The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team brought Jason Renteria’s regular-season debut as head coach to a successful end last weekend. The Huskies claimed another perfect record in the West Suburban Silver with a 49-23 home win over Lyons Township, Jan. 23, then finished second in the Arkin Invite they hosted, Jan. 24. OPRF’s 231 team points were just two behind champion Glenbard West.
“I thought it was a great weekend,” Renteria said. “It was really good to get some guys from out of town and scrap with us before the postseason starts.”
OPRF had five individual champions at the Arkin Invite. Junior Michael Rundell wrestled at 113 pounds and improved his season record to 30-3, pinning Mason Moody of Arrowhead (Wisconsin) in 1:11. At 126, junior Jamiel Castleberry (27-3) notched a sudden-death victory in overtime against Arrowhead’s Zahn Beal, 5-2, in the final. Junior Alex Cohen (24-12) edged past Brayden Bergemann of Arrowhead in the 132-pound final, 3-2.
Senior Aiden Noyes (24-7) scored a 19-6 major decision victory over Carter Skoff of Morris to win the 150-pound title, and senior David Ogunsanya (23-3) pinned Jondelle Malunay of Glenbard West in 3:50 for the title at 157.
The Huskies had seven other wrestlers who placed. At 106, junior Jordan Dezara defeated a teammate, sophomore Jacob Macedo, in the third-place match. Sophomore Zach Chasson finished sixth at 120; senior Zev Koransky was third at 144; junior Zach Michaud was sixth at 165; and junior Lucas Albrecht took fourth at 215 while his teammate, senior Pierre Nelson, was fifth.
Winning the WSC Silver did not come easy for OPRF this year. Host Glenbard West pushed the Huskies in a dual, Jan. 15. OPRF trailed the Hilltoppers going into the final two matches, but received pinfall wins from Nelson and Albrecht respectively to pull out a dramatic 36-35 victory.
“It really didn’t hit me until afterwards that we won conference,” Renteria said. “[Glenbard West] definitely gave us a run for our money; it was a great dual overall. If we see them again in the postseason, we need to be ready.”
Renteria said he appreciates the challenges OPRF has faced and feels that the experiences gained from them will be helpful going forward.
“The boys have made some big gains,” Renteria said. “Now it’s the postseason; it’s time to tighten up some screws before we get into the big matches.
OPRF competes in the IHSA Class 3A Lane Tech Regional, Jan. 31. The IHSA adjusted the wrestling calendar, so now the team dual sectionals take place Feb. 5, followed by the individual sectionals Feb. 13-14. The individual state finals are Feb. 20-21, and the team state finals, Feb. 27-28.
The Huskies are hosting a team dual sectional, and Renteria says that’s a big plus.
“It’s a big advantage for us. The boys definitely compete better when we’re at home,” he said.
OPRF girls
At the West Suburban Conference girls wrestling meet hosted by Addison Trail, Jan. 24, OPRF senior Isabella Miller won the 140-pound title. Miller, a sectional qualifier last year, defeated Gia Cozzani of Glenbard West via technical fall and improved her record to 9-2.
Seniors Nerissa Blue, Caliyah Campbell, and Michelle Kpekpe also placed for the Huskies. At 170, Campbell (10-2) took second, losing in the final via pinfall to Morton’s Anali Wilson. At 155, Blue (12-13) finished fourth, as did Kpekpe (11-11) at 125.
Sophomore Ellianna Martinez, junior Riley Rogers, and senior Maggie Herman also competed. Though they did not place, OPRF interim coach Nyles Pascasio felt the Huskies fared solidly.
“We did pretty good,” said Pascasio, who is filling in for Phylli Nash, currently on leave. “Everybody was fighting hard.
“They have improved a lot since the start of the season. It’s good to see they’re able to use what they were taught and put it to work in the matches.”
OPRF’s final regular-season match is a dual at Leyden Township, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. The Huskies will then have the IHSA Regional at Rickover Naval Academy in Chicago, Feb. 7.
“We’re looking to make sure our girls are doing 110 percent, being able to fight and leave it all on the mat, and getting some wins,” Pascasio said.
