Contact: Scott Rucker, SID

Eisele Grabs the Reins of the Forester Program
Inherits a team with 16 new starters

After developing one of the stingiest defenses in the Midwest Conference over the past three years, former defensive coordinator Chad Eisele will begin his first season as the Foresters' head coach in 2000. "I'm excited to get started with my head coaching career here at Lake Forest. All the pieces are in place to build a successful football tradition at Lake Forest College," according to Eisele, who played a major role in the Foresters second consecutive upper half MWC finish in 1999 and the school's best record since the 1986 season with their 5-5 overall mark. 

"We have developed a solid base to build upon here at Lake Forest, but we are far from satisfied," added Eisele. "Our goals don't end with an upper division season or a .500 record. We want the 1999 season to be just one more step towards our ultimate goal of reaching the top of the conference."

The Foresters will have to continue their rise up the MWC without 22 seniors, 14 of who started, from the 1999 team. "Although that group of men will be difficult to replace, I am excited about the opportunities it will create for some of our younger players," commented Eisele. 

Coaching Staff
The addition of Andy Hoffman as a full-time member to the Forester coaching staff also has Eisele eager to begin the season, "Andy brings the type of experience to our staff that we are looking for and he is just as eager as I am to begin the season." Hoffman coached the offensive line at University of Maryland last season and has had previous stops at Washington University (MO) and Alleghany College, where he helped the team win a national championship.

Former Elgin High School (IL) head coach Kelly Rice also joins the Lake Forest staff this season. Rice will coach the defensive backs. Grant Blaney, now in his third season with the Foresters, will take over as the team's offensive coordinator after two years coaching the quarterbacks. He will remain active with the team's signal callers. Mike Dau (running backs and kickers) and Dale Christensen (defensive line) round out the Lake Forest staff for the 2000 season. 

Defense
One aspect where few changes will be made is on the defensive side of the football, where Eisele will remain the team's defensive coordinator, a position where he has made a name for himself. After spending three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Wayne State University, an NCAA Division II school in Detroit, MI, Eisele inherited the Lake Forest defense. In the past three seasons under Eisele, the Forester defense has recorded two of the top three season sack totals in school history (38.0 in both 1998 and 1999, both tied for second all-time) and broke the school record for season tackles for losses not once, but twice (79 in 1998 and 119 in 1999). Eisele's defensive units at Lake Forest increased their season totals for sacks, tackles for losses, interceptions, and turnovers forced while decreasing their yards allowed per play average each season. 

Although many of the faces will change this season (just three starters and the team's punter return), the primary defensive schemes will remain the same. "We will remain an aggressive football team and many of our players are familiar with our style of defense," added Eisele. "The big challenge for us will be sticking some new faces on the football field and having them be able to step into more prominent roles as we continue to improve our defense. Our defense has improved each of the past three seasons and we want to build on that past success as we strive towards the conference championship."

The 1999 team allowed less than 15 points on four occasions and had 20 take-aways on the season.

Defensive Line
A defensive line that must replace six players from last season's eight-man, two-deep roster will gather experience from C.P. Lehr (Belleville, IL/Belleville West H.S.) and Jarrett Stark (Monticello, IN/Twin Lakes H.S.). "C.P. and Jarrett are two kids that have logged solid playing time in the past and will be good players on the defensive line this year," according to Eisele. "They give us a solid one-two anchor on the d-line." Lehr notched three tackles for loss, including one sack, as a sophomore, while Stark recorded 22 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and one-and-a-half sacks last year. 

Eisele also noted that a group of sophomores - Tyler Philippi (Windsor, IL/Windsor H.S.), Tony Smith (Washington, IL/Washington Community H.S.), Sam Rush (Chicago, IL/Tilden Carver Community Academy), and Brendon Berns (Chugrin Falls, OH/Gilmour Academy) - will vie for playing time. "With a year of college experience under their belts, our sophomores will challenge for the other spots and I am excited about some of freshmen defensive linemen coming in," added Eisele. "Many of them are physically capable to step in and play right away."

Linebackers
One two-time All-Conference performer returns and one will be missed for the Forester linebackers. Last year's team Most Valuable Player and two-time First Team All-Conference middle linebacker Bernie Perconti has graduated, but fifth-year senior Andy O'Hara (South Bend, IN/Riley H.S) is waiting in the wings. Despite the lose of Perconti and two others from last year's top six, Eisele feels confident about his linebacking corps. "Bernie leaves a big hole to fill in the middle for our team, but I have no doubt that Andy is going to have a monster year as the focal point of our defense. He gives us a tremendous athlete and strong leader to build our defense around. He's one of the team's hardest workers both on and off the field." O'Hara, an Honorable Mention All-MWC pick in 1999 and 1998, was second on the team (to Perconti) in tackles (101) and tackles for loss (15).

