Despite three dual-team state championships and a long history of success, Oak Park-River Forest’s wrestling team has never had a three-time individual state champion.
Senior Isaiah White can change that this season.
White is OPRF’s top returning wrestler after leading the Huskies to their second consecutive Class 3A state championship on Feb. 28 with a 39-16 victory over Sandburg in Bloomington. One week earlier, White (42-0 at 152 pounds) beat Willowbrook junior Matt Rowland (47-3) 9-3 to win the individual state title in Champaign.
White joined a list of two-time OPRF state champions that includes Terry Isaacson (1959-60), Tim Obrochta (1983-84), Nick Dardanes (2009-10) and Sam Brooks (2010, 2012). Brooks came up short in a bid for a third title as a junior when he lost to Willowbrook’s Steve Congenie, 15-8, in the 171-pound state final.
“It’s very exciting. Obviously, we’ve never had a three-time state champion,” OPRF coach Paul Collins said. “What’s more exciting is seeing him mature. He wants to be a Division I wrestler and become an NCAA champion. He’s taken big steps in that (goal). He’s showing responsibility.”
According to White, concussion protocol will keep him out of OPRF’s lineup for at least the first week of the regular season. He said he already missed the last two weeks of the preseason and sat on the bench in street clothes on Nov. 24 for OPRF’s 60-3 victory at Downers North.
“I did not do much (in the summer),” White said. “I’ve been running and lifting. I’ve been working on being a good teammate and a good person. I didn’t do a lot of wrestling.”
White does not have a definite timetable for returning to action. He hopes to come back for OPRFs’ first tournament, the Washington Super Duals on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Entering the dual meet with Downers Grove North, White said he had not yet made his college pick. He likely will be the Huskies’ third Division I recruit, joining senior Michael Ordonez (Indiana) and senior Gabe Townsell (Stanford).
Getting stronger
Ordonez, whose father graduated from OPRF, transferred from York for his senior season and signed with Indiana after going 38-10 last season. He qualified for the Class 3A state meet last season at 152.
Elijah Osit is another transfer, from Benicia, Calif. The sophomore 195-pounder came to OPRF when a parent enrolled in graduate school at Illinois-Chicago.
While Osit won his match in the opener, Collins said he is getting pushed for the starting spot by returning sophomore Max McDermott.
Freshman Eddie Bolivar (113 pounds) was the third newcomer to make his OPRF debut against Downers North and won his match.
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Road to success
With wins over Downers North and Harvard to begin the season, OPRF extended its win streak to 41 consecutive dual-meet victories. Collins, in his second season, has never lost a dual meet as a coach after going 28-0 last season. OPRF’s previous record of consecutive dual-meet wins was 35.
OPRF is attempting to become the first school to win three consecutive large-school IHSA championships since Sandburg won Class AA from 2005-07.
In order to find the best competition, OPRF is taking to the road. The Huskies will compete in four different out-of-state meets, doubling from last year its number of trips outside of Illinois.
OPRF is returning to the Walsh Ironman Invitational Dec. 11-12 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where White was the only OPRF wrestler to win a title last season. The Huskies also will attempt to defend its championship at the Clash Jan. 1-2 in Rochester, Minn. The Huskies will compete in a dual meet Jan. 8 against Indiana state champion Penn from Mishawaka, and then have three dual meets the following day at the Detroit Catholic Central Super Duals in Novi, Mich.
In order to accommodate the Michigan meet, the Huskies dropped their annual triangular against Marmion and Montini, but hope to meet those teams at Detroit (Montini) and at the Sandburg Duals (Marmion) on Jan. 16.
“We’re trying to get our guys as much competition as possible,” Collins said.
Twitter @geomwilcox