Tough Loss at Ripon is First of the Season for the Foresters
Red Hawks score two fourth-quarter touchdowns to win  

Louis Bertuca had 12 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.

RIPON, WI – The Lake Forest College football team suffered its first loss of the 2005 season Saturday (September 24), a 21-14 decision at Ripon College. The Foresters fell to 3-1 overall on the year and 2-1 in Midwest Conference play. Ripon is now 3-1, both overall and in the league.

Lake Forest junior running back Devin Furlong (Lake Worth, FL/Cardinal Newman) scored the game’s first points with seven seconds left in the opening quarter on his third touchdown run of the season. Junior quarterback Matt Mahaney (West Chicago, IL/Addison Driscoll) was 4-of-4 for 63 yards on the drive, which covered 80 yards in 10 plays.

Ripon responded with a 10-play, 74-yard touchdown drive of its own to tie the game at seven early in the second period.

A 50-yard kickoff return by sophomore Jeff Ziemnik (Oswego, IL/Oswego) gave the visitors the ball on the Ripon half of the field to start its next possession, and on the sixth play of the drive, Mahaney found his favorite target, senior wide receiver Jeff Huebner (Antioch, IL/Antioch), for a 25-yard touchdown.

Senior cornerback Keith Hanson (Fairfax, VA/Vermont Academy) blocked the home team’s 40-yard field goal attempt on the game’s next possession. After the Foresters fumbled the ball away at midfield, freshman safety Matt Lawler’s (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) second interception of the season ended another Red Hawk scoring opportunity at the Lake Forest seven with 12 seconds remaining in the first half.

The teams combined for four punts and a turnover in the third quarter. The only takeaway of the period occurred when Forester junior linebacker Louis Bertuca (Chicago, IL/Fenwick) sacked the Ripon quarterback and forced a fumble. Sophomore defensive lineman Tim Paulsen (Des Plaines, IL/Maine West) recovered for Lake Forest.

The Redhawks scored on a four-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter but still trailed 14-13 when the extra point was blocked. After a Lake Forest punt, the home team traveled 50 yards in eight plays for what proved to be the winning touchdown and was successful on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt.

The Foresters reached Ripon territory on their next drive before being forced to punt. Lake Forest got the ball back at its own 42 with 1:26 remaining in the contest but was unable to record a first down.

Senior running back Andre Washington (West Palm Beach, FL/Benjamin) led the Foresters with 82 yards rushing. Mahaney completed 15 of 28 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown and has yet to throw an interception this season. Huebner had five catches for 55 yards and his seventh touchdown of the year and freshman tight end Harry Ruzicka (Wichita, KS/Independent) caught five passes for 56 yards.

Bertuca and fellow junior linebacker Ryan Gallegos (Plantation, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas) led the Lake Forest defense with 12 and 16 tackles, respectively. Three of Bertuca’s stops occurred behind the line of scrimmage and he forced a pair of fumbles. Linebackers James Werner (Oak Lawn, IL/Marist), a sophomore and Soren Johnson (Ripon, WI/Ripon), a senior, added 10 tackles apiece.

The Foresters will look to rebound at home next Saturday (October 1) against Monmouth College, the only undefeated team in the MWC. Kickoff at Farwell Field is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

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