The Oak Park and River Forest and Fenwick High School football teams look to bounce back in Week 8 action after tough losses last week.
Glenbard West defeated the Huskies 34-7 with strong efforts from the Hilltoppers’ running back tandem of Vanderbilt-bound Sam Brodner (25 carries, 104 yards) and Isaiah Skinner (18 carries, 103 yards) on Friday, Oct. 9.With consecutive wins over OPRF, Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township, Glenbard West has the inside track to another West Suburban Conference Silver Division championship. The Hilltoppers have won 28 conference games in a row.
OPRF quarterback Keegan Smith completed 11 of 19 passes for 81 yards and ran five times for 23 yards against Glenbard West in his first varsity start. Smith, who replaced junior Jeremy Hunt who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against York in Week 6, looked particularly impressive on the opening possession for OPRF. After Smith engineered that scoring drive to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead, however, the Hilltoppers scored 34 unanswered points.
By the way, Hunt’s injury specifically is a fractured fibula on his right ankle. He recently had surgery and since the ligaments were not torn, the bone should heal in 6-8 weeks. After that time period, Hunt will begin rehab and should be ready to play next season as a senior. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback was 6-0 as the team’s starting quarterback this season.
In a Chicago Catholic League crossover, host St. Ignatius edged the Friars 38-28. Fenwick junior quarterback Jacob Keller (16-for-23 passing, 152 yards, 2 touchdowns) turned in another solid performance, while running back Will Lattner (16 carries, 177 yards, 2 TDs) and wide Sherman Martin (7 catches, 83 yards) also made multiple big plays. On the other side of the ball, Fenwick struggled to contain the Wolfpack offense.
OPRF and Fenwick enter Week 8 each in need of a victory for different reasons. The Huskies (6-1, 3-1 West Suburban Silver) want to shed the disappointing feeling of last week’s loss, keep their slim conference title hopes alive, and most of all, simply notch a victory against perennially pesky Lyons Township. The Friars (3-4, 1-1 CCL Green) must run the table the rest of the regular season, starting with Saturday’s game against Montini, in order to become playoff-eligible.
Here’s a preview of this weekend’s games.
Oak Park and River Forest at Lyons Township
Friday, Oct. 16 at Bennett Field in Western Springs (7:30 p.m. kickoff)
After a 4-0 start, the Lions have dropped two of three games with lopsided losses to Hinsdale Central (51-21) and Glenbard West (35-0). Nevertheless, LT (5-2, 2-2) appears in good position to make the state playoffs. Offensively, LT features sophomore quarterback Ben Bryant, junior running back Reggie Terrell and sophomore wide receiver Brandon Fischer. All three are young and talented players who represent the future of LT football. Senior wide receiver Jimmy Saracco is another offensive threat, playing a similar role to OPRF senior wideout Cole Fields. Senior offensive linemen Taylor Curlin (6-4, 225 pounds) and Chase Nacker (6-0, 255 pounds) anchor the Lions’ front wall.
Linebackers Tyler Graf, Matthew Phillip and Jack Walton along with defensive backs Kevin Minik and Steven Heim lead LTHS on defense. 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive lineman Mickey Brown could be a future star.
The Huskies counter with Smith under center, supported by running backs Antonio Cannon and Jamarri Watson. Cannon and Watson are playmakers, who have accounted collectively for 10 touchdowns this season. Smith has a ton of targets in the passing game, notably senior Breshawn Wilkerson (five catches for 48 yards against Glenbard West). The offensive line has developed nicely under the radar. It’s an effective mix of senior and junior linemen including Jay Heininger, James Cousin, Jacob Hale, Noah Coplan, Sharmore Clarke and Ethan Lemons.
Another week of reps in practice should only help Smith’s development as the Huskies’ starting quarterback the remainder of the season. In limited duty so far, Smith has shown a quick release and some elusiveness in the pocket.
“Keegan Smith is our other quarterback and he’s ready to step up and play well,” OPRF linebacker Jahmari Moore said. “Honestly, I’m not concerned about the quarterback situation at all because we have two good quarterbacks on this team. I know both Jeremy and Keegan are very talented.”
Despite giving up 34 points last week, the OPRF defense is allowing 13.4 points per game. Glenbard West was able to control the clock and amass 434 yards of total offense against the Huskies. That’s an exception rather than the norm for offenses facing the Orange Crush.
While the Lions have multiple threats offensively, OPRF leaders like linebackers Sam Francis and Moore (7 tackles each against Glenbard West) and Allen Stallings should have the defense focused and ready to go. Linebacker Evan Bell, who had a team-high 12 tackles against Glenbard West, cornerback Keyon Blankenbaker and safety Rollian Sturkey are other top defenders for OPRF.
Last year, OPRF topped visiting LTHS 49-35 in an offensive shootout. The Lions typically play the Huskies tough so the latter will need to be focused and not looking ahead to its highly anticipated regular-season finale against Hinsdale Central.
“We’re focused on getting better each day. We’re not going to worry about yesterday or tomorrow,” OPRF coach John Hoerster said after the Glenbard West game. “It would be a different mood if this was the first round of the playoffs but it’s not. We still have games to play and room to improve.”
Montini vs. Fenwick
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Morton West High School in Berywn (1:30 p.m. kickoff)
The Friars have the unenviable task of having to beat Montini and St. Francis the last two weeks of the regular season to become playoff-eligible. For now, Fenwick’s focus is exclusively on Montini, which rolls into Saturday’s game with a 7-0 record and 2-0 mark in the CCL Green. The balanced Broncos have outscored their opponents 230-46 this season.
Montini, which has have won five state titles under coach Chris Andriano, is loaded with playmakers including quarterback Justin Blake, wide receivers Tyler Millikan and Brandon Shigalis and running back Dylan Mahere. Junior running back Prince Walker is a Division I recruit.
Senior middle linebacker John Embrey and defensive lineman Brandon Andino lead a very stout defense.
With earlier games against Phillips and Loyola Academy this season, the Friars certainly are experienced playing against top flight competition. Although Montini certainly fits that description, the Friars won’t be intimidated and will lean on Keller, Lattner, Martin as well as wide receiver Mike O’Laughlin and tight end Jack Henige to attack the Broncos’ defense.
If Fenwick can keep the chains moving, mix in some big plays and avoid turnovers, the offense is capable of doing damage against virtually any defense. The versatility of Keller, Lattner, Martin and Conner Lillig allows the Friars some creativity as well in the playbook.
On the other side of the ball, Fenwick linebacker Brian Doyle and Brett Moorman along with cornerbacks Patrick Rafferty and Alex Pierson, among others, will try to slow down Montini’s high-powered offense.
“The last couple of weeks we have come together as a team,” Doyle said after the Friars’ 42-21 win over Marmion Academy in Week 6. “The last few weeks we have been counted out and pushed up against a wall. Our mentality has been us against the world.”
The Friars will be motivated to play well in front of their home crowd and keep their playoff hopes alive. Whether they can knock off Montini remains to be seen, but it sure will be fun and interesting to watch.
Remember to bundle up for both games this weekend. As the regular season winds down with the postseason on the horizon, these immutable facts remain: the intensity on the field will rise and the temperature in the air will drop.
Go Huskies, Go Friars!