| Lake Forest College Sports Information
September 20, 2008 Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID Foresters Win Back-and-Forth Battle with Illinois College
A fumble, interception, and punt ended the Foresters' three first quarter drives while the Blueboys missed a field goal, punted, and turned the ball over on downs in the period. After the teams traded punts to start the second quarter, they rattled off a combined 30 points in an 11-minute span. Lake Forest started the scoring barrage with a 6-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback John Chwarzynski (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) to junior wide receiver Dan Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator). Chwarzynski helped set up his first career scoring throw running for 42 yards on one play and connecting with freshman wide receiver Montana Hammonds (Blue Island, Ill./Marist) on a 23-yard gain. The next three possessions ended with punts but left the Foresters with the ball at their own 5-yard line. An Illinois College defensive lineman broke through on the first play and recorded a safety, cutting the Lake Forest lead to 7-2. The Blueboys also took advantage of the good field position created by a free kick from the 20-yard line and traveled 52 yards in seven plays, the last a 3-yard touchdown pass that put the visitors ahead 9-7. The Foresters responded with a 9-play, 61-yard scoring drive that ended with Chwarzynski hitting Hammonds on a 5-yard touchdown pass, the first of the freshman wideout's career. Chwarzynski and sophomore running back Brock Stenberg (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) combined for 37 rushing yards on the drive. A 46-yard return on the ensuing kickoff gave Illinois College the ball at the Forester 23-yard line with 43 seconds to play in the half and, six plays and 37 seconds later, the Blueboys regained the lead (16-14) on another 3-yard touchdown pass. The third quarter was similar to the first as the teams went scoreless and combined to punt the ball five times and turn it over on downs once. Lake Forest forced another punt early in the fourth before regaining the lead on a 5-play, 59-yard scoring drive. Four of the plays were Stenberg rushes that totaled 43 yards, including 11 on the touchdown run. Chwarzynski connected with junior wide receiver Will Christensen (Park City, Utah/Park City) on the two-point conversion, giving the home team a 22-16 lead. The Forester advantage was short-lived however, as the Blueboys marched 55 yards in seven plays and scored on a 25-yard pass to take a 23-22 lead with 9:44 to play in the contest. The next Lake Forest drive started at its own 43-yard line but the Foresters immediately lost a combined seven yards on a pair of Chwarzynski runs. The quarterback then connected with Carter, who had gotten behind the defense, on a 64-yard touchdown pass with 8:07 remaining in the game. Illinois College reached the Lake Forest 15-yard line before failing to convert on fourth-and-nine with 5:46 to play. After forcing a Forester punt, the visitors were unable to get a first down, thanks in part to a 12-yard sack by junior Jaron Eanes (Cleveland, Ohio/Lake Forest Academy) on fourth-and-10 with 2:54 left on the clock. Eanes finished the game with seven tackles, including two sacks and another stop behind the line of scrimmage. Stenberg carried the ball two yards on both first and second down, five on third, and three on fourth to clinch the victory. He finished the game with a season-high 112 yards on 20 carries. Carter caught six passes for 121 yards and two scores in the contest and now has 101 career receptions, including a school record 24 touchdown catches. He also moved into second place in team history with 1,781 career receiving yards, 506 shy of the program record. Chwarzynski set career-highs with nine completions, 150 yards, and three touchdowns. The Forester defense held Illinois College to just 12 net yards rushing and 227 through the air, far less than the 340 the Blueboys averaged during their first two games of the season. Junior linebacker Donovan Baldridge (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade) and defensive backs Matt Lawler (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita), a senior, and Luke Butts (Warrensburg, Ill./Warrensburg), a freshman, tied for game-high honors with nine tackles apiece. Three of Baldridge's stops came behind the line of scrimmage, including his first career sack. The Foresters will travel to two-time defending league champion St. Norbert College next Saturday (September 27). Kickoff will be at 1:00 p.m. and a live video webcast of the game will be available at www.midwestconference.tv.
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