Oak Park and River Forest High School senior flag football quarterback Julia Henderson knew how important the Huskies’ East Avenue Showdown against visiting Fenwick, Sept. 16, was. 

“There was a lot riding on this game because they’re our hometown rivals and we want to beat them in every sport,” she said. 

Henderson did her part and then some, throwing for five touchdowns in OPRF’s 37-0 victory over Fenwick. 

“She’s unreal,” said OPRF coach James Geovanes. “I think she’s the best quarterback in the state and I’ll put her up against anybody. She reads defenses so well, finds the open receiver. I haven’t seen a better quarterback than her yet.” 

After holding Fenwick (6-4) to one first down on the game’s opening possession, OPRF (9-3) marched 51 yards on eight plays, capping things with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Henderson to sophomore Lucy Avrut. Then following a three-and-out defensively, the Huskies scored again, this time on six plays, as Henderson found Leia Hammerschmidt for a 10-yard score and a 12-0 lead at the 9:55 mark of the second quarter. 

“It was really important,” Henderson said of her team’s fast start. “It sets the tone for the whole team to be excited and have so much emotion. It felt good to start off strong and not to have to work our way back.” 

OPRF’s next “drive” three minutes later lasted just one play. But it was a beauty as Henderson pitched back to senior Cora Brown, running a reverse to the right. Brown stopped and lofted a pass down the Fenwick sideline to Avrut for a 44-yard touchdown. 

The Huskies then put the Friars away with two scores in the final three minutes of the half: an 86-yard pass from Henderson to Avrut, and a 33-yard pass from Henderson to Brown, making it 31-0 OPRF at halftime. 

Oak Park-River Forest’s quarterback Julia Henderson (9) gets blocking from Alessandra Gerut (13) as she looks to pass against Fenwick during a cross town flag football game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 in Oak Park, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal)

Three plays into the second half, Henderson threw her fifth touchdown pass of the night, 66 yards to Nabila Diorio. The score made it 37-0 and mandated a running clock for the remainder of the contest. 

“Beating Fenwick is always huge for any one of our programs,” Geovanes said. “With this group this year, it’s extra special, and to shut them out is even better.” 

Fenwick struggled to move the ball against the OPRF defense, outside of a few receptions by senior running back Heaven Lee from senior quarterback Margaret Price. 

“[OPRF] is a good team. They’re very well-coached, they’re fast and talented, and they were humming tonight,” said Fenwick coach Bryan Boehm. 

That said, Boehm is hopeful that the Friars learn from the lopsided loss and use it as motivation to get better. 

“First and foremost, you’ve got to look inside your heart and character,” he said. “How are you going to respond as a team and as an individual? I don’t think a game like this will define our season, but every play we’ve got to look at what we could’ve done better and just grow. We’ve just got to coach better and make sure everyone’s ready, and from a player’s standpoint, we’ve got to do the small things and fundamentals right. There’s some time to get into the woodshed and figure it out.” 

Boehm’s message was received by Fenwick. The Friars snapped a four-game losing streak with a 14-0 shutout victory at De La Salle, Sept. 17, then defeated host Sandburg, 14-7, Sept. 20. 

Fenwick’s Gia Delatorre (22) pulls the flags of Oak Park-River Forest’s Leia Hammerschmidt (8) during a cross town flag football game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 in Oak Park, IL. (Steve Johnston/Wednesday Journal)

Meanwhile, OPRF is rolling and won its fifth consecutive game with a 36-0 shutout at Downers Grove North, Sept. 18. 

“We’re peaking at the right time with some big games coming up,” Geovanes said. “We’re communicating better than we ever have and have come together better than we ever have. With the players looming in two weeks, we told them to be ready because it’s going to be a fun run for us.” 

OPRF has West Suburban Conference games versus York, Sept. 24; at Lyons Township, Sept. 25; and at Proviso West, Sept. 27. Fenwick hosts Resurrection at Triton College, Sept. 24, and has road games at Glenbrook North Sept. 27 and Loyola Academy Sept. 29. 

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