Recent memories add
to Reavis-Oak Forest rivalry
By Steve Millar
After playing to a 1-1 tie last season, Oak Forest and Reavis will square off again in a South Suburban Conference cross-over match set for 12:30 p.m. Monday at Oak Forest.
“Oak Forest is solid,” Reavis coach Mark Gniadek said. “We had a heated one against them last year. It was wild. It’s fun to have that game to look forward to. We can talk about what happened last year and get some energy from that.
“Oak Forest is always a scrappy, solid team. We had a few days to prepare for it going from a game Wednesday (a 2-1 win over Bremen) and being off until Monday.”
Gniadek said the Rams left last season’s game with some anger over not getting the win, and he hopes those memories will fuel his team before this next encounter with the Bengals.
“We scored one that got called back for offsides at the end of the game,” he said. “So, we had to settle for the tie. It was a fun one.”
Oak Forest coach Kieran Byrne has also become accustomed to some hard-fought clashes against the Rams.
“Reavis is always a tough, skilled team so we know that game is going to be a challenge, and we look forward to it,” Byrne said.
Reavis (4-2-1, 4-2-1) comes into the match riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak. That stretch has included a 7-0 win over Evergreen Park, a 5-0 victory over Tinley Park, a 3-1 win over Oak Lawn and the 2-1 defeat of Bremen.
“We start off the right way now,” Reavis junior forward Pedro Guzman said. “Earlier in the year, we were starting off on the wrong foot. Now, we’re getting the lead first, and that really helps us.”
Oak Forest (2-3-1, 2-3-1) is coming off an 8-1 rout of Evergreen Park on Wednesday. Before that, the Bengals let a late 2-0 lead slip away in a 2-2 tie with Tinley Park. Those results ended a two-game losing skein.
Byrne is searching for consistency.
“We have a lot of young players, and we’re playing everyone significant amounts of minutes,” he said. “With this unique season, we want to give everyone a chance to play and see what they can do.
“We’ve done good things, and we’ve shown potential. I think we’re capable of doing good things as a team. It’s just now we have to put it all together and do those good things for a full game.”
to Reavis-Oak Forest rivalry
By Steve Millar
After playing to a 1-1 tie last season, Oak Forest and Reavis will square off again in a South Suburban Conference cross-over match set for 12:30 p.m. Monday at Oak Forest.
“Oak Forest is solid,” Reavis coach Mark Gniadek said. “We had a heated one against them last year. It was wild. It’s fun to have that game to look forward to. We can talk about what happened last year and get some energy from that.
“Oak Forest is always a scrappy, solid team. We had a few days to prepare for it going from a game Wednesday (a 2-1 win over Bremen) and being off until Monday.”
Gniadek said the Rams left last season’s game with some anger over not getting the win, and he hopes those memories will fuel his team before this next encounter with the Bengals.
“We scored one that got called back for offsides at the end of the game,” he said. “So, we had to settle for the tie. It was a fun one.”
Oak Forest coach Kieran Byrne has also become accustomed to some hard-fought clashes against the Rams.
“Reavis is always a tough, skilled team so we know that game is going to be a challenge, and we look forward to it,” Byrne said.
Reavis (4-2-1, 4-2-1) comes into the match riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak. That stretch has included a 7-0 win over Evergreen Park, a 5-0 victory over Tinley Park, a 3-1 win over Oak Lawn and the 2-1 defeat of Bremen.
“We start off the right way now,” Reavis junior forward Pedro Guzman said. “Earlier in the year, we were starting off on the wrong foot. Now, we’re getting the lead first, and that really helps us.”
Oak Forest (2-3-1, 2-3-1) is coming off an 8-1 rout of Evergreen Park on Wednesday. Before that, the Bengals let a late 2-0 lead slip away in a 2-2 tie with Tinley Park. Those results ended a two-game losing skein.
Byrne is searching for consistency.
“We have a lot of young players, and we’re playing everyone significant amounts of minutes,” he said. “With this unique season, we want to give everyone a chance to play and see what they can do.
“We’ve done good things, and we’ve shown potential. I think we’re capable of doing good things as a team. It’s just now we have to put it all together and do those good things for a full game.”