In 2022, the Oak Park and River Forest High School varsity football team routed Fenwick 35-7 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview in the resumption of the gridiron rivalry between the two schools which are located a few blocks apart on East Avenue in Oak Park.
Since then, the Friars have gained the upper hand with three consecutive victories over the Huskies, including a combined 65-0 margin the past two seasons. But this year, OPRF is feeling optimistic about ending its three-year slide.
“I’m super excited,” said OPRF running back/linebacker Liam Smith. “We’ve got our fans here and we’ll be ready.”
The game kicks off at 6 p.m. on Friday at Oak Park Stadium. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at gofan.com.
OPRF’s early line
In last week’s season opener, Smith ran for 81 yards and two scores while quarterback Liam Brown added 151 yards with both a passing and rushing touchdown in the Huskies’ 39-8 rout of visiting Rich Township. Defensively, Emile Williams had 4.5 tackles (0.5 sacks) and a fumble recovery, and Brendan Fox had a sack plus an 87-yard pick-six.
Things could not have started better for OPRF, which is eager and hungry for a turnaround in fortunes for a program that has not qualified for the state playoffs since 2018.
“Everyone’s doing their part. I feel this is the best team I’ve played on,” said OPRF defensive lineman Ben Lambe.
Fenwick’s early line
Many experts felt coming into the season that Fenwick, which won the IHSA Class 6A championship over East St. Louis last year, would take a step back given the large number of key players who graduated. But last week, the Friars showed they’re still a potent force with a convincing 28-13 victory at Joliet Catholic.
Junior Myles Hill, replacing the graduated Jamen Williams at quarterback, gave Fenwick a jolt to begin the season on the game’s first play with an 84-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Watts.
“That first play, we knew we were going to take a shot,” said Watts, who finished with 133 yards on 10 receptions. “We got a one-on-one. Myles…right on the money. The rest is history.”
Tied 7-7 at halftime, the Friars took charge in the second half as Hill (16-of-21, 214 yards) threw two more touchdowns, 7 yards to Will Hosty and 35 yards to Jake Thies, and Rocco Nero added an 8-yard rushing score.
“Everyone’s been doubting us because we had a lot of seniors graduate, but we picked it up,” said Fenwick’s Hank Holland, who had a key sack that thwarted a late first-half Joliet Catholic drive.
Tate’s take
Whenever OPRF and Fenwick meet in athletic competition, the games more often than not aren’t decided until the final minutes or even seconds. However, this hasn’t been the case for the last two years on the gridiron as the Friars have posted back-to-back convincing shutouts over the Huskies.
This year, OPRF is focused on changing the narrative of the East Avenue rivalry.
“I’ve never won against (Fenwick) in my career,” Smith said. “Senior year, I want to beat those guys. It’s always good competition. We don’t necessarily hate those guys, but it’s not a friendly game either.”
I covered OPRF’s victory over Rich last week and came away impressed with what I saw. The Huskies took it to the Raptors on offense and flew around a lot on defense, making it difficult for Rich to move the ball. While the competition level increases significantly this week, I suspect OPRF is up for the challenge. The Huskies are at home, and the school has designated the game as an “Orangeout,” as the OPRF Dog Pound student section and fans are encouraged to wear orange. Plus, the team will wear orange jerseys.
I know Oak Park Stadium will be charged up with defending 6A champion Fenwick in the house. But if there’s a team that can handle such an environment, it’s the Friars. Players like Thies, Watts, and lineman Kam Rutlin know what it takes to succeed in hostile environments, such as last year’s state semifinal at Nazareth when Thies’s tackle on a Roadrunners’ two-point attempt in overtime secured the Friars’ 28-27 victory that punched their state ticket.
Then there’s this: despite being a defending state champion, Fenwick is acting like a hunter. It shows in the approach that the Friars have for this season.
“The one thing we’ve mentioned is we are state nothings right now,” said Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia, “and when we handed out the (state championship) rings, congratulations, enjoy it seniors, but underclassmen, we’re state nothings.”
In other words, Fenwick is hungry to show they’ll be highly competitive once again despite having a bevy of new players.
With two hungry teams meeting up, I’m expecting a tight battle Friday night. I believe that OPRF will hang around for four quarters, and the game won’t be decided until the end.