The OPRF wrestling team backed up its top three preseason ranking by upsetting No. 1-ranked Marist 26-25 on Saturday.
The Huskies disrupted the Marist Thanksgiving Wrestling Quad, which also featured New Trier and Schaumburg, by slipping past the host in the final round. Joey Ariola kicked off the match by winning at 182 pounds. OPRF’s Andre Lee defeated Josh Pruitt 7-5 in overtime at 195 pounds, but Marist rallied to split the first four matches and grab an early 7-6 lead.
OPRF’s freshmen picked up the slack. At 113 pounds, Gabe Townsell’s 14-8 victory over Mike Mullaney set the pace. Isaiah White tied the match at 13-13 with a 12-3 victory at 126 pounds.
Wins by Larry Early (132) and Zach Pickering (152) helped keep the Huskies in the running for an upset, but what put OPRF over the hump was freshman Kamal Bey’s pinning of Dan Drew at 2:31 to win the 160-pound weight division. The Huskies forfeited the final bout at 170.
The Huskies travel to Washington on Saturday for a quad before returning home to take on Hinsdale Central on Dec. 7 (7 p.m.).