| Lake Forest College Sports Information
September 14, 2002 Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID Defense Leads Foresters to 26-15 Win Over Grinnell
The Foresters were lead defensively from the start by senior linebacker Casey Urlacher (Lovington, NM/Lovington) and sophomore teammate Omar Pickering (Mount Vernon, NY/Port Chester). Urlacher recorded a total of fifteen tackles, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup. Meanwhile, Pickering finished the afternoon with five tackles, four pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Senior linebacker Kevin Krabel (Oakland, IL/Oakland) also played solid game defensively, recording eight tackles. On the Foresters first offensive drive, junior quarterback Don Lackey (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch) found sophomore A.J. Rodino (Elkhart, IN/Elkhart Memorial) for a 21-yard pass play. After a four-yard rush by junior running back Adam Niles (Lake Villa, IL/Antioch), Urlacher took his third handoff of the season and plunged through the Pioneer defensive line for a 12-yard touchdown run, his third score of the year. Urlacher finished with three rushes for 17 yards, while Niles carried the ball eighteen times for a game-high 91 yards. Niles carried the ball five times for 30 yards on the Foresters' next scoring drive. With 13:42 remaining in the second quarter, Lackey found sophomore wide receiver Nick Hildreth (Lombard, IL/Willowbrook) for a 42-yard touchdown pass. The reception was the longest of his three catches on the afternoon, which totaled a team-high 60 yards. Lackey passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and added 47 yards and another score on the ground. After taking a 14-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Foresters continued their impressive defensive play throughout the third period. Midway through the third quarter, junior defensive end Tom Starnicky (Oak Lawn, IL/Marist) picked off a pass from Grinnell's Shawn Sigler for his first career interception. Starnicky, who made the switch from running back to defensive end this season, also notched his first career sack and finished the contest with six tackles. On Grinnell's next offensive possession, the Pioneers ran into more stifling Lake Forest defense. Junior defensive back Otu Henshaw (Los Angeles, CA/Brentwood School) recorded four of his career-high seven tackles during the drive. On a third and three for Grinnell at the Lake Forest 32, Urlacher rocked Grinnell tailback Derrick Chandler, forcing a fumble that was picked up by Pickering. The quarter ended with Lake Forest still holding a 14-0 advantage. The fourth quarter saw an early touchdown by Grinnell, but the Foresters quickly answered on a 19-yard pass from Lackey to senior wide receiver Mike Fitzgerald (Aurora, CO/Kent). Fitzgerald completed the afternoon with four receptions for 58 yards and his third touchdown reception of the year. He also added a 44-yard kickoff return to his stat line. Grinnell's next drive netted 22 yards but ended when Pickering grabbed Sigler's second of three interceptions at the Lake Forest 37-yard line. Lackey and freshman running back Andre Washington (West Palm Beach, FL/Benjamin) accounted for all the Forester offense on the ensuing six-play, 63-yard touchdown drive. Each carried the ball three times with Washington netting 13 yards and Lackey 48, including the one-yard quarterback sneak into the end zone. The Pioneers used a short-passing game to work their way down the field and eventually into the end zone for their second touchdown of the afternoon. When Grinnell got the ball back late in the fourth quarter, Pickering and Henshaw combined for the game-clinching play. Pickering broke through the line and hit Sigler just as he released the ball, causing an errant pass which landed in Henshaw's hands. The Foresters' balanced offensive attack ended the game with 160 rushing yards and 159 through the air. Grinnell finished with 88 on the ground and 247 through the air, although 147 of the passing yards came during the fast-paced fourth quarter. The Foresters will play their only night game of the season next
Saturday (September 21) at Beloit College. The Bucaneers are 1-1 after
defeating Macalester College in their first game of 2002 and losing to
St. Norbert College in their Midwest Conference opener.
By Franklyn Beckford
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