Sports
Oak Forest Boys Volleyball Keeps Rolling
The Bengals won two conference matches this week, setting up a showdown with Richards on Tuesday.
The Oak Forest boys volleyball team keeps taking care of business.
On Thursday, the Bengals defeated Argo 25-20, 25-22 to improve to 11-6 overall and 9-1 in the South Suburban Conference. Senior outside hitter Dylan Maziur had nine kills, while senior setter Cody Owens dished out 18 assists.
Despite the win, Oak Forest coach Amanda Brown said her team could have played better and looked a little sluggish, partly because of testing days Oak Forest had on Wednesday and Thursday. Brown also said the team might have been looking forward to its match with Richards next Tuesday. Richards is the only other team with one loss in the SSC and the only team to have beaten Oak Forest in conference play this season.
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“It was a little painful to watch at times,” Brown said. “We started off pretty efficiently. We had some good passes and some good hits, but then our serving broke down a little bit.”
On Tuesday, the Bengals defeated Reavis at home, 25-21, 25-20. This weekend the Bengals play in a tournament at Libertyville.
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Girls Track Squad Weathers the Storm
The recent bad weather has played havoc with the Oak Forest girls track and field team’s schedule.
“The rained-out meets this year has made our season seem shorter,” coach Erica Amoni said in an email.
The Bengals were able to compete at the Dale Janssen Invitational at Richards High School on Wednesday. Oak Forest scored 44 points to place fifth. Junior Gina Ryan led the Bengals, placing fifth in the long jump (15 feet, 2 inches) and the triple jump (30 feet, 8.5 inches).
Ryan also placed second in the 400-meter run (1:04) and helped the 4 x 400-meter relay team place fifth. Sophomore Monique Porto placed seventh in the 400-meter run with a time of 1:08, and also was a part of the 4 x 400 relay team, along with Ryan, senior captain Erin Walsh and junior Hollie Stepien.
The Bengals also had strong showings in throwing events. Sophomore Dominique Davis placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 27 feet, 1 inch and was second in the discus with a toss of 91 feet, 10 inches. Junior Lauren Wojcik placed third in the discus (80 feet, 5 inches).
In the high jump, sophomore Julia Barrera placed fifth in the high jump (4 feet, 4 inches), while senior Stacy Soppet placed fourth in the mile run with a time of 6:05.
“Our team is young, with only four seniors, but the girls show great desire and willingness to try events, which has helped round out our team this year,” Amoni said. “We are working on building a stronger foundation for our team, so that we can continue to strengthen our program.”
The team is gearing up for conference and sectional meets. Amoni said the team recently had a celebration for its seniors—Erin Walsh, Stacy Soppet, Artersia Sweat and Chinkumbi Wauna.
“We wish them well and thank them for their years of service and leadership to our team,” Amoni said.
Tough Loss for Girls Soccer Team
The Oak Forest girls soccer team lost a heartbreaker on a cold and rainy Thursday night, 1-0 to Reavis. The Bengals dropped to 4-4 in the South Suburban Conference and 4-7 overall. .
Former Bengal Boosts NIU
Oak Forest graduate Amanda Sheppard helped the Northern Illinois University softball team sweep a doubleheader with Loyola on Thursday. Sheppard, sister to Oak Forest baseball star Bobby Sheppard, had four RBIs in a game one victory. Here’s the story from NIU.
