At first glance, it would seem that the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys golf varsity team is in for a bit of a rebuild this season, given the loss of seven players from last year’s squad due to graduation. But veteran head coach Bill Young, now in his 10th season, feels that the Huskies should be solid.
“We have a lot of new players, but everyone’s scores have improved quite a bit over the last year,” Young said. “While there is a lot of competition to get playing time, there’s also some great team chemistry. Many of the boys play golf together and are close with one another off the course.”
OPRF, which finished fourth in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division last fall, returns three golfers: seniors Karsten Davis, Jackson Dodd, and Will Timchak. Davis made last year’s All-WSC Silver Team while Dodd, who was All-Conference as a sophomore, qualified for the Illinois Junior Amateur and Chick Evans Amateur tournaments this summer and amassed some Top-10 finishes in other tournaments. Timchak narrowly missed qualifying for the individual state finals last year, coming up short by three shots in the sectional.
Varsity newcomers for OPRF are seniors Tommy McFarlin and Patrick Reed, and juniors Liam Berg, Carson Krischke, Aaron Konecki, Killian McGrath, and Luke Simon. Berg and McGrath made All-Conference on the junior-varsity level in 2025.
“Tommy wasn’t on the team last year, but he shot even par over three days of tryouts, which hasn’t happened in the 10 years I’ve been coaching,” Young said.
OPRF began its season in impressive fashion on Aug. 15, winning the OPRF Invite with a team score of 296, better by 20 shots than second-place Payton-Jones Co-Op. Davis was the medalist, carding a round of 69, three strokes under par. Six other OPRF golfers placed in the top 11: Reed (3rd, 73), McFarlin and Timchak (T-5th,77), Konecki (7th, 79), Berg and McGrath (T-8th, 80), and Simon (11th, 81).
The WSC Silver figures to be challenging as usual with Young seeing Downers Grove North, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Lyons Township, and York as the formidable teams. But he also believes the conference will help the Huskies prepare for the postseason.
“Our goal is to get better each week, on both an individual and team level,” Young said. “When the state series starts in late September, I am confident that we’ll have six golfers who can compete with any team in the state. We have 10 golfers who want playing time, and that competition amongst one another will naturally make us a stronger team.”
Fenwick
With six golfers returning this year, Fenwick High School varsity head coach Kyle Perry likes how things are looking.
“We have a lot of guys who really love golf and competing,” said Perry, in his second season as head coach and fifth overall with the program. “While our seniors are ready to make their mark on the Fenwick boys golf program right now, having a few sophomores and juniors in the lineup will pay off in the years to come.”
Fenwick opened the season with a fourth-place finish in the St. Laurence Invite, Aug. 13. Sophomore Peter Sweeney had the Friars’ lowest score with a round of 78. Sophomore Marco Cefalu and senior Jay Raber each shot a 79; senior Danny O’Donoghue had an 81, senior James Papp Jr. an 82, and junior Frank Grote an 87.
Cefalu, O’Donoghue, Papp, and Raber are four of six returnees for Fenwick, which won a regional championship last fall. The others are seniors Clayton Dine and Alex Kulisek, the latter of whom just fell short of qualifying for the individual state finals, missing the cut at the sectional by three strokes.
“Alex is ready for a dominant senior year,” Perry said. “He held our low score on six courses last year and continues to improve in all aspects of his game. James was a member of our postseason roster last season, and Marco is looking to consistently be in the top six this fall.”
Grote and Sweeney are two of Fenwick’s varsity newcomers, along with junior Bryce Draeger and seniors Alec Lozano and Jack Waller.
The merger of the Chicago Catholic League and East Suburban Catholic Conference makes for a league that should be interesting and highly competitive. Perry said that the CCL tournament will have over 25 teams competing, which makes it imperative for Fenwick to be playing at its’ best when the time comes.
“We hope to contend for the CCL championship as well as be playing our best golf in October for the IHSA state series,” Perry said. “The boys are very focused this year and we’re looking forward to competing every day.”
OPRF defeated Fenwick, Aug. 17, 156-159, in a dual meet at Riverside Golf Club in North Riverside. James Papp of Fenwick was the medalist with a round of 36, with OPRF’s Karsten Davis a stroke back.