Lake Forest College Sports Information
September 6, 2003
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Knock Off Concordia 33-21 to Open the Season
Lackey throws three touchdowns in the victory
  

Don Lackey hit three different receivers for touchdowns.
RIVER FOREST, IL - The Lake Forest College football team began its 2003 season with a 33-21 victory at Concordia University Saturday (September 6). It was the second year in a row that the Foresters opened with a win over the Cougars.

Lake Forest started the scoring just 68 seconds into the contest. After forcing Concordia to punt from its own 25 yard line, a botched snap to the punter was picked up by freshman defensive back Anthony Gebhart (Addison, IL/Addison Driscoll) at the 7 and taken into the end zone.

The Forester defense held the Cougars without a first down on each of their next three possessions, two of which ended in turnovers. Junior safety Drew Holman (Morris, IL/ Morris), who set a school record with seven interceptions last season, picked off a fourth-down pass in the back of the end zone to end Concordia's first scoring threat of the game. Junior defensive lineman David Bleitner (St. Louis, MO/Vianney), who recorded a pair of sacks in the game, fell on a fumble to finish off another Cougar possession at the Concordia 15.

After a 13-yard scramble by senior quarterback Don Lackey (Lindenhurst, IL/Antioch) set up first-and-goal at the 2, he handed off to senior tailback Adam Niles (Lake Villa, IL/Antioch), who carried the ball into the end zone and gave the visitors a 12-0 advantage with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

The Foresters' next drive began at their own 46 and ended with Lackey's first touchdown pass of the game, a 14-yard strike to junior wide receiver Nick Hildreth (Lombard, IL/Willowbrook), Hildreth finished the game with five receptions for 68 of Lackey's 211 passing yards.

Concordia scored its first touchdown of the contest on a deflected pass into the end zone with 7:32 remaining in the first half. Lake Forest bounced back quickly, beginning with a 28-yard kickoff return by Gebhart to the Forester 40. After two carries by sophomore tailback Andre Washington (West Palm Beach, FL/Benjamin) covered 23 yards, Lackey hit junior wide receiver Mike Carter (Arlington Heights, IL/St. Viator) in stride for a 37-yard touchdown. Carter's extra point gave Lake Forest a 26-7 lead and ended the first-half scoring.

Lackey completed passes to four different Foresters on a nine-play, 66-yard scoring drive to open up the second half. He found sophomore wide receiver Jeff Huebner (Antioch, IL/Antioch) for a 21-yard touchdown pass, Lackey's third of the game. The teams were scoreless the rest of the third quarter and Lackey and many of the starters on both offense and defense were done for the day.

Concordia put together two touchdown drives in the fourth period to account for the final score.

The Lake Forest defense, which held the home team to 200 total yards, including just 83 through three quarters, was led by freshman linebacker Louis Bertuca's (Chicago, IL/Fenwick) seven tackles. Fellow freshman linebacker Ryan Gallegos (Plantation, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas) had five tackles and an interception in his debut.

The Foresters will open Midwest Conference play next Saturday (September 13) at Grinnell College. Lake Forest defeated the Pioneers 26-15 in last year's MWC opener en route to an 8-1 league record and a share of the conference championship. The team's first home game of 2003 will be the following Saturday (September 20) against Beloit College.

Box Score