To get a sense of the community importance of Friday’s high school football game between host Oak Park and River Forest and crosstown rival Fenwick, you have to start with the fans who couldn’t get into the game because it was a sellout.
There are two sets of wrought-iron fencing on the west side of Oak Park Stadium, one facing OPRF’s sideline and the other facing Fenwick’s.
The view isn’t the best, and the people lining both sections can’t see the scoreboard and thus don’t always know the score of the game.
But still, they are here, taking part in a once-a-year community experience that’s been an on-again, off-again affair over the last 30 years.
It’s Friday night and the lights were game on.
Even for those who can’t get in.
“We did not choose this angle … we just got here and there was no way for us to get in,” says Seth Weber at halftime, alongside Julia Skubis, Oak Park residents. Their freshman is a member of OPRF’s marching band.
“It’s pretty busy,” Julia muses. “Anyway, do you know what the score is?”
Sure do. Oak Park 14, Fenwick 10.
The pair choruses, “All right!”
Now head to the other fence and you run into David Gust, complete with a Fenwick cap. He’s from Oak Brook, not Oak Park. He has a senior Friar and a graduate.
That’s a long trip, but for Gust, it’s worth it. Even if he’s behind the fence.
“I feel like I’m in jail, but other than that,” Gust says to laughter.
That’s the kind of night it is. Scintillation, tension, fun. Orange body paint and bob wigs in the Oak Park bleachers, white Roman togas on the Fenwick side.
Midway through the second quarter, on the pedestrian mall between school and stadium, there’s Jim Speranzio, a Fenwick grad who works at the school and tonight is handling security. There’s still a long line of Friar fans trying to get in.
“What’s the score?” he says. “Because I can’t see over the fence. I’m too short. I’ve got nobody to tell me anything.”
Fenwick 7, OPRF 0.
“Everybody marks this game on their calendar every year,” he says. “The crowd is unbelievable. I wish we would have it at a bigger venue. Triton can’t handle this. It’s way too big.”
Finally, a reporter is able to elbow his way into the stadium, on the OPRF side. There’s Lavinia Husbands-Brown, a 1992 graduate, and she crows that this is going to be the biggest game of the season. And she’s got good reason to think that: Her husband graduated in 1989, their daughter in 2017 and their son is currently a sophomore.
We … are … family.
“It brings the community together,” she said. “It’s a rivalry, but there’s love there. And you know, these kids, they’ve gone to grade school and middle school together, and sometimes they separate, but they get to meet back together on the field.”
There’s Olivia Schreiner, OPRF’s communications coordinator, who’s taking photos on the sidelines. She looks at the bleachers and estimates 80% of the student body is in the house, easily. Not bad, considering it’s the end of the first week of school.
By that time, Fenwick is up 10-0, and nearby is OPRF Supt. Greg Johnson. The Huskies are driving and in fact nearly punch it in.
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. OPRF does and just misses again, and he nearly genuflects like he’s in church.
“He was in!” he hollers over the din. Finally, his school scores and are down just 10-7.
Oh, this is getting interesting.
With under 10 seconds left in the half, OPRF has the ball and is driving again, and the band has congregated in front of Weber and Skubis. At the center of it all is senior Kian Lampert, who’s in total agreement with Husbands-Brown.
“Look at the student section,” he says. “It’s completely full, all in orange.”
A reporter points out that Fenwick’s bleachers are a sea of white.
“But what section is bigger?” Lampert says. “That’s all I’m saying.”
A few seconds later, OPRF scores.
Huskies 14, Friars 10.
Near-pandemonium ensues, at least on one side of the stadium.
Fenwick would regroup in the second half. Hanging around the sidelines, a reporter runs into Kevin Garvey, team photographer, who’s darting around but has a moment to talk.
“I’m a Friar myself and the rivalry is a big deal,” he says. “When I was at Fenwick back in the 1960s, I don’t recall us playing Oak Park-River Forest because the rivalry was like a rumble. But I like how everyone is behaving so far, and it’s a good close game.”
Sports is about kids, of course, and not just those on the field. Heading back to the OPRF side, there’s young Anne Beazley with her dad, Michael.
Is she having fun?
Are you kidding?
“I like it because of the cheerleaders,” she says, adding she wants to do that someday. “I like the halftime stuff.”
And so it goes. The lead changes hands for a while until the Friars finally pull away and win 31-21. But as thousands of fans file out, there’s a sense of melancholy that a fun night is over.
Except maybe for Rev. Richard Peddicord, Fenwick team chaplain.
How does he feel?
“Elated,” he responds with a grin.