"In the type of system we run our linebackers are the key to our defensive success," Eisele added. "With that in mind, I am extremely thrilled with the off-season work our linebackers have done. By far, our linebackers worked harder in the off-season than any other group."

Among those joining O'Hara will be a trio of talented sophomores. Kevin Krabel (Hindsboro, IL/Oakland H.S.) and Ian Thompson (Park Forest, IL/Rich East H.S.) will see their playing time significantly increased in their second season. "Both Kevin and Ian have had tremendous off-seasons," Eisele said. "They have worked hard to put themselves in a position to be outstanding linebackers." Thompson will be making the position switch from safety to outside linebacker this season. He recorded 17 tackles in 1999, while Krabel had 15 tackles and forced one fumble.

An exciting newcomer with a name familiar to Chicago football fans will be thrown into the mix for Lake Forest. Sophomore transfer Casey Urlacher (Lake Bluff, IL/New Mexico Military Institute and Lovington H.S. (NM)), the younger brother of Chicago Bear's 2000 first round draft pick Brian Urlacher, is expected to make an immediate contribution for the Foresters. "Casey comes from an extremely strong junior college program and should be a great asset to our football team," added Eisele. "We're excited to have Casey as a part of Forester football. It is a great fit for both us and his family."

Two seniors - Conrad Christensen (Elkhorn, IL/Elkhorn H.S.) and Chad Carroll (Manchesny Park, IL/Harlem H.S.) - will also be fighting for a starting spot at linebacker.

Defensive Backs
The Forester defensive backs, a young group, now has a year of experience in their back pockets. Leading the way is senior Rick Fender (Morton, IL/Morton H.S.). "Rick has worked hard to prepare himself for this season. He has fought through a couple of knee injuries to become one of our more explosive defensive players. He'll make some plays for us again this year." Fender was second on the team with 36 solo tackles and third with 73 total tackles last year.

Senior Tom Whalen (Chicago, IL/Notre Dame H.S.) is the front-runner for a starting strong safety spot, according to Eisele, "Tom has started for us in the past and put in a lot of work. He understands the system well and I look for him to have a strong senior season." Whalen had 12 tackles last year while forcing one fumble and recovering another.

Others vying for playing time include Tim Lewis (Oak Lawn, IL/Oak Lawn H.S.), a junior who started the last half of last season, Adam Nigh (Plymouth, WI/Plymouth H.S.), a sophomore who, ".saw little playing time as a freshman but will challenge for more time this year," according to Eisele, and senior Josh Schneider (Durand, IL/Durand H.S.), who has been plagued by injuries each of his first three seasons and was limited to six games last year with a back ailment.

Offense
The Foresters' traditional wing-t running attack, which has ranked in the nation's top 20 for rushing offense each of the past two seasons, should be strong again in 2000, according to Eisele. "We are starting to become more comfortable with what we're trying to accomplish offensively, and I envision having a more balanced attack as we continue to progress. We return more experience on the offensive side of the ball and I am expecting continued improvement in both the running and passing game. We want to be known as a team that can move the ball downfield either on the ground or through the air. We will definitely have a more diverse offense than we have had in the past. In order for us to move the ball and put points on the board, we need to be able to consistently run the football well in the early downs. We must stay on the field and eat up the clock. Lastly, we need to have success in the passing game and be more productive than we have been in the past."

Offensive Line
Although the returning offensive linemen have not collected a great number of starts, they have solid experience, according to Eisele, "We rotated our offensive linemen quite a bit last season, so although we don't have a lot of starts returning, they have game reps and I feel comfortable with their experience." Last year's line helped open the holes that produced the nation's 17th-ranked rushing attack.

While junior Ryan Paulsen (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West H.S.) is the only returning starter, fifth-year senior Craig Dupont (Troy, IL/Triad H.S), senior Eric Markey (Chiago, IL/Notre Dame H.S.), senior Steve Halle (Palatine, IL/St. Viator H.S.), and sophomore Matt Ford (Kalamazoo, MI/Onate H.S. (NM)) all gained valuable experience last year and will give the o-line depth. 

Quarterbacks
While Eisele feels good about his experience on the offensive line, the position directly behind the line is a question mark for the team, as the team returns just one collegiate pass attempt. "The quarterback position is wide open at this point," according to Eisele. Mike Sheehan (Sycamore, IL/Sycamore H.S.), a sophomore, is the team's lone returnee. He was a back-up to two-year starter Tom Dranger as a rookie. Sheehan appeared in three games last year.

Four newcomers, including Brad Cozzie (Chicago, IL/Mt. Carmel H.S.), the signal caller for the 1998 and 1999 Illinois High School Class 5A state championship team from Mt. Carmel, round out the potential starters at the position. 

