After one of its biggest victories in recent years and a tough shutout loss the past two games, the Oak Park and River Forest football team experienced a bit of both worlds Friday.
OPRF coach John Hoerster continued to emphasize progress following the Huskies’ 34-10 loss at state-ranked Lyons Township after closing to 21-10 on a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Liam Brown to sophomore Tavion Coleman just 11 seconds before halftime.
“A lot of it is that mental fortitude to know if things happen, we can bounce back,” Hoerster said. “We’re a team that’s learning a lot and growing. And it’s just getting them to stay together and understand there’s a lot of football left to play.”
The Huskies (3-4, 2-3 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division) were coming off a 41-0 loss at Downers Grove North, No. 4 in Class 7A in last week’s Illinois media poll, after their 24-21 homecoming victory over York, Sept. 18. The Lions (6-1, 3-1) were ranked No. 9 in 8A.
Brown passed for 242 yards against LT with a 32-yard completion to Andrew Heinzmann (10 catches, 141 yards) just before the TD pass. Cameron Minish-Murray caught four passes for 56 yards.
Labrone Neal and Benjamin Lambe combined on a fourth-and-3 sack in the third quarter from the OPRF 10. Liam Smith, Connor Krumrei, Karson Fields and Neal contributed to five other tackles for loss.
In the first half, the Huskies and Lions had almost the same total offensive yards (222 to 223). OPRF also scored on Maxwell Smith’s 30-yard field goal but had its first drive reach the Lions’ 22 before turning over the ball on downs.
The Lions countered with big gains, including a 73-yard TD run on their first offensive play, and TD passes of 13 and 27 yards following a 63-yard run.
“You get rid of those big plays, all of a sudden it looks totally different,” Hoerster said. “There’s so many drives where we did such a good job moving the ball and just didn’t finish in the end zone. We’ve shown we can do it. We just have to keep believing we can do it for four quarters.”
The Huskies were limited to 73 yards and three first downs in the second half. On their first possession of the third quarter, the Lions recovered the ball at their 49 on a ruled fumble after the referees conferred whether Brown already was down.
“We come out and score on that drive, all of a sudden it’s a whole new game,” Hoerster said. “We turn the ball over and all of a sudden it feels like your back is broken, even though you have a lot of time left.”
Brother Rice 42, Fenwick 21
Road trips can be tough, even if you’re a defending state champion.
Fenwick, the 2025 IHSA Class 6A title holders, traveled to Brother Rice on Friday, and endured a 90-minute bus ride to get to the South Side school … which, by the way, won the Class 7A championship last season.
The Crusaders have a couple of high-major defensive linemen in senior Notre Dame recruit Brayden Parks and junior Kameron McGee, guys Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said soon, “are going to make a lot of money on Saturdays.”
They were a big reason, physically and figuratively, that Brother Rice defeated the Friars 42-21.
But after seven games, junior quarterback Myles Hill continues to shine. On Friday, he rushed 21 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. Add to that 10-for-25 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown throw to senior Jake Thies, and you’ll see why Battaglia is beaming.
“I think he’s just showing progress each week,” Battaglia said. “A lot of quarterbacks try to put too much pressure on themselves. He’s not trying to do too much; that’s the most impressive thing. He’s not making the same mistake over and over.”
Thies was once again solid, rushing 12 times for 65 yards and a touchdown, and catching three passes for 25 yards and that score.
Defensively, Battaglia was bullish about his linebackers, including junior Jack Haagenson, who had 12 total tackles, including three solo stops, while senior Ronan Morrissey contributed 13 tackles and three solos. Junior Quinn Paris had six total tackles.
Fenwick (4-3 overall, 2-3 in the Chicago Catholic League and 0-2 in the Orange Division) will face St. Viator at 7 p.m. Friday at Triton College. Though the Lions are 1-6, it’s best to take no team for granted, especially with the playoffs two weeks away.
“They’re young with a lot of two-way guys,” Battaglia said. “They’ve shown some progress. We told the guys this is a team with nothing to lose and no pressure.”