Best of the best: Fargo championships
are on the brink
Illinois Junior Freestyle dual team takes gold
in another USA Wrestling event · 07/15/2010
ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals, a.k.a. Fargo (July 19-24)
Beginning on Sunday, July 18, with the kickoff of the Cadet Greco
tournament, wrestlers from across the country will clash at the Fargodome to determine who is the best of the best. Last year,
OPRF shone brightly with three All-Americans and four medals (Sam
Brooks x2, Nick Dardanes, Chris Dardanes). Who will make an
impact on behalf of our Orange and Blue Wrecking Crew this year?
Huskies at Cadet Greco: Darius
Henry (112), Michael Woulfe (152),
Sam Brooks (171), Marq Brumant
(285), Elijah Thompson (285)
Huskies at Junior Greco:None
Huskies at Cadet Freestyle: Sam
Brooks (171)
Huskies at Junior Freestyle:
None
All-American Medalist (top 8
finish)
Sam Brooks repeats as National All-American!
He takes 7th in the Cadet Greco division. Congratulations,
Sammy!
Illinois Juniors take 2nd in Greco, then dominate Freestyle (June
25-28)
Team Illinois has been dominant on the high school duals level for
years. Its Greco and Freestyle squads have consistent talent
that is barely paralleled -- if at all. Both the Cadets and
Juniors continue to succeed. In late June, the IL Junior group
took home the silver (Greco) and gold (Freestyle) trophies.
OPRF's Nick Dardanes and Ben Brooks wrestled in the Greco
tournament, and Nick Dardanes also took part in the Freestyle
tournament. Congratulations to all involved for Team Illinois!
Summer fun: The greatest sport in the
world heats up
Spring officially says goodbye, but wrestling
churns on · 06/23/2010
OPRF Coach Octavius Bellamy (right)
oversees the Huskies at June 22's summer league event. (Photos by B.T.)
In these first days of summer, let all of us from the OPRF Wrestling
Family wish you warm times with family and friends. On to more
news!
Cadet Duals in Rochester, Minnesota (June
15-19)
Our own "Slammin'" Sammy Brooks and "Dynamite" Darius Henry wrestled
for Team Illinois. Sammy wrestled in both the Greco and
Freestyle tournaments, and Darius wrestled in the Greco tournament.
The IL Cadets (rising sophomores and juniors) took 3rd in Greco and
2nd in Freestyle. Sammy wrestled to an all-tournament 8-0 in
Greco and 6-1 in Freestyle. Darius wrestled to a 6-3 record in
Greco. Congratulations, gentlemen!
Junior Duals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (June 25-28)
Team Illinois's Junior squad (rising seniors and recent graduates)
will also prepare for Greco and Freestyle dominance. Look for a
few of the Huskie finest to contribute on one or both of the teams.
Thank you to all who came out to the annual Car Wash on Saturday, June
19th. Your contributions to the bar-none absolute greatest
Wrestling Family (of which you are a part) are greatly appreciated.
Summer League
The Huskies have entered a summer league for our high school age wrestlers.
The location varies, but this past Tuesday, June 22, the league took
place at York High School. There were several teams in
attendance including Fenwick, Waubonsie Valley, Hinsdale Central, and
the host Dukes. In the summer league, wrestlers gain invaluable
experience by wrestling many short matches during the night.
OPRF Summer Camp (July 12-17)
OPRF High School and the OPRF Wrestling coaching staff will run a
summer wrestling camp to all children who are entering 1st - 8th
grades. The fee is only $65.
View the camp details. Email
Mike
Powell with questions.
The high school wrestling camp (incoming 9th - 12th grades) will also
be held at OPRF High School the same week as the youth camp, but at
different times during the day. The fee for this camp is $115.
It is a top notch camp and a great way to prepare for winter
wrestling.
View the camp details. Email
Mike
Powell with questions.
Register for either camp at the OPRF athletic office between 8 am - 3
pm weekdays. With a top notch coaching staff like ours, this
camp is truly an amazing experience (for any age!). Don't miss
out!
Former Huskies and Company Show Support
Let's not forget the contributions of OPRF lifers in the spirit of
Huskie love. Thank you to all who came out for the May 14
fundraiser in honor of Steven Shupe (OPRF '87), a former Huskie
wrestler. The event was held at Skrines in Forest Park. To
learn more about the event at Skrines, or how you can contribute,
please go to our latest
News
Archive section and scroll down a few articles.
Former Huskie wrestlers gather at
Skrines on May 14.
Coaching to the letter: News from the
top
Don't miss out on car wash, summer camp, and
more! · 06/14/2010
Huskie Wrestling Family,
We have great news and a couple of announcements.
Ellis Coleman, just 18 years old, just placed 3rd in the world team
trials at 66 kg in the Greco-Roman style. His only loss in the trials
was to a 36 year old veteran. Since leaving us, Ellis has been honing
his craft at the Olympic Training Center (with Pete Kowalczuk, who
didn’t wrestle due to injury) in Colorado Springs where he has
established himself as the next great Greco prospect. This is an
amazing accomplishment and we are very proud of Ellis.
Darius Henry, soon to be a household name in Illinois wrestling, and
Sammy Brooks leave tomorrow to defend Team Illinois’ 2009 Cadet (15
-16 years old) National Greco-Roman Championship. Darius is a new
comer to Team Illinois and Sammy will be the captain of this year’s
team. Good luck Huskies!
The annual Car Wash will be this Saturday, June 19th, from 9 AM – 1:00
PM. We hope to retain our status as slightly below average car washers
and great fundraisers. Please come out and support the Huskies. We
will be washing cars on the corner of Scoville and Erie.
Summer League-
We have entered a summer league for our high school age wrestlers. It
starts tomorrow night, the 15th. We will be leaving from the alley at
5 PM.
OPRF Summer Camp-
If you still need to sign your wrestler up for our summer camp, you
can do so at the athletic office of the HS between 8 AM – 3 PM
weekdays.
Lifting –
We are weight lifting each M,W, F at 8:30 AM. All wrestlers are
expected to be there and get strong with/like coach Messer (awesome
beard optional).
In Relentless Pursuit,
The Huskie Wrestling Staff
Niall Collins, former Huskies head
coach, immortalized by OPRF
Former football and head wrestling coach accepts
school's call to hall · 06/14/2010
(Photo by Jon Langham, Sun-Times Media)
Niall Collins, selected to be a grand marshal at the 2009 IHSA
Individual State Wrestling Tournament and previously selected to the
St. Patrick High School Hall of Fame, was honored by Oak Park & River
Forest High School on Sunday, June 6. Niall was chosen to be
added to a prestigious, and newly revived, tradition at OPRF.
Niall was one of three new members of the high school's Coaches Hall
of Fame. Niall's efforts throughout the years have been
substantial, coaching for 22 years in football and wrestling. He
was the Huskies head wrestling coach from 1994-2004.
"I appreciate the honor," Niall said of his selection. We
appreciate you more, Coach Collins.
