.
“It kind of makes my blood boil every time I hear their name,” he said. “The class of 2026, everybody on that roster hasn’t beaten Fenwick. We all want to get that game.”