Despite being a considerable underdog, the Oak Park and River Forest High School football team felt it would put forth a competitive effort against the top seed in the IHSA Class 8A state playoffs, Lincoln-Way East.
Friday night in Frankfort, the Huskies indeed hung in for a while. But the Griffins eventually showed why they are the top seed and pulled away for a 31-7 first-round victory that ended OPRF’s season.
“We played really hard,” said OPRF coach John Hoerster. “You get matched up against a team like Lincoln-Way East, you’re gonna have to play a perfect game. They’re so deep and experienced, they’re going to take advantage whenever little mistakes happen. We gave them everything they could handle, but at the end of the day, they made a few more plays than we made.”
OPRF (5-6) ran the ball solidly for much of the season. But the Huskies had trouble establishing the run at LWE, picking up only 10 yards on 14 carries.
“They did a really good job of making us one-dimensional,” Hoerster said. “They have a really strong defensive line and good linebackers. They kind of dared us to throw the ball and I think our quarterback and receivers did a nice job of taking advantage of that. But you have to have a lot of success if you’re going to be one-dimensional.”
Trailing 14-0 in the second quarter, OPRF got a brief spark as Liam Brown (15-of-31, 199 yards, INT) connected with Andrew Heinzmann (6 receptions, 134 yards) for a 62-yard touchdown.
“We knew we could compete with that type of team,” said OPRF RB/LB Liam Smith. “It was a big momentum boost when Andrew made that play.”
“Andrew’s had a wonderful season for us,” Hoerster said. “He is Mr. Reliable, super-tough, smart, runs great routes. He had a really good night.”
From there, however, LWE slammed the door shut on OPRF’s offensive attack. Then the Griffins’ offense, led by QB Tyler Spychalski (14-of-19, 160 yards, TD) and RB/WR Jack Murphy (10 carries, 70 yards, 2 TD rushing; 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD receiving) gradually put the game out of reach for the Huskies.
“We gave it our all. We just had some miscues and mistakes, and against the #1 team in 8A, you can’t make those mistakes and expect to win,” Smith said. “We did compete, and it was a closer game than the score shows in my opinion.”
Smith led OPRF defensively with 6.5 tackles. Robert Kolovitz had 5 tackles; Connor Krumrei 4.5 tackles; Connor Ganschow and Everett Kemp 3.5 tackles apiece; Labrone Neal, Richie Truelove, and Niko Vielehr three apiece; and Ben Lambe 2.5.
While OPRF was disappointed with the way things ended, the players and staff still consider the season relatively successful. The Huskies won more games than in the previous three seasons combined, qualified for the state playoffs for the first time since 2018, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2018.
“I couldn’t be happier. These kids really came together as a group,” Hoerster said. “We had a really nice balance of senior leadership, some really talented juniors, and a group of sophomores that really grew up fast. The mix between those three really made it a fun environment to coach in.
“We have some good coaches and the parents were amazing this year as well; they were really supportive. The kids and coaches felt good about the season as a whole. Obviously, no one likes going out to Frankfort and lose, but in looking back at the season and what these kids accomplished and how hard they fought, I think we’re on the verge of some really good things.”
Smith, a three-year varsity player, is among 24 seniors who will depart the program, graduating next spring. He said he’s most proud of helping OPRF climb its way back to respectability, and adds he’s excited about the Huskies’ future.
“We changed the program. We left it better than we found it. I’m really happy with how the season went,” Smith said. “I want to see the program keep doing good. I hope next year they win more games and go farther in the playoffs; they’ve got a lot of good young talent.”
