The Oak Park and River Forest High School flag football team, seeded second in its own sectional, had started the state playoffs in impressive fashion, outscoring Collins and Jones by a combined 85-0 margin to win a regional title.
However, the Huskies knew that the competition would get progressively tougher in the sectional, and this proved prescient when they hosted third-seeded St. Ignatius in a semifinal, Oct. 10. After leading at halftime, OPRF surrendered three second-half touchdowns to the Wolfpack, and the season came to an end with an 18-6 defeat.
“It could’ve gone either way,” said OPRF coach Jim Geovanes. “The game was played between the 40s. No one could move the ball; it was a tough game.”
An interception by OPRF’s Isabel Sho-Wen Yu set up OPRF (13-6) for the game’s first score. On the first play of the second quarter, Anna Dore connected with receiver Lucy Avrut for a 13-yard touchdown. The conversion failed, but the Huskies led 6-0. Naomi Reed ensured OPRF would maintain its advantage as the half ended with an interception.
Yu came up with her second interception at the St. Ignatius 23 to begin the second half, providing OPRF a chance to break the game open. But the Huskies couldn’t move the ball and turned it over on downs.
Following a series of punts, Dore threw an interception. On the ensuing drive, St. Ignatius lost 27 yards on its first three plays, but on fourth down, the Wolfpack stunned OPRF with a 78-yard touchdown run that tied the game 6-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Dore threw her second interception at midfield, and St. Ignatius went ahead on a 1-yard touchdown run. On the Huskies’ next possession, Dore connected with Avrut for a first down to keep the game alive. But it was also nearly a game-breaking play.
“We’d drawn up a hook-and-ladder. Unfortunately, (Avrut) got her flag pulled before we got the ladder off. If we would’ve hit it, it would have been a tie game,” Geovanes said.
The near-miss proved costly for on the next play, the Wolfpack intercepted Dore for the third time and returned it to the house for the game-clinching score.
Dore completed 13 of 34 passes for 67 yards. Ionna Griffin led OPRF in rushing with 28 yards on five carries and completed one of her two passes for 13 yards. Avrut had 45 yards on six receptions.
Defensively, Kynnedi Alawode had seven flag pulls, including a sack. Yu and Maya Davis each had six pulls, and Reed and KaiLee Robinson four apiece.
Geovanes felt that the season went well overall, especially given the heavy graduation losses from the previous season.
“I don’t think it could’ve gone any better. It was much better than we expected,” he said. “Our measuring stick is last year; we thought we had a great team but we graduated so many seniors, we didn’t know what to expect. (But) we beat every measure in terms of wins, seeding, and points scored. We blew our expectations out of the water.”
OPRF graduates 14 seniors, including Griffin and Yu. Geovanes thanked them for buying into the program’s philosophy and culture.
“They’ve set the standard for others to follow,” he said. “They’ve planted the seed for the growth of our game.”
Next year, the Huskies will return several experienced players, such as sophomores Davis, Dore, and Reed, and juniors Alawode, Avrut, and Robinson.
“We had 105 players in our program this year,” Geovanes said. “We are loaded, not just for next year but the next several years. The future’s very bright.”
Fenwick
Fenwick’s season ended on Oct. 5 in a regional semifinal at Kenwood Academy with a 67-0 defeat to the host Broncos. The Friars, who finished 1-10, recorded their only victory of the season with a 27-0 shutout of Juarez in a regional quarterfinal on Sept. 30.
“Obviously a 1-10 record is not what we anticipated,” said Fenwick coach Lenae Fergerson. “At the same time, we are young, having several freshmen playing a lot of minutes. We had several games where they were close and should have closed them out. But it’s all part of the process of building a team and culture for a newer sport at Fenwick.”
Fergerson is optimistic about a turnaround next year, depending on how the offseason development goes.
“Flag is a fast-growing sport and many girls are playing and training year-round,” she said. “We’ll need to have more commitment this summer to help carry over into the season.”
Trinity
The Blazers (3-10) were eliminated in a regional quarterfinal at York, Sept. 30, losing 46-0 to the host Dukes.