Foresters Blank Lawrence University 27-0 in Home Finale
Mahaney sets single season passing yards record

Andre Washington rushed for a career-high 170 yards.

LAKE FOREST, IL – The Lake Forest College football team stayed in the hunt for the Midwest Conference title after recording a 27-0 shutout over Lawrence University on Saturday (October 30). The team is now 8-1 overall and 7-1 in league play and the visitors dropped to 1-8, both overall and in the conference.

Junior running back Andre Washington (West Palm Beach, FL/Benjamin) led the way offensively, notching a career-high 170 yards on 23 carries. Sophomore Devin Furlong (West Palm Beach, FL/Cardinal Newman) finished with 11 rushes totaling 72 yards and a touchdown, and freshman Brian Hurtuk (Rocky River, OH/St. Ignatius) added a pair of carries for 21 yards and a score.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Mahaney (West Chicago, IL/Addison Driscoll) connected on 13 of 23 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown pass. His 2,229 passing yards this year are a new single-season school record. The former mark of 2,103 yards was set by Don Lackey in 2002. Mahaney’s 13 completions were spread among five Foresters, with senior Marty Quinn (Evergreen Park, IL/Mt. Carmel) catching three passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, and senior Mike Carter (Arlington Heights, IL/St. Viator) hauling in a couple of receptions and finishing with a game-high 56 yards.

The home team didn’t waste time getting on the scoreboard. Starting from the Vikings’ 44 yard line, Mahaney completed a 14-yard pass then handed off to Washington for a seven yard run, which was followed by a 13-yard plunge by Furlong to the visitors’ 10. On the ensuing play, Hurtuk dove up the middle and found the end zone for the score. After the successful extra point kick, the Foresters led 7-0 with 12:26 to play in the opening frame.

Lawrence was unable to establish an effective offense in its following two drives, both of which ended with punts. The Vikings’ second punt was blocked by freshman Sean McGuire (Pompano Beach, FL/Cardinal Gibbons) at the Lake Forest 20, which led to a 50-yard pass to Carter, advancing the ball to the Lawrence 30. On three carries, Washington tallied 22 yards and Furlong added a two-yard rush as well as an eight-yard punch into the end zone to put his team up 13-0 with just under six minutes to play in the quarter.

Neither team scored again until the third quarter when sophomore linebacker Louis Bertuca (Chicago, IL/Fenwick) notched a pair of sacks, with the second coming in the Lawrence end zone for a Forester safety. Bertuca finished the afternoon with five tackles, including 3.5 for loss and a pair of sacks.

Leading 15-0 with 12:20 to play in the third, Lake Forest used 11 plays to push the ball 79 yards, burning 5:53 off the game clock. Freshman quarterback Jeff Ziemnik (Oswego, IL/Oswego) capped the drive with a four-yard keeper up the middle for the score. He is second on the team with three rushing touchdowns this season.

The Foresters added their final score with 12 minutes to play in the game. Washington started the drive from the Lake Forest 44, scampered across midfield, and was stopped 21 yards later on the Vikings’ 35. From there, a Mahaney-to-Quinn touchdown pass put the home team up 27-0.

Senior Drew Holman (Morris, IL/Morris) sealed the contest with his sixth interception of the year with two minutes remaining in the game. Holman, the program’s all-time interceptions leader, now has 17 picks in his three-year career.

The Forester defense limited Lawrence to only four first downs and 73 total yards. The visitors punted 10 times and fumbled the ball five times. Senior David Bleitner (St. Louis, MO/Vianney) recorded five tackles, with one coming behind the line of scrimmage, and junior Soren Johnson (Ripon, WI/Ripon) and Jack Kavanagh (Concord, MA/Carlisle) each added four.

The Foresters have a chance to win a share of the Midwest Conference title next Saturday (November 6) at league leader St. Norbert College (8-1, 8-0). A Lake Forest win would clinch the program’s second league championship in the last three years. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

By Franklyn Beckford

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