After losing in the sectional final the past two years, the third time was the charm for the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys’ volleyball team at the Argo Sectional on Tuesday night. The Huskies, the top-ranked team in the state, defeated Brother Rice 25-21, 26-24 for the title and clinched a trip to the state finals for the first time since 2023.
“It feels like I’m going home,” said OPRF coach Justin Cousin of the program’s 20th state finals appearance. “The last two years, we were upset in the sectional final by teams that were ranked lower than us, and it just feels really good to have a group of guys who are willing to put in the work together and accomplish something that is so meaningful.”
OPRF’s return to state did not come easy as the Huskies (31-5-1) were engaged in a tight battle against Brother Rice. The Crusaders (28-12) led in the second set by four points and Cousin had to find a way to stall their momentum. He found the answer in an off-court factor: the OPRF Dog Pound supporters’ section.
“I called a timeout, talked to the boys, and we were able to catch up with the help of our fans,” Cousin said. “They got loud in there. It was so loud I couldn’t hear myself talking to the players; it felt like a home game. It was amazing, and the boys rose to the occasion.”
Of course, it helps to have a player wielding a big hammer that can be deployed at any time, and the Huskies have such a player in junior outside Jimmie “Trayce” Chrusfield III. One of Illinois’s top Class of 2027 prospects, he had a huge night with 12 kills and three aces.
“It was awesome having Trayce,” Cousin said. “He won the first set with an ace and had another to end the game. That was great.”
But OPRF is far from a one-man machine, and Chrusfield had plenty of help against Brother Rice. Senior middle Wesley Kochendorfer and junior outside Andrew Wieland each had six kills. Senior opposite hitter Henry Ohlhoff had five kills, senior setter Matthew Proskey four kills and 22 assists, and senior libero Gus Leman seven digs.
Up next for the Huskies is a quarterfinal match against Lake Park. It takes place at Bolingbrook High School, June 5, at 1 p.m. OPRF defeated the Lancers (27-11) in two hard-fought sets – 25-20, 25-20 – on April 24 at the Richard Griesheim invite hosted by Downers Grove South, and Cousin anticipates another battle on Friday.
“When we played (Lake Park), it was a tight match. They fought hard,” Cousin said. “I’m expecting another fight from them.”
He added that if OPRF is to have a special weekend that concludes with the program’s first state title, the team needs to maintain the mindset it has had all season: one point, one game, one set, and one match at a time.
“We just remind the boys, ‘one more game at a time’,” Cousin said. “We just take it one step at a time, one serve at a time, and not so much focus on the light at the end of the tunnel, but the step that’s right in front of us.”