Oak Park and River Forest vs. Lincoln-Way East. Wow, what a way to kick off the high school football season! The Huskies have won 16 games over the past two seasons, while the Griffins finished 9-3 and advanced to the state quarterfinals last season. Since Lincoln-Way East High School opened in 2001, the Griffins, remarkably, have never missed the playoffs and own a 2005 state championship and a 2012 state runner-up showing. Each program is led by a dynamic, inspiring coach, John Hoerster at OPRF and Rob Zvonar at Lincoln-Way East.
The game could serve as a bellwether for the Huskies in terms of how they will match up against top competition later in the year. At a minimum, it’s certainly a major upgrade in non-conference scheduling for OPRF, which routed Fenger 55-8 at Gately Stadium to usher in last season.
“We have to be ready to play well right off the bat,” Hoerster said. “Obviously, Lincoln-Way East is a great program and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Entering his fourth season at OPRF, Hoerster (19-12 record) clearly has the Huskies headed in the right direction. After a 3-6 debut campaign in 2011, Hoerster guided the varsity to a 7-4 record in 2012 and 9-2 mark last year. More importantly, the football program has seen a surge in numbers, both from players within the program and supporters attending games.
“The attendance numbers have increased every year,” OPRF athletic director John Stelzer said. “We’re drawing an average of 4,000 fans per game, sometimes more depending on the opponent. We have 1,000 to 1,500 students at every game.”
While the Huskies lost several talented players to graduation, the program’s depth has reached “reload rather than rebuild” status, a testament to Hoerster and his coaching staff’s immediate impact in restocking quality depth within three years.
Led by three-year starter Lloyd Yates at quarterback and a plethora of scoring threats offensively including running backs Antonio Cannon, DeViaughn Benion, Jamari Watson and rangy wideout KeJuan Ratcliff, the Huskies should have no problems putting points on the board. Defensively, returning starters Marty McAndrews, Nate Godwin and Allen Stallings lead a talented albeit inexperienced defense.
Perhaps, the most intriguing storyline about the Huskies is the development of their lauded junior class, which went undefeated last season. Unless you faithfully attended underclassmen games last year, however, this group is fairly unknown. They are kind of like that Christmas present you can’t wait to unwrap, even when you don’t know what’s inside.
I caught most of the action in their impressive home blowout win over Glenbard West. The juniors can play!
Speaking of Glenbard West, if you’re looking for an idyllic high school football experience, I recommend you head out to Glen Ellyn on Saturday, Oct. 4 (1:30 p.m.) to watch OPRF battle the host Hilltoppers at Duchon Field nestled next to picturesque Lake Ellyn. The matchup could hold conference title implications as the Hitters and Huskies appear to be the cream of crop in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division.
Fenwick is on a nice upswing as well. Under head coach Gene Nudo, Fenwick has won two straight Chicago Catholic League White Division titles. That changes this year as the Friars will join the newly formed CCL Green featuring excellent teams like Montini, St. Francis and Marmion.
While the Friars will face a very difficult schedule, including brutal road tests at Loyola (Sat., 9/20, 1 p.m.) and at Montini (Fri., 10/17, 7:30 p.m.), another winning season looks probable for Fenwick. Led by Chris Hawthorne, Aaron Garland, Mike Krecek and Harry Bell, the defense should be excellent. Offensively, the Friars bring in essentially a new starting lineup. The additions of heralded quarterback transfers Jack Beneventi (from Benet) and Gavin Graves (from Mundelein) have created additional buzz around the team.
Beneventi, an Iowa commit, is a strong-armed 6-foot-6 senior who’s regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the state. How long it takes him to get comfortable within the Friars’ system will be interesting to watch.
With beefed up schedules, who knows how our resurgent football teams perform this fall. Win or lose, I can’t wait to find out.
