FORESTER FOOTBALL

FORESTER FOOTBALL

Thursday, November 18, 2010

SIX FORESTERS NAMED ALL-MIDWEST CONFERENCE

LAKE FOREST COLLEGE PRESS RELEASE

Six Lake Forest College players were named to the All-Midwest Conference Teams. Senior Kicker Tim Gruzwalski and Junior Defensive Lineman Kenny Clady-Mason were named to the 2nd team. While Senior Captains Linebacker Anthony Garetto, Running Back Brock Stenberg, and Tight End Steve Yena were joined on the honorable mention list by Junior WR Kevin Davis who made the team as a Special Teams Player.

Coach Catanzaro on the awards:

"Though I am always happy when our player recieve awards of this magnitude, I can't help but think that some of the guys on this list were "underrated" by the awards. I am also surprised by a couple of omissions from the all-conference list."


"I am glad to see that the hard work that these individuals have put in to their betterment, and the performance that they had on the field has been recognized."

On the winners:

"I am thrilled that our three captains as Tim were able to complete their careers by being recognized. I think that all of those seniors are worth of any honor that comes their way. Brock finished 4th in the conference in rushing yards among running backs, and Anthony finished 7th in the conference in tackles. Steve was a player who will never have the stats to back up his successes because of what we ask him to do in our offensive scheme. One of the things that stands out about Steve is that though he didn't catch a lot of passes, almost all of his catches were for either first downs or touchdowns. The coaches in the league must have noticed this as well, as this is his third all-conference honor. Beyond the statistics these three guys were just tremendously consistent players throughout the year and their career.


Kenny really had a coming out year this year. He took over a position that had been manned by seniors throughout the last few years, and he really stepped up as a junior. He was ranked 7th in sacks, and 11th in Tackle's for a loss. I am looking for him to continue to build upon the foundation that he has laid."

On the ommissions:

"I'd rather not comment on that."

Friday, November 5, 2010

Munoz named Forester Athlete of the Week!



Junior Offensive Lineman Gil Munoz was named the Forester Athlete of the Week by the Coaches within the Athletic department.

Coach Catanzaro on Gil's award:

"This is a very symbolic and important award. Though Gil is deserving individually, what it truly represents is the accomplishments and performance of our entire offensive line. For two weeks, they have been able to run the ball for over 200 yards, and they have not given up a single sack during that time either. I have been thoroughly impressed with their performance, and there is no doubt that they have been a major reason as to why we are on a win streak. I can't say enough about the effort, camaraderie, and chemistry that has been developed amongst this position group. This is a very young position group with 3 juniors, 1 sophomore, and 2 freshman in the rotation, and their potential is limitless."

Munoz is the third Forester football player to be named the Forest Athlete of the Week during the Fall semester. Joining junior Casey Flynn (Carroll), and Freshman Eddie Dobernig (Lawrence).
LAKE FOREST COLLEGE PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Forester Domination!
















The Foresters had another impressive victory this weekend, beating the Knox Prairie Fire by a score of 35-6. While playing to win, the Foresters were also playing for another cause. Saturday marked the culmination of the Foresters’ support of Trick or Treat for the Troops, in which they collected supplies to send to servicemen and women in Iraq. Additionally, the Foresters welcomed a group from the training class at Great Lakes Naval Base to come and watch the game.

When asked why he thought the team was able to start off last Saturday’s game so well, Coach Cat said, Defensively, I felt like we were really well prepared, and we were at our highest emotional level of the year to start the game. We had an opportunity to get five three and outs to start the game. That was an awesome thing to watch take place.

Offensively, I felt like we did a great job moving the ball. We had a few big plays in the passing game, despite not completing an overly high percentage of passes. In addition, we were running the ball with great success. Our tailbacks and quarterbacks were having some great success, as was evidenced by rushing for over 200 yards on the day. We just came off firing on all cylinders.

In addition, we had something that was possibly even greater for our team. We had BIG plays in the kicking game. Our 49-yard field goal by Dom Campagna was a big boost. No one on the other sideline thought we were really trying a field goal; they thought we were faking one. It was a big play, and I was glad to see Tim Gruzwalski come out and fire in a few additional field goals to help increase our lead even when we weren't scoring touchdowns. 12 points in the kicking game is a big day. Our special teams play was just as valuable in kickoffs and punts.”

Sophomore quarterback Pete Scaffidi and junior wide receiver Kevin Davis put together an impressive game, which greatly contributed to Saturday’s victory. On Scaffidi and Davis, Coach Cat commented, “They etched their names in the record books on Saturday. Kevin tying the individual game record for TD's, and Pete tying the record for thrown TD's in a game. These guys have been hooking up for a number of years since they were high school teammates at South Elgin. When Pete transferred in this year, you could see some comfort between the two of them. As a second teamer, Pete wasn't getting a lot of reps with Kevin, but when they had a chance, there was a natural rebirth of their chemistry. Beyond that, I think that Pete forces all of our wide receivers to maintain their focus. He has a unique ability to extend plays, and in doing so, he has created plays farther down the field than our wide out might expect.”

The defense also performed remarkably, holding Knox’s offense to just six points during the game. When asked who was the main contributor to the success of the defense, Coach Cat said, There was no single player. It was a tremendous group effort. We had some players, Casey Flynn, Tanner Compton, Luke Butts, Eddie Dobernig, and Kenny Clady-Mason make big individual plays, but that doesn't take into consideration how some of our bench players like Jake Rotkvich, Michael Garetto-Balmer, and others made plays as well. It was truly our finest team defensive performance. We played with a determination that was unrelenting in its pursuit of the football. We always had multiple players in on the tackle. Our pass defense was pretty solid, as well. That is an area that has made leaps and bounds over the last few weeks. We had our hands on 10 total passes, including 2 interceptions.”

This week, I also had a chance to catch up with Coach Dodd, who helped bring the training class from Great Lakes Naval Base to Saturday’s game. A former Navy SEAL himself, Coach Dodd said, “They [the trainees] absolutely loved the game; it was something different and close by. An ironic fact is a college teammate of Coach Canty is in the training right now and attended the game. Of course, that means he was coached by Coach Catanzaro as well.”

When asked how the Foresters can become more involved with our local military community, Coach Dodd said, “To get more involved with the community is simple, we encourage them to explore and see different things as they travel throughout their careers. The other side of the partnership is for LFC students to visit the base and witness some of the training. Each base has a PAO, which is public affairs officer, or like Coach Cat does with his winner’s manual, he invites people from different aspects of the military to come speak to the athletes. I have extended offers to the players to visit and witness our training up here and that offer is certainly available to any student who would like to visit.”

It was a successful week for the Foresters, both on and off the field. Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against St. Norbert, Coach Cat said that he is looking for one thing—“A Forester victory. Plain and simple.” Here’s hoping that Coach Cat and the Foresters get that last victory.

--Elise Beckman, contributing author

POTW Announced






The Forester Coaching Staff announced the players of the week for their victory over Knox College. In a rare case, the coaches could not come to a conclusion between two school record tying performances on the offensive side of the board. For the first time in recent history, their will be "CO" Offensive MVP's.

Offense: Kevin Davis- Junior WR and Pete Scaffidi- Sophomore QB. Davis and Scaffidi connected for three scoring strikes in the victory. Davis' three touchdown recpetions in a game ties the school record, which was most recently accomplished by current wide recievers coach Dan Carter against Grinnell College in 2009. Scaffidi also threw a touchdown pass to sophomore Austin Sobey, giving him four touchdown passes on the day. This also tied the Forester mark for most touchdown passes in a game. This mark was most recently done in that same Grinnell game by current Forester Geoff Sobey. Davis finished the day with five catches for 113 yards. Scaffidi finished his relief appearance 7 of 20 passing for 152 yards and 4 TD's. Scaffidi was also the leading rusher for the Foresters with 12 carries for 102 yards. Davis and Scaffidi were high school teammates at South Elgin High School.

HM: to the entire offensive line, for their first 200 yard rushing, no sack performance of the year.

Defensively: Casey Flynn- Junior DL- Morristown, NJ. Flynn has an all-around solid performance for the Foresters recording 8 tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Flynn disrupted numerous Knox running plays by gaining superior penetration up field. Flynn's pressure on another pass attempt by the Prarie Fire led to freshman Eddie Dobernig's second interception of the day. Flynn played his high school football at Morristown High School in New Jersey.

HM: Eddie Dobernig (2 Interceptions), and Luke Butts (13 Tackles, 2 Pass Breakups)

Special Teams: Luke Butts- Junior DB- Warrensburg, IL. Butts had an active day on defense as well as special teams. The junior recorded three tackles on kickoffs alone. He also helped orchestrate a punt block unit that had is largest return yard average on the season, and provided tremendous pressure on the Knox punt team. Butts played his high school football at Warrensburg-Latham High School in Illinois.

HM: Domnick Campagna 49 yard field goal and averaged 60 yards per kickoff.

Scout Team: Max Goodrich- Freshman DL- Watervliet, MI. Goodrich, who is a defensive lineman, was asked to play offensive line due to a rash of injuries that hit the offensive line. Max performed at a very high level and made our defensive lineman much more successful in the game, than they had been in the previous two weeks. Max played his high school football at Watervliet High School in Michigan.