Lake Forest College Sports Information
September 3, 2005
Contact:  Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Open the 2005 Season with a 21-10 Win Over Macalester
Huebner racks up 206 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win

Jeff Huebner caught touchdown passes of 45 and 78 yards.
LAKE FOREST, IL – The Lake Forest College football team opened the 2005 campaign with a 21-10 win over Macalester College on Saturday (September 3). The victory was the first in the career of head coach Brent Becker and marked the fourth consecutive season in which Foresters have begun with a win. The team is now a perfect 6-0 at Farwell Field since it was renovated in 2004.

Both teams failed to record a first down in their opening drives, but Lake Forest used an interception by freshman John Kellogg (Chicago, IL/St. Rita) to set up its first score. Following Kellogg’s pick at midfield, the Foresters put the ball into senior running back Andre Washington’s (West Palm Beach, FL/Benjamin) hands for five consecutive carries tallying 28 of his team-best 54 yards and moving the sticks to the Macalester 23. The Foresters reached the Scots’ 1-yard line with an eight-yard pass and five more rushes for 14 yards. From there, sophomore running back Brian Hurtuk (Rocky River, OH/St. Ignatius) leaped over the defensive line and fell into the end zone for the game’s first score. After the successful extra point, Lake Forest owned a 7-0 lead with 5:25 to play in the opening period.

Lake Forest found the end zone again in the second quarter. After being sacked at his own 38-yard line to start the team’s second drive of the quarter, junior quarterback Matt Mahaney (West Chicago, IL/Addison Driscoll) connected with freshman tight end Harry Ruzicka (Wichita, KS/Independent) for a 16-yard completion. A Washington three-yard run up the middle was followed by another completion to Ruzicka, this one for five yards. After an incomplete pass intended for Washington, Mahaney looked downfield and connected with Jeff Huebner (Antioch, IL/Antioch) for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The extra point attempt was good and Lake Forest took a 14-0 advantage into halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Macalester kicked a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth to cut the lead to 14-3. But the Foresters quickly responded with its third and final touchdown of the afternoon. On first-and-twenty from the Lake Forest 14, Mahaney found Huebner for an eight-yard completion, then on the ensuing play the two connected for a 78-yard touchdown pass to give the team a commanding 21-3 lead.

Mahaney finished the afternoon hitting 15 of his 26 intended targets for 266 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Huebner turned in the third-highest receiving total in school history as the senior racked up 206 yards on ten catches. His touchdown catches of 45 and 78 yards were the longest receptions of his career. Ruzicka caught four passes for 53 yards in his collegiate debut.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Roman Shklover (Fox Point, WI/Nicolet) led the team with 13 tackles, with a pair accounting for lost yardage. Classmate James Werner (Oak Lawn, IL/Marist) added a dozen stops with three coming behind the line of scrimmage, and junior Louis Bertuca (Chicago, IL/Fenwick) finished with 11 tackles.

Lake Forest’s offense accumulated a total of 348 yards while only having possession for 23:46. The Forester defense forced a pair of turnovers and recorded seven sacks.

The team will open Midwest Conference play next Saturday (September 10) at Grinnell College. Lake Forest shut out the Pioneers 33-0 last season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

By Franklyn Beckford

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