The Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team has displayed its dominance in many ways this season. Having already clinched a spot in the upcoming dual-team state finals, the Huskies flexed their muscles at the Conant Individual Sectional, Feb. 13-14. OPRF had eight wrestlers, including four champions, qualify for the Class 3A individual state finals, which take place at State Farm Center on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Feb. 19-21.
“It was a great weekend,” said OPRF coach Jason Renteria. “I’m a little hurt that a couple of my seniors didn’t make it, I was hoping they’d punch their tickets to Champaign. But the guys going downstate are wrestling lights-out and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
MJ Rundell (37-3), last year’s champion at 106, won the 113 lb title, pinning Jack Koenig of St. Patrick at 2:48 in the final. At 126, Jamiel Castleberry (32-3) got a technical fall victory in the final over Vannak Khlev of Glenbard North. Aiden Noyes (32-7) defeated Gavin Hoerr of Maine South 4-1 to win the 150 lb title, and at 157, David Ogunsanya (30-3) defeated Cadin Ljubenko of Maine South on a technical fall for the championship.
“David, Jamiel, MJ have all been there before multiple times and know what the goal is,” Renteria said. “That’s being top-three or on the podium at this point. It’s huge, but I need to make sure to put in their heads that it’s not a big deal, it’s just another day. When they’re relaxed and level-headed, they’re very dangerous on the mat.”
Zev Koransky and Pierre Nelson each finished runner-up. Koransky (28-9) was edged out by Jake Colleran of Maine South in the 144 lb final, 2-0, and Nelson (25-11) lost to Sean Cook of Niles Notre Dame 15-6 in the 285 lb final. Also advancing were Alex Cohen (29-14), who finished third at 132, and Lucas Albrecht (10-5), who finished fourth at 215.
Senior Isaiah Gibson narrowly missed placing in the top four, losing in the final wrestleback to eventual third-place finisher Aiden Quevedo of Schaumburg at 138. Had Gibson prevailed, he would have clinched a state berth.
But Renteria was impressed by how Gibson responded after just missing out on state.
“That was honestly the cool part. Gibby took some time after the blood round match and the first words that came out of his mouth after he took time to grieve were, ‘Now it’s time to get a team trophy,’ he said. To see guys heartbroken bounce back and get ready is huge. You don’t see many kids deal with heartbreak and be able to move to the next level right away. It’s huge for his maturity to be able to move on.”
Jordan Dezara (106), Zach Chasson (120), Jeremiah Hernandez (165), and Donovan Lopez (175) also wrestled at Conant but did not advance.
OPRF Girls
At the Phillips Sectional, Feb. 13-14, the Huskies qualified two for the state finals, which take place at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Feb. 27-28.
Senior Caliyah Campbell (23-6) won the 170 lb championship, defeating Sara Martinez-Lopera of Kelly 4-1 in the final. Senior Isabella Miller, who was a sectional qualifier last year, punched her ticket to state this year thanks to a second-place finish at 140. Miller (24-4) lost in the final to Tyanna Jackson of Warren on a fall at 3:47.
“They were amazing,” said OPRF interim coach Nyles Pascasio. “They were fighting hard throughout the entire day against hard opponents and luckily were able to get some dubs.
“Caliyah had a really hard-fought match [final] and it was an amazing job for her. Isabella had a very close final and was able to stay ahead, unfortunately, she got pinned with a reversal. She was fighting her hardest to get out of it but wasn’t able to do that.”
Pascasio said both Campbell and Miller are excited about representing OPRF at state. He adds that they’ll use the time before the finals to prepare and hone their mindset and approach.
“We’re going to get back to the lab, work on our craft, and keep working hard,” Pascasio said. “Perfect our techniques and make sure we’re ready to go to state. We keep telling to have a winning mentality. That’s what we’ve been preaching all year, having a great mindset.”