Just when it seemed that Montini had no equal at the Class 3A dual-team wrestling state tournament, Oak Park-River Forest challenged that assertion.
Montini took a 24-point lead midway through the state championship match on Saturday in Bloomington, but OPRF won five matches in a row to forge a two-point lead with three matches to go.
The rally energized the Huskies’ fans, many of whom were wearing orange T-shirts containing the words “For The Family.” OPRF had won three state titles in a row before falling to Montini in a state quarterfinal last year.
The Broncos recovered in time to defeat the Huskies at state for the second year in a row. Montini prevailed 43-29 for the 3A state title.
OPRF (26-3) claimed the runner-up trophy, its seventh state trophy in program history. The Huskies have finished first four times and have placed second three times.
And they could be among the title contenders next year, too.
“The effort during the postseason … was both exciting and full of inspiration,” OPRF coach Paul Collins said. “This team came out and showed it was right there with one of the best teams in the nation up until the very end.”
Collins said he wasn’t surprised at all that his club roared back from its 27-3 deficit to take a 29-27 lead with three bouts remaining, but the crowd was.
Elijah Osit (220 pounds), Ashford Hills (285), Jake Rundell (106), Josh Ogunsanya (113) and Nico Bolivar (120) reeled off five consecutive victories to change the tone surrounding the meet.
“The team this year is so different,” said Osit, who will wrestle next season at St. Cloud State and major in chemistry or engineering. “Last year we were a team of individuals, but this year everyone is in it for each other. It’s a team-first attitude in the room, and it’s really helped our guys feel like they belong.”
Last season, the Huskies won a regional title by 48 points. This year, with nine wrestlers new to the regional lineup, they won by 119.5.
OPRF had little trouble advancing to the state final. The Huskies dispatched Maine South 60-7 at the OPRF Sectional, then handled Minooka 53-8 in a state quarterfinal. They beat Huntley 43-30 in the semis.
After OPRF rallied against Montini, two-time state champion Joey Melendez put the Broncos back in front for good. Real Woods, who has committed to Stanford, recorded a pin to secure Montini’s victory.
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OPRF wrestled without Anthony Madrigal, an Oklahoma recruit who missed the postseason because of an injury.
“If he’s in the lineup, maybe we pull this one out,” Collins said.
But the Huskies will have plenty of young standouts returning next year, including Rundell, a sophomore and the 106-pound state champion.
“We had a bunch of guys who bought into what we were selling, and they did everything the right way from the start,” Collins said. “I cannot wait for us to get back at it once again and to see what we can accomplish a year from now.”
Michael Garofola is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press