Senior RB AL Mitchell, and Head Coach Jim Catanzaro were part of a memorable moment on Saturday, December 15. As members of a Division III All-Star team, Mitchell and his teammates defeated the Mexican National Championship Team from Tec Monterrey 32-15. Coach "Cat" served as the defensive coordinator for the U.S. Team.
"The coolest part of the week was the post game locker room. The Mexican's had beaten the U.S. in our game, American Football, so there was a lot of motivation for the guys on the team. Afterwards, there was a desire to sing the fight song as many of us do after a game. Well, as a conglomerate, we came up with the National Anthem as our "fight song." It was one of the more incredible experiences I have had as a coach. The fight song was lead by one of our quarterbacks, who is a student at the US Merchant Marine Academy. He will enlist for service to our country after his graduation. It was a really cool moment, and there was no one that I would rather have had lead that song than Alex," said Coach Catanzaro.
"It was a great experience. The level of competition in both practice and in the game, was a step up from what I am used to. When you have All-American's at six or seven different positions, it is amazing how you raise your level of practice just to keep up," said Mitchell.
TEAM USA POST GAME WITH THE TROPHY-
(MITCHELL Center front row)
"One of the highlights for me was the community service event. We met some people who are much less fortunate than I am. I am glad that we could give back to the community a little while we were there," continued Mitchell.
On the Thursday before the game, the team went to a poor community in Guadalajara and donated time to a local youth organization cleaning up fields of play, painting a basketball court and play room, and giving a football clinic to the children.
"I am pleased that Al and I were able to have such a rewarding experience. I hope that his representation of Lake Forest opens up the door for more of our players in the future. He played a great game, and especially considering that he was asked to play out of position some, I thought he handled it with great poise and maturity," said Catanzaro.
The official game recap can be read here: GAME RECAP
Forester Football was well represented on the MWC end of the Year awards list this year.
Senior Al Mitchell was named the MWC's Offensive Player of the Year, Head Coach Jim Catanzaro was named the MWC Coach