Sixteen Foresters Earn All-Midwest Conference Selections
Eisele named Coach of the Year, Urlacher Defensive Player of the Year
  

Casey Urlacher and Chad Eisele were named MWC Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.

The league selected juniors Ben Larkin (South Milwaukee, WI/South Milwaukee), Andy Shaffer (Wheeling, IL/Wheeling), and Troy Paulsen (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) as offensive linemen. Larkin, who was Honorable Mention All-Conference last season, was named First Team All-Conference this season, while Shaffer was a Second Team selection. Meanwhile, Paulsen was named Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Senior kicker/punter Pat Dunne (Palos Heights, IL/Marist) was named First Team All-Conference in both kicking and punting. Dunne connected on a school record 14 field goals, which is also the second highest total in the nation. The kicker also added 21 extra points and finished the regular season with a team-high 63 total points. Dunne holds the Lake Forest career record for field goals (30), and extra points (86), while he is third all-time in total points scored (176). Defensively, Dunne attempted 60 punts, landing 21 of them inside the opponents' 20 yard line, and amassed 2226 yards, which is good for an average of 37.1 yards per punt. The senior has received All-Conference honors three of his four years as a Forester. 

The Lake Forest defense, which held opponents to an averaged 13 points per contest during the regular season, got recognition with four defenders receiving First Team honors, while three others were elected to the Second Team. Senior linebacker Casey Urlacher (Lovington, NM/Lovington) was named to the league's First Team and was voted Defensive MVP for the season. Urlacher completed the regular season with 111 tackles, and is currently second in Lake Forest history with 352 stops. The senior also recorded 19 regular season tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and he holds the school record with 43 career tackles for loss. He also has two sacks and an interception heading into the postseason. Urlacher has now been selected as a First Team All-Conference linebacker for three consecutive years. 

Sophomore transfer Omar Pickering (Mount Vernon, NY/Port Chester) also was named to the First Team. The linebacker accumulated 74 tackles throughout the regular season, including 15 behind the line of scrimmage. Pickering also recorded 3.5 sacks, three blocked kicks, and two interceptions.

Senior Kevin Krabel (Oakland, IL/Oakland), who was the league's defensive player of the week and selected to d3football.com's National Team of the Week last month, was also a First Team selection. The linebacker is second on the squad with 75 tackles with 14 coming for loss, while leading the team with 5.5 sacks heading into the postseason. Krabel's 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage places him tied for 4th place all-time in school history.

 Linebacker Ian Thompson (Park Forest, IL/Rich East) received All-Conference honors for the first time in his career. The senior, a Second Team pick, finished the regular season with 34 tackles, with nine coming for loss. Thompson's 33 career tackles for loss puts him tied for third all-time in Forester history. He also recorded three sacks and two interceptions in 10 contests.

Junior defensive backs Pat Gillihan (Leawood, KS/Blue Valley North) and Drew Holman (Morris, IL/ Morris) were also first time All-Conference selections. Gillihan, who was selected to the First Team, racked up 47 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, a blocked kick and a sack throughout the regular season. Meanwhile, Holman, a Second Team selection, set the school record with his league leading 7th interception of the season against St. Norbert. The junior also tallied 56 tackles, with four coming for loss.

As an Honorable Mention pick last season, senior defensive lineman Vince Srejma (Wadsworth, IL/Council Rock (PA)) was named to the league's Second Team this season. Srejma recorded 23 tackles throughout the regular season, with eight of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. The senior also recorded two sacks and an interception heading into the postseason.

David Bleitner (St. Louis, MO/ Vianney) and Tom Starnicky (Oak Lawn, IL/Marist) were also chosen as two of the league's Honorable Mention defensive linemen. Bleitner, an Honorable Mention selection last season, tallied 19 tackles, with four for loss, and two fumble recoveries. The sophomore also recorded a sack. Starnicky, who was named to the Second Team as a sophomore running back two seasons ago, finished the regular season with 40 tackles, with seven coming behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks, and one fumble recovery for a 66-yard score against Ripon College. 

Offensively, senior wide receiver Mike Fitzgerald (Aurora, CO/Kent) was named to the Second Team, while junior quarterback Don Lackey (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch) received Honorable Mention distinction. Fitzgerald led the team in receptions (54), yards (762), and touchdowns (8). The senior ranks fifth all-time for career yards, while he is three receptions shy of becoming only the fourth Forester to catch 100 or more career passes. Fitzgerald has also returned 29 punts for 228 yards in the regular season and stands second in Lake Forest history in punt returns with 524 yards. Lackey finished the regular season with 177 completions on 389 attempts (45.5%) for 15 touchdowns, a new school record. During the season, the quarterback broke his old record for passing yards in a season, and now has 2045 yards heading into the postseason. The junior also set new school marks in attempts and completions in a season, while accumulating 214 rushing yards and four rushing scores. 

Head coach Chad Eisele also received honors from the conference. Eisele was named Coach of the Year after leading Lake Forest to its first share of the league title since 1983. Eisele becomes the first Forester football coach to receive the high distinction.

The Foresters finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record, and a mark of 8-1 in the league. Lake Forest will play in the NCAA Tournament starting November 23.

By Franklyn Beckford