Running Backs
One cannot have a discussion of the Forester running backs, or the Forester offense for that matter, without starting with sophomore Jim Smith (Chicago, IL/Mt. Carmel H.S.), also a Mt. Carmel High School product. Smith, who missed the better part of the team's last three games with an injury, still led the team in all-purpose yardage with 858 yards (514 rushing, 224 receiving, and 120 kick-off returns for 107.3 yards per game) and yards per rushing attempt (6.9 yards/carry). He was second on the team with 514 yards rushing, including two games with over 100 yards on the ground. "Jim obviously had a spectacular freshman year and he will only get better," Eisele said. "He's a quiet leader and the rest of the team respects his work ethic. He is an extremely hard runner who works for the extra yards."

Jason Arendsee (Baraboo, WI/UW-Oshkosh and Baraboo H.S.), also a newcomer last season, returns for his junior year. "Jason worked hard in the off-season and we expect big things from him this year," said Eisele. Arendsee had 257 yards rushing last year, including a team-high 81 yards during a 56-32 victory over Lawrence on October 16th. 

Other backs with experience include sophomore Nick Harrison (New Milford, NJ/Dwight-Englewood H.S.), junior fullback T.J. Russell (Woodstock, IL/Marian Central Catholic H.S.), and sophomore Kevin Reed (Waukegan, IL/Waukegan H.S.). 

Receivers and Tight Ends
While the running game has been a staple of the Forester offense for several years, it is the passing and receiving game where Eisele hopes to see a dramatic improvement. "We are focused on having a more balanced offensive attack and our receiving corps will play a big role in that development. We return several players that have playing experience."

The most experience comes from junior Andy Heikes (Palos Hills, IL/Alonzo Stagg H.S.), a gifted athlete. Heikes played several positions early in his career, but will be a staple at wide receiver this season, according to Eisele. He caught six passes for 147 yards (24.5 yards/catch) and a touchdown in 1999. Mike Fitzgerald (Aurora, CO/Kent H.S.) and Martin Folan (Rolling Meadows, IL/Rolling Meadows H.S.) return for their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively. 

The tight end position has a hole to fill with the graduation of Second Team All-Conference performer John Litscher. The top prospects to fill Litcher's shoes include junior Jacob Wilson (Corpus Christi, TX/Flour Bluff H.S.) and University of Illinois transfer Tom Carroll (Glen Ellyn, IL/University of Illinois and Benet Academy), according to Eisele. "Jacob has gotten considerably bigger and stronger, and we're excited to have Tom in our program. Our depth at tight end should be pretty good."

Kicking Game
The kicking game is one area that Eisele need not worry about. Junior Pat Dunne (Chiago, IL/Marist H.S.) was an All-Conference punter (First Team) and kicker (Second Team) as a newcomer last year, setting or tying seven school records during the season. He set single season marks with 2,134 yards punting and 31 points after touchdowns and broke a single game record with 578 punting yards (versus Carroll on November 13th) and eight PATs (versus Lawrence on October 16th). He tied school records with six field goals made for the year, 12 punts in a game (also against Carroll), and three field goals in a game (versus Ripon on October 9th). He also had the fourth-highest field goal percentage for a season (60.0%) and the third-highest season punting average (39.5 yards per punt) in school history. His punting average was the 19th-highest NCAA Division III total last season. At the conference level, Dunne led the league in punting average (40.1 yards per punt) and was fourth in individual kick scoring (5.0 points per game). "As a punter, Pat has worked hard in the off-season to become an even better, more consistent punter," added Eisele. "As a kicker, he kept improving and came on strong at the end of last season. I am confident that he is going to score three points for us every time he steps onto the field. Our kicking game is one aspect that I do not have to worry about and that is a tremendous luxury."

Schedule
The Forester's 2000 schedule will begin with a rematch of last year's thrilling 16-14 Lake Forest win at University of Chicago. The Maroons will travel to Farwell Field this year to kick-off the season on Saturday, September 9th at 1:30 p.m. Nine Midwest Conference opponents will follow for the Foresters on nine consecutive Saturdays, including a Homecoming date with Grinnell on September 23rd. Lake Forest also draws Beloit, Illinois College, and defending MWC champ St. Norbert at home this year, while playing Monmouth, Ripon, Lawrence, Knox, and Carroll on the road. "Our schedule will challenge our team this season," added Eisele. "It will be important to prepare well and play focused each and every Saturday. As I look at our schedule there is not one team that we cannot beat on any given Saturday, but, at the same time, if we don't come to play each game, we're going to be in for a battle. With the mix of youth and experience on our team, it is going to be an exciting and fun year."