OPRF wrestling is a win-win proposition

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 10:00 PM

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Print

While the OPRF basketball teams are competing valiantly, Wednesday Journal is missing the real winter sports story, one that will span the next few years. In fact, there are two stories, only one of which is receiving any coverage at all, and even then it's usually the eighth or ninth article buried within each week's paper.

The OPRF wrestling program, led by Mike Powell, has become a statewide, even a nationwide, powerhouse (and stay tuned for the 2012 Olympics). In addition to the varsity's almost gaudy success at Regionals — putting each member of our team through to Sectionals! — the freshman team is an equal front-pager. There is no official freshman team state championship, but we have two #1s on our hands.

The freshmen, nearly all of whom come to the team from our local Little Huskies feeder club, may be the bigger story, certainly in the long run. With the current eighth-graders expected to join next year, and even some seventh-graders in the pipeline, by the time these freshmen are juniors, our team may well already be the overwhelming preseason favorite. It is not wild boosterism to suggest that today's freshmen wrestlers could be on two state championship teams before they graduate, an achievement that may be unprecedented.

This is a true win-win, both our current and future varsity teams. Their success deserves greater prominence in your weekly winter sports coverage. Hopefully, the Journal will start to pick up on both stories.

Eric Davis
Oak Park