Balanced Offense and Solid Defense Lead to Victory over Grinnell
Forester Out-Gain the Pioneers 332-224

Jeff Ziemnik

Junior quarterback Jeff Ziemnik (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) completed 12 of 20 pass attempts for 116 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the team with 79 rushing yards. Sophomore Sam Kotler (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) was next on the team with 59 yards on the ground while freshman Will Christensen (Park City, Utah/Park City) and senior Devin Furlong (West Palm Beach, Fla./Cardinal Newman) added 42 and 38, respectively. Junior Tom Cirone (Chicago, Ill./Niles Notre Dame) and freshmen Dan Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) and Dan Cwik (St. Charles, Ill./Driscoll) each caught one of Ziemnik’s touchdown passes.

The Forester defense surrendered just 224 yards of offense, picked off a pass, and recorded six tackles for loss, including four sacks. Freshman Chad Zimborski (Waukesha, Wisc./Waukesha North) led the unit with eight tackles, including five solos and a sack. Senior Louis Bertuca (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) chipped in with seven stops and joined senior Michael Karner (Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion Benton) with 1.5 sacks apiece. Bertuca is now just one tackle for loss shy of the program’s career record of 49.5.

Lake Forest forced the visitors to punt on each of their first three possessions. The Foresters reached the Pioneer 9-yard line before fumbling the ball away on their first drive before scoring on Cwik’s first career touchdown reception, an eight-yard strike, on their second possession.

The home team was forced to punt for the first time early in the second quarter and Grinnell put together a 10-play, 47-yard drive to tie the game. A blocked field goal ended the Foresters’ next scoring opportunity and Dan Carter’s first career interception thwarted Grinnell’s attempt to score on the final play of the half.

Lake Forest regained the lead on its first possession of the third quarter. The 42-yard drive was set up by Cirone’s 28-yard kickoff return into Grinnell territory and capped off by his 17-yard touchdown grab.

The Pioneers again tied the score on their next possession, forced the Foresters to punt, and had the ball inside the Lake Forest 30-yard line early in the fourth period. The home team’s defense held on a fourth-down play, however, and the offense took over at the 28-yard line.

The Foresters then marched 72 yards in 14 plays – seven runs and seven passes – and Ziemnik connected with Carter for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

Grinnell was forced to punt with more than six minutes left in the contest and was unable to get the ball back as the Lake Forest offense ran out the clock.

The Foresters will travel to Monmouth College next Saturday (October 21) for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff and will return to that area of the state the following week (October 28) for a 1:00 p.m. game at Knox College.

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