Lake Forest Falls to Illinois College in Heartbreaker
Foresters tally 492 total yards in loss

Sam Kotler

The Forester offense racked up 492 total yards and possessed the ball for 41 of 60 minutes. Sophomore running back Sam Kotler (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) rushed 32 times in the game for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown. Junior quarterback Jeff Ziemnik (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) also recorded career-highs with 251 passing yards and 80 rushing in the contest. Senior Lee Fabiatos (Hamburg, N.Y./Nichols School) had his best collegiate game as well, catching 10 passes for 85 yards. Freshman Dan Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) also had 85 yards receiving on five grabs.

Sophomore safety Matt Lawler (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) led the defense with eight tackles. Senior cornerback Keith Hanson (Fairfax, Va./Vermont Academy) was next with five.

After forcing Illinois College to punt on its first possession of the game, the Foresters put together an eight-play 64-yard drive that ended with junior Rocky Linder’s (Monee, Ill./Marian Catholic) first field goal of the season, a 31-yard effort.

After a couple of punts, the Blueboys drove deep into Forester territory but were stopped by freshman Chad Zimborski’s (Waukesha, Wisc./Waukesha North) first career interception at the 1-yard line.

The ensuing Lake Forest drive covered 99 yards in a dozen plays and lasted more than six minutes. Ziemnik converted one third down opportunity with a 12-yard scramble and another with a 28-yard completion to Carter. Kotler scored from the 4-yard line on the next play for a 9-0 lead.

The Foresters first two drives of the second half each lasted more than six minutes but were stopped by an interception in the end zone and an unsuccessful fourth down carry from the 1-yard line. The second of those drives did set up a score as Michael Karner (Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion Benton) sacked the Illinois College quarterback in the end zone for a safety early in the fourth period.

The visitors came back with a 63-yard touchdown drive on their next possession. A 59-yard touchdown pass for the Blueboys then gave them the lead with five minutes remaining in the contest.

The Foresters’ comeback bid ended on a fumble at the Blueboy 3 with less than 20 seconds to play.

Lake Forest will travel to St. Norbert College next Saturday (September 23) for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

Box Score