Oak Forest Reigned in the Chargers for their First Victory of the Year

Oak Forest High School (2025 6A State Semi-Finalist) in Week 1 faced off against a good 8a school in Andrew High School. They lost in heartbreaking fashion as well in the final moments. I think that’s disappointment helped Oak Forest as they really took care of Stagg High School in Week 2. 

I followed the Bengals as they went through their deep playoff run last year and know a lot of their defense graduated. Their defense was rock solid last year, but this year’s defense I think is even better. Their linebackers and defensive backs, are really physical and strong to the ball. They’ve also had an additional year to learn the defensive scheme which helps. The defense only returned one senior, Colin Crotty, who told me:

“This defense is young with a lot of juniors starting and even a sophomore. We are going to be very solid and hard team to score on.”

The same sentiment was expressed by Head Coach Zac Sadek, who told me; “These guys have had 2 off seasons to learn this defense. That’s an advantage over last years team, and I think the back 7 are a more athletic group of guys.” The defense ended the game holding Stagg to zero points, forcing a quarterback change at half time, and had 3 interceptions in the game.

The coverage for the most part by the Bengals defense was fantastic. Reece Koszut, Neiko Leflore, and Chase Bolek, all three on the cornerback ends, including an interception by Bolek, safety Ryan Kruswicki also had an interception. The third interception came from senior linebacker Antonio Contreras, who made a good switch in coverage as he saw the Stagg quarterback roll out. I will say that the Stagg offense looked better in the second half. I’m not sure if it’s from some fatigue from the Oak Forest defense, or if the change in quarterback to John Chowaniec made a difference. They had some chances, they got Jaylen Logan more involved in the passing game, and Jazen McHerron had a few chances for big plays, too. Jaylen Logan also had a few good kick returns. I would have liked to see Logan used on a few end arounds, but Stagg just had very few offensive chances, and by the time they got rolling, they had to take shots down the field. 

Let’s talk about Stagg’s defense. Stagg’s defense had moments of greatest, honestly. Jake Houston had two pivotal stops on Oak Forest’s seventh possession. Adam Danko recorded a sack and so did Michael Kos, both on the same drive, which forced an Oak Forest punt. However, Oak Forest’s offense is lethal. They haven’t missed a beat since their playoff run last year. I wasn’t sure how they’d look losing Danny Chopp (All-State QB in 2025), but Ryan Kruswicki and Ethan Copher have taken the reigns at the position. Head Coach Zac Sadek told me “Copher had never played quarterback until this offseason started”. I couldn’t have seen that coming.

His decision making and play making ability (his roll out touchdown pass to Davian Picon is a great example) makes him look like he’s played QB his whole life. The two guys on Oak Forest’s offense that impressed me the most? Neiko Leflore and Will McMaster. When Leflore gets the ball on an end around, he can make anything happen. His speed and agility is unlike any other high school football player I’ve seen, while McMaster just runs hard and has no fear. The offensive line is also in good hands with Louis Staszak, Ryken Jager, and Brayden Hawkinson leading the way. They were fantastic in protection and in the run game. I think any team would have a hard time defending and end around to Neiko Leflore with this line. 

The special teams that I talked about at the beginning of the season for the Bengals, (Leflore on returns and Ulysses Morales on kicks) did show up well. Even on Stagg’s side of the ball. Omar Younis blocked a PAT from Morales, but Morales was 2 for 2 on field goals including one from deep, a 46 yarder that cleared the uprights by far. Dimitri Poulos was in a tough spot but had one of the best plays by a high school punter that I’ve seen. A bad snap forced him to go backwards and he evaded a tackler and was still able to get the punt off. My words don’t do it justice but you can check out the video in my portfolio! 

Overall, I had a great time at this game. Both teams had mental mistakes. In fact the head coach of Stagg said “it’s always the mental mistakes” after some incompletions and the offensive line not moving after a snap. Coach Zac Sadek told me that this team can be better than last years team, unless they beat themselves. I agree. But like Oak Forest Coach Scott Johnson says, “play with class and kick some… (I’ll let you fill in the blank)

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