Having clinched its first IHSA state playoff berth since 2018, the Oak Park and River Forest High School football team was hoping to cap off the regular season with a home victory against Hinsdale Central, Oct. 16.
The Huskies fought the Red Devils down to the wire and pulled within two points with 27 seconds remaining on a 3-yard touchdown run by Liam Smith (22 carries, 141 yards, 2 TDs). But Liam Brown’s two-point conversion pass to Tevion Coleman in the end zone was broken up, and Hinsdale Central recovered the ensuing onside kick to hand OPRF (4-5, 2-4 in West Suburban Silver) a 21-19 defeat.
“The kids played their tails off,” said OPRF coach John Hoerster. “They fought hard, they never gave up, they stayed in the fight for 48 minutes, and we were right there at the end. Couldn’t be more proud of them.”
While disappointed by the loss, OPRF knew the season would keep going. So the next evening, the players, coaches, and staff gathered at the school to work out, watch tape of the Hinsdale Central game, and eat pizza as they awaited the football playoff pairings show on WCIU.
The Class 8A bracket was revealed just before 10 p.m., and the players reacted with excitement seeing OPRF listed on the first page. The Huskies, seeded 33rd, drew 32nd-seeded East Aurora.
“It feels really good, I’m super-excited,” said Smith of the playoff berth. “When I came to Oak Park a few years ago, I knew it was a program that hadn’t made the playoffs in a long time, and my goal since I came here was to make the playoffs. We’ve accomplished it.”
Two of Smith’s teammates, senior defensive linemen Connor Krumrei and Ben Lambe, also expressed excitement.
“After the (Hinsdale Central) loss, we felt bad that we don’t have any more (scheduled) home games,” Lambe said, “but it’s another opportunity to show the team we are.”
“We’re a hard-working team. We’ve been working hard all summer and we deserve this,” Krumrei said. “We’ve got a lot of energy coming into the playoffs and I think we’re going to play really well.”
This will be OPRF’s 19th appearance in the state playoffs, and the eighth of Hoerster’s 16-year tenure. He’s thankful the Huskies are one of 384 teams across Illinois to be able to play in the postseason.
“What I’ve said all along, coaching football, you’re guaranteed nine games and if you get another week together, it’s a blessing,” Hoerster said.
Krumrei thought the biggest factor in the turnaround of OPRF was the change in attitude over the summer, one he credits the coaching staff with.
“We came in with a better mindset. From that, we’ve been able to practice better, practice harder, and develop more as a team,” he said.
With the IHSA expanding the playoffs to 48 teams in each of the eight classes, the top 16 teams get byes, with the remaining 32 teams in each class playing in opening-round games. OPRF’s opening-round game is at East Aurora, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. The Tomcats, who finished 5-4 (3-3 in the Upstate Eight Conference West Division), are making just their fifth playoff appearance in program history. The winner will play at 8A top seed Lincoln-Way East on Halloween weekend.
OPRF admits it doesn’t know much about East Aurora, but Hoerster said that after the teams exchange game films, he and his assistants will craft a game plan for the players.
“It’s fun to compete against the West Suburban Silver, but it’s nice to get an opportunity to see someone outside of your area and outside of your comfort zone,” he said.
As far as the players go, they’re not overlooking East Aurora. Smith said the Huskies will lock in mentally during practice this week.
“We’re going to approach this game with a lot of energy and effort,” he said.
Krumrei agreed with Smith.
“I saw a statistic that said there’s only six seconds of playing time on each snap, so it’s important we owe six seconds of maximum effort on each play,” he said. “Bringing that mindset into the game sets us apart.”
And let’s leave the final word to Lambe. He’s got a message for the Dog Pound (OPRF’s student section) and OPRF fans: come out to Aurora in droves and bring the noise.
“If you want to see a team that comes out hot, who wants to dominate the competition, you should come out to the game,” he said. “We need our fans to be loud and vocal; I want to set the tone right away.