2013-2014 Postseason

And the award goes to...: A look at the final Varsity numbers
2013-14 statistics always a joy to behold; Pin King and Takedown King rise to top · 03/23/2014

     
Davonte Mahomes (left) and Matthew Rundell (right) earned Wall etchings.

If you are anything like me, you just love numbers. Statistics, data -- you can't seem to get enough. I'm not talking about taxes or filling out forms. Instead, I'm talking about Huskie History. Another season's statistics are -- as they say -- "in the books." Below are the statistics leaders.

Writing on the wall: More names are etched in stone
OPRF Wrestling Wall of Fame page is updated after 2013-2014 season · 03/15/2013

If you haven't seen it, the OPRF Wrestling Wall of Fame page is worth a look. It archives all sorts of statistics and achievements. It is updated through 2013-2014, so you can view results such as state qualifiers and 30-win seasons. The webpage is enhanced with 40- and 50-win categories, as well.

Noteworty | Davonte Mahomes has cemented his Century Club record (170-19), and two have now joined him: juniors Matthew Rundell and Larry Early. Look for them to pile on many more wins in their 2014-15 senior campaign. The Takedown and Pin King titles have been tabulated: Davonte Mahomes and Matthew Rundell, respectively. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to enjoy a succinct set of Huskie History: Record Holders.

Statistics are set | Also tabulated are the final 2013-2014 IHSA Statistics. I kindly thank all who helped take (and make) these statistics. I especially want to thank the team statistician, Savannah. Savannah's lethal combination of pure Huskie Heart and a mentally tough Huskie Head equate to a (state championship) winning team. Exquisite, as always.

Making it snappy: Dual Team title in pictures
03/03/2014

Jonna Borgdorff | Pics: Quarters and Semis | Pics: Championship |

Bonus Pics

Jonna Borgdorff | Pics: Quarters and Semis | Pics: Championship |

Huskie strong: OPRF overpowers a tough Marist squad for title
After trading 5-1 bout runs, Isaiah White sets the table before Larry Early provides the feast · 03/01/2014

     
Photos from Saturday's early rounds. | Pics: Quarters and Semis, by Jonna Borgdorff 

The Huskies traveled south to Bloomington, Illinois (shout out to my Fightin' Titans!), for the Class 3A Dual Team State Finals. OPRF came into the day with a 26-1 record and a #1 ranking on the GEI Illinois Matmen state rankings. It was a day to be excited. Nearly all eyes were on the race for silver trophy, as OPRF was the favorite. However, the duals still need to be wrestled, and the Huskies breezed through the first two rounds.

Quarterfinals | Pics: Quarters and Semis | After watching the first set of quarterfinals, the Huskies had an 11:00 am date with #16-ranked Conant. The dual began at  138 pounds. The semifinals and medal round, therefore, would begin with 145 and 152 pounds, respectively. The Huskies were flying right out of the gate. Falls by Isaiah White and Larry Early put OPRF up by a dozen. Two more matches finished early with a technical fall by Mathew Rundell (152) and a pin by Kamal Bey. At 170, Max Metzgar battled Daniel Andress of Conant. It was a close affair, but Max notched the 6-5 win in Huskie Style. Following was Allen Stallings who made short work with a 53-second fall. The Huskies' lead ballooned to 32-0. More fruits were falling from the trees with a 195-pound pin fall by Ben Bergen. Senior Malik Brumant stepped in at 220 pounds and dominated individual sectional qualifier Michael Meier. At heavyweight, Adam Lemke-Bell added a sixth fall in the third period. At the turnaround, the Huskies led by 47.

At 106 pounds, freshman PJ Ogunsanya displayed upperclassman poise in a 13-1 major decision victory. Bobby Campos also scored a dominating major at 113 pounds. Joe Robles, a senior, battled hard but couldn't overtake Kyle Peisker of Conant. The Cougars scored 3 team points here. In what turned out to be the last contested bout, Gabe Townsell scored an 8-point victory to push OPRF's team total to 59. At 132, Conant state medalist Bobby Alexander received a forfeit victory. OPRF wins 59-9.

Semifinals | Pics: Quarters and Semis | The Huskies had little time to prepare for round two, as the Orange & Blue met Hononegah, winners of their quarterfinal versus Libertyville. The dual set off with a bang, as Larry Early and Fernie Silva wrestled in a rematch of the 145-pound 3A championship bout. The winner was the same here, as Larry won a 6-2 decision. In the next 5 bouts, Huskies played ping pong with the two varieties of falls. 152: fall by Matthew Rundell. 160: tech fall by Kamal Bey. 170: tech fall by Davonte Mahomes. 182: fall by Allen Stallings. 195: tech fall by Andre Lee. Just like that, the Huskies led 30-0. The next two bouts played to full time with Emonte Logan tallying a 15-6 major decision and Malik Brumant bumping up in a 6-4 victory.

Jay Renteria and Bobby Campos decided to revert course with two second period falls, one apiece.  Joe  Robles finished 1-1 on the day with a strong win over Aaron Leppert. Freshman Jaime Hernandez managed Hononegah's Drew Waterstreet in a major result. With two bouts remaining, the Huskies were in front 56-0. Savonne Bennette joined the fun with a pinfall victory at 132 pounds. Again, the Huskies conceded a forfeit to end the dual, this one to Anthony Silva at 138 pounds. OPRF wins 62-6.

Championship | Pics: Championship | As many expected, OPRF clashed with Marist in the final round of action. The Huskies previously defeated the Redhawks 43-23 on December 7. Marist would fare much better against the Huskies, but OPRF controlled the first 3 bouts. At 152 pounds, Matthew Rundell secured a 9-4 decision. Kamal Bey next blanked Marist's Jakada Hull with an impressive rideout. State champion Davonte Mahomes took down Redhawks' state medalist Peter Andriotti (at 160) by a final tally of 5-3. Despite the three losses, Marist did a nice job of limiting damage. Oak Park led early, 9-0. At 182, Marist's Alex Benoit controlled Allen Stallings for a late 8-0 major decision. Not daunted, Emonte Logan scored a late takedown for his own major decision at 220. The score was 19-4. Six bouts in and five winners for the Huskies.

At 285 pounds, Marist countered with a Jake Ford decision over Adam Lemke-Bell. At 106, Jay Renteria was leading large but Marist's Jimmy McAuliffe flexed his muscles and scored a fall victory. This energized Marist and pushed the team score war to 19-13, in favor of OPRF. The Redhawks continued to charge back with a 113-pound 4-0 victory by Nick Lukanich over Bobby Campos.  At 120, Gabe Townsell, just a sophomore, refused to be caught in a rolling tide with a strong 6-1 decision over Andy O'Brien. The Huskies now were up 22-16. In a tight match, Jaime Hernandez tried his might but lost 3-2 to Mike Mullaney. 132 pounds was the only overtime bout of the dual as state qualifiers SaVonne Bennette and Ameen Hamdan (4th place) evened the bout at 1-1 prior to the extra sessions. In double overtime, Hamdan scored the rideout to give Marist a 22-22 tie with two bouts to end the season.

Despite the Redhawk run, OPRF looked in good shape with two state champions still on the pine. The 138 match was another replay of the 3A state final, with Isaiah White taking on Mario Leveille. Folks, Isaiah came out blazing in this bout. He singlehandedly decided that he would not be denied and charged to a near major decision by the end of the second period. Leveille had no answers for Isaiah's attack and found himself on his back twice, the second time was the charm for Isaiah. Isaiah brought OPRF's faithful to their feet with a fall at 3:32. The Marist hope now rested only with a David Kasper fall over Larry Early, the 145 Class 3A state champion, and then hoping to win on criteria (bouts and bout results would be tied). Well, Larry had other plans, and although having a little electricity in his veins, Larry coolly ended all of the Redhawk fun with a 11-2 victory. Ladies and gentlemen, the team trophy has returned to 201 N. Scoville. OPRF wins 32-22.

Media magic | Chicago Trib #1 | Chicago Trib #2 | Wednesday Journal | High School Cube | Matmen Recap | Interviews

1...2... | In the other classes, Dakota secured the Class 1A championship, and Montini earned the Class 2A title.

Huskie history | The 2014 IHSA Class 3A Dual Team Champion Oak Park & River Forest Huskies finish the 2013-2014 campaign with a record of 29-1 (the one loss was to Apple Valley, Minnesota). The 29 wins is a school record. The team title is the first championship trophy since 2009, five seasons ago. This is the second title in OPRF history.

Nothing but money | Davonte Mahomes earned 2 more wins on Saturday, extending his wins record to 170. Furthermore, Davonte won the team Takedown King for the fourth consecutive year. This has never been done in the history of OPRF Wrestling. In fact, no other wrestler has led the team for more than two years. 170 wins for the 170-pounder. Quite fitting.

IHSA-OK | Go to all things IHSA: IHSA Wrestling

Huskie Wrestling Family on Facebook | Jump now | And I thought this here website was a work of art. Wow. The HWF is a must view and a must follow.

Blast off: Huskies dominate Notre Dame, onward to Team State
40-27 victory propels OPRF to 3A quarters; host Conant defeats Glenbard N. on criteria · 02/25/2014

     
Conant can-do: Huskies jettison Dons. | Pics: Team Sectional, by Jonna Borgdorff 

The result wasn't really in question as the Huskies took care of what hopes to be their fourth-to-last opponent on the IHSA season. OPRF looked strong, showcasing several who didn't wrestle in the individual state series. Their 40-27 victory ups the season record to 26-1.

Familiar Bloomington | The Huskies now make a growingly familiar trip to U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, IL, to compete against seven other qualifying squads in search of a 3A Dual Team title. OPRF will face Conant, who some believed won their Dual Team Sectional semifinal in a surprise result over the Glenbard North Panthers. The Huskies will wrestle at 11 am on Saturday morning. With a win, the Huskies will next wrestle at 2 pm and 6 pm.

The more you know | IHSA Team Bracket | Team Sectional Scores | IHSA.tv (subscription/Comcast required)

Davonte Mahomes: New OPRF Win King
Title win was his 167th, tops in program history · 02/24/2014

Davonte Mahomes is the OPRF all-time wins leader. (via FB/Jason Salley)

Not to be overlooked on Saturday, Davonte "Money" Mahomes (my nickname) accomplished something unseen in Oak Park & River Forest High School history: he won his 167th bout. The previous high was 166, set by Ellis Coleman, class of 2009. Davonte has wins of 34, 43, 46, and 44+ (freshman to senior, respectively). I write "plus" because Davonte is involved in this week's dual team sectional and state tournament. 4 possible wins could push his total to 171.

A look at the four men who have won at least 150 matches while attending OPRF High School (* - 1 week remains):

Frozen in time: Photos from Champaign
02/23/2014

Can't Miss Galleries (Jonna Borgdorff) | Semifinals | Wrestlebacks and 3rd/5th | Championship Finals

Can't Miss Galleries (Jonna Borgdorff) | Semifinals | Wrestlebacks and 3rd/5th | Championship Finals

Four more: Huskies add 4 state titles to the history books
OPRF finishes with 10 medalists, a state record, en route to unofficial team title · 02/22/2014

Of OPRF's 12 individual state qualifiers, a school and state record 10 earned a spot on the medal stand. On Saturday night, four of these ten held Class 3A bracket boards as a state champion in their respective weight: Isaiah White (138), Larry Early (145), Kamal Bey (152), and Davonte Mahomes (170). Taking second was Jason Renteria (106).

Full results (jump to completed individual state brackets):

Matmen magic (NEW) | OPRF sets new mark for medal winners (illinoismatmen.com)

In progress: Huskies shine on Day 1, win 11 of 12; send 5 to finals
11 into the quarters, SaVonne Bennette watches for now · 02/20/2014

On Thursday, all 10 individual sectional champions advanced to the second round: quarterfinals. In addition, Emonte Logan, a sectionals third place finisher, dispatched his opponent. Only SaVonne Bennette did not earn victory. He lost a tough 1-0 decision to Matthew Conrad (Barrington). SaVonne, a 132 pounder, must hope for Conrad to win his next bout. If he does, SaVonne will advance to the consolation bracket. Regardless of their result, none of the other 11 Huskies will be eliminated after this coming round. These quarterfinals, class 3A, will begin at 1:30 pm (approximately) on Friday afternoon. Go Huskies! Keep up the Huskie style!

[Updated]  In the quarterfinals, OPRF won 8 bouts. Winners were Jason Renteria (106), Isaiah White (138), Larry Early (145), Matthew Rundell (152), Kamal Bey (160), Davonte Mahomes (170), Andre Lee (195), and Emonte Logan (220). Losing in tough bouts were Alex Madrigal (113), Gabe Townsell (120), and Allen Stallings (182). Speaking of these three, Alex and Gabe each won their first wrestleback bout. Despite a strong effort, however, Allen lost. SaVonne Bennette did not qualify for a birth into the consolation bracket.

In the semifinals, the Huskies won 5 of 8. Advancing to the sate championship were our 106, 138, 145, 160, and 170 pounders. Unfortunately, two overtime losses and a one point decision befell our other three semifinalists. Each of these three is guaranteed a medal.

 After Day 2:

Finalists | Jason Renteria (106), Isaiah White (138), Larry Early (145), Kamal Bey (160), Davonte Mahomes (170)

Other medalists | Matthew Rundell (152), Andre Lee (195), Emonte Lee (220)

In the hunt (need 1 win) | Alex Madrigal (113), Gabe Townsell (120)

It's game time: Individual State begins today
A Huskie dozen to compete in opening round Thursday · 02/20/2014

The association: IHSA. The season: winter. The sport: wrestling. The month: February. The round: individual finals. The time: now.... OPRF qualifies in 12 (of 14) weight classes for the 16-wrestler brackets on Thursday-Saturday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The two open brackets will be 126 and 285 pounds. The remaining 12 each will battle for a spot on the podium. The top 6 at each weight will receive a medal. Go Huskies!!

You may be well on your way -- or preparing your trip. If not (or, if you are!), here are some helpful links:

Learn | IHSA Wrestling Home | State Series Info | Time Schedule | Brackets

Follow live on | TrackWrestling | IHSA.tv (NFHS subscription required)

Dizzying dozen: Huskies unbeaten in medal round, advance 12
OPRF takes home 10 championship and 2 consolation titles; 2 fall one win shy · 02/15/2014

     
Leyden lunge: Huskies excel at individual sectional | Pics: Day 1 | Day 2, by Jonna Borgdorff 

It was a "no contest" contest at the Individual Leyden Sectional this past Friday and Saturday. The Huskies put a toll on their opponents at an overall clip of 43-6 (nearly 88 % winning percentage) en route to the unofficial sectional title. The Huskies have punched 12 tickets to Champaign, most in school history. The previous high was 11, set last year. Sadly, freshman Jaime Hernandez and junior Adam Lemke-Bell did not qualify. They battled, folks, pushing in true Huskie style, but they were unable to secure one of the top four spots. Both will wrestle in the dual team series, taking place the week after individual state, and both are eligible to compete next season.

Full results (jump to completed brackets):

Going farming | The individual state final will be held on three days, Feb. 20-22. The State Farm Center, in Champaign-Urbana, will host the action for all three classes (1A, 2A, and 3A). This venue was previously named Assembly Hall. If you cannot watch the tournament in person, it will be followed on TrackWrestling, and later, there will be programs aired on cable. These programs will be tape delayed.

Day one fun: 11 in the semis, Huskies go 13-3 in matches
Action re-ups Saturday at 10:00 am; medal round at 3:00 pm · 02/14/2014

Leyden High School is the familiar scene for our 2014 IHSA Individual Sectional. As you know, 14 qualifers in 14 weihts took the mats on Friday night. Jaime Hernandez (126) was the only wrestler to go 2-0 on the night, winning two close 1 point matches. He and 10 other semifinalists must either win their semifinal bout or win the following match, should they lose. If they do either, they will punch a ticket to Champaign and the individual state finals.

SaVonne Bennette (132), Emonte Logan (220), and Adam Lemke-Bell (285) are in the consolation bracket. They must win three bouts in a row to wrestle in the newly named State Farm Center at the campus of U of I.

Follow the bracket | Leyden bracket (updated periodically)

Finals at 3:00 pm | Also available on High School Cube

The sessions are 10:00 am ($5) and 2:00 pm ($5), finals at 3:00 pm. Note that the top 4 wrestlers advance to state, so the consolation race is to make it INTO the 3rd place match. The result of that match only affects bracket placement next week in Champaign.

Family portrait: Glenbard East regional
02/08/2014

Assembly line: 14 in, 14 out -- OPRF wins Glenbard E. regional
All entrants advance to Leyden sectional; Huskies are officially in the team title hunt · 02/08/2014

     
Home cooking: 201 N. Scoville hosted the action | Jump to full photos, by Jonna Borgdorff 

February is here. On the first day of postseason performances, the Huskies put up a showing for the ages. 12 wrestlers in the finals, 11 champions. 2 wrestlers who remedied tough losses by securing 3rd place honors. They also took the team title in a landslide. Only the top 3 advanced, and OPRF managed to send a full team to the Leyden Individual Sectional (read below for more).

Browse the final results:

Picture perfect | Out-of-this-world photographer Jonna Borgdorff took pictures of the Regional.

Illinois Matmen article | Gary Larsen wrote a terrific piece on OPRF Regional results. Visit IM's article.

Brackets | You can view the final Glenbard East Regional brackets: Glenbard East Brackets

Next week | The Huskies travel to Leyden High School (Franklin Park) to face place-winners from four Regionals: Glenbard East, Schaumburg, South Elgin, and Notre Dame (Niles). The Individual Sectional will occur on Friday and Saturday, Feb 14 and 15. The top 4 finishers in each weight class will advance to individual state, in Champaign. Hot off the press, official Leyden sectional brackets have been released.

Postseason is now: Regionals kick-off Saturday, Feb 8
Varsity starts February push at Glenbard East; top 3 wrestlers advance · 02/07/2014

It has been a great season thus far, and it will soon become greater. Tomorrow, Saturday, the Huskies will put 14 entrants on the mat that will each begin their road to Champaign. The Glenbard East (Lombard) Regional showcases 9 local squads. The top third of these nine entrants will advance to next week's Individual Sectional at Leyden High School. These will take place on Friday, February 14, and Saturday, February 15.

As we mentioned, the nine schools are: Addison Trail, York, Leyden, Glenbard West, Glenbard East, Proviso East, OPRF, Willowbrook, and Wheaton North. For more on the IHSA postseason, visit IHSA.org. The first round is set for 9:00 am, with session two slated for 2:00 pm. This is the championship and third place matches. Be aware that that 2:00 time is a best guess estimate. Timing wrestling can be difficult with bout uncertainties such as extra stoppage, overtime matches, etc. Spectator admission is $4.00 per session, or $6.00 all day pass (savings of $2).

In addition to the individual drama, the top tournament scoring team will advance to the 16 team dual team tournament. OPRF has reached this tournament in the last two seasons.

Brackets | The unofficial Glenbard East Regional brackets are posted: Glenbard East Brackets

Come out and support the squad! Go Huskies!

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