After a very solid debut last season, rising sophomore Katara Watson has decided to transfer out of Oak Park and River Forest High School. But local girls’ basketball fans will still get to see plenty of Watson this coming season as she announced on her X (Twitter) page, June 5, that she is enrolling at Fenwick.
Watson made last season’s West Suburban Silver All-Conference team, averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.4 assists per game for the Huskies. She is joining a Fenwick team that has a solid nucleus returning in rising juniors Eleanor Gibson, Lucy McAllister, and Avani Williams, who is a top prospect in the Class of 2028. The Friars finished 16-16 last season, which ended with a heartbreaking 39-36 loss to Trinity in the IHSA Class 3A Trinity Sectional title game.
As for OPRF, rising seniors Taryn Draine, a returning All-Conference player who is about to enter her fourth varsity season, and Selah Backeberg will lead a program that is looking to turn things around. The Huskies, 6-23 last year, have not had a winning season since 2015-16.
OPRF baseball
Five players on the OPRF varsity baseball team were named to the WSC Silver All-Conference team last week: seniors Cam Barnes, Zach Goldberg, and Johnny Nelson, along with junior Grayson Waters and sophomore Ian Moore.
Barnes, a pitcher, is committed to play collegiately at Eastern Illinois University, while Nelson, a shortstop, is heading to Wright State University. As of press time, Goldberg, who plays both infield and outfield, is uncommitted.
Moore, a second baseman, and Waters, a pitcher, headline a list of 15 potential returning players for next season. This year, OPRF finished as WSC Silver co-champions, along with Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township, with a 28-9 record. The Huskies lost 6-0 to eventual 4A Brother Rice Sectional champion Mount Carmel in the OPRF regional final, May 30.
OPRF Alum Garland in NCAA Track & Field
OPRF alum Reese Garland, Class of 2023, gave herself quite a birthday gift on May 30 as she qualified for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the discus.
Competing at the NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Garland finished sixth with a best throw of 56.49 meters (185 feet, 4 inches). That easily placed her in the middle of a group of 12 student-athletes in each event who advanced from Fayetteville to the championships, which take place June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.