Last year, Oak Park and River Forest High School junior Jamiel Castleberry placed fifth in the 120-pound weight class at the IHSA Class 3A individual state wrestling championships.
That finish, while satisfying, also fueled his hunger for something higher. He accomplished his goal to the fullest extent possible at this year’s championships in Champaign. Castleberry (36-3) defeated Oleksandr Havrylkiv of Hersey 5-1 in the 126-pound final to claim the title. It’s the second consecutive year an OPRF wrestler has won a championship; junior MJ Rundell won the 106-pound title last year.
“It sounds good,” Castleberry told Wednesday Journal. “It feels great.”
Castleberry’s title victory came in a rematch. At an invitational at downstate Washington earlier this year, he trailed Havrylkiv for much of the match and was eventually pinned for the loss. Castleberry knew he’d have to come out differently in order to attain a better result.
“I just knew I had to score points,” he said. “My brother and my coaches had a game plan. I stuck with the plan and it worked out. I’ve been waiting on this for a long time. I got fourth my freshman year [with Proviso East] and fifth last year. This year I got it done and it felt pretty amazing.”
OPRF coach Jason Renteria felt the discipline and poise Castleberry showed keyed his successful title run.
“It was awesome to see,” he said. “The earlier match, we both knew Jamiel made some mistakes he shouldn’t have. We already thought he was better than [Havrylkiv] and just had to make adjustments.
“Jamiel’s level of maturity has grown from the beginning of the postseason to the end. The growth within the program, whether as an individual or for the team, has been huge. He’s been responding to what the staff has asked him to do and is growing up right before our eyes.”
Castleberry is one of OPRF’s four wrestlers who are now all-staters as a result of their top-six finishes in Champaign. While Rundell (41-4) came up short in his bid for a repeat title, losing in the 113-pound semifinals 4-0 to Erik Klichurov of Montini Catholic, he rallied in the final wrestleback to pin St. Patrick’s Jack Koenig at 2:54. Then in the third-place match, he defeated Joliet Catholic’s Colton Schultz on a technical fall at 2:42.
“I was hurt for MJ,” Renteria said. “But for him to wake up the next day and [defeat] the next two kids with a smile on his face speaks volumes.”
Also finishing third was senior David Ogunsanya (34-4) at 157. Ogunsanya pinned Joliet Catholic’s Nolan Vogel at 1:01 in the third-place match.
“[David] gave it his best shot and I don’t think he left anything out there,” Renteria said. “I’m really proud of him.”
The Huskies’ most impressive wrestler outside of Castleberry was senior Zev Koransky at 144. Koransky (32-11) lost his opening match 9-6 to Jaxon Jorgensen of Marist, but then ran off three consecutive wrestleback victories to secure a top-six spot. Following a loss in the final wrestleback, Koransky notched a major decision win over Edwardsville’s Ryan Ritchie to place fifth.
“It was real hard for Zev to lose the first match, but to put it together and get three straight wins, he did it Huskie-style,” Renteria said.
Oak Park-River Forest High School junior wrestler Jamiel Castleberry gets his hand raised in victory following the IHSA Class 3A 126-pound title match in Champaign, Feb. 21. (Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest High School junior wrestler Jamiel Castleberry jumps into the arms of OPRF wrestling head coach Jason Renteria following his victory in the IHSA Class 3A 126-pound final in Champaign, Feb. 21. (Samantha Smart) 
Oak Park-River Forest High School junior wrestler Jamiel Castleberry does a celebratory backflip following his victory in the IHSA Class 3A 126-pound final in Champaign, Feb. 21. (Samantha Smart)
Senior Pierre Nelson fell a match shy of a top-six finish, losing the third wrestleback to Hampshire’s Knox Homola 18-5. Juniors Alex Cohen (132) and Lucas Albrecht (215) each went 0-2, and senior Aiden Noyes (150) beat DeKalb’s Cam Matthews 9-1 in the first round before dropping his next two matches.
With individual action concluded for the year, OPRF turns its attention to the 3A dual-team quarterfinals. The Huskies face Barrington, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m., at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
“We feel good,” Castleberry said. “I feel the team [competition] is better than individual because we’ve all worked hard to win a team trophy. When I came to OPRF, I told [former head] Coach [Paul] Collins I wanted to win a team trophy more than anything. Hopefully we get that done this year.”
Fenwick
The Friars had two individuals compete in Class 2A, both of whom are juniors.
Harrison Brown (30-18) lost his first match on a technical fall to Nate Ortiz of Providence Catholic, then lost via fall in the first wrestleback to Mount Vernon’s Dalton St. Angelo.
At 157, Burke Burns (27-10) lost his opener on a technical fall to Providence Catholic’s Justus Heeg, then lost in the wrestleback on a technical fall to Jersey’s Nicholas Hartley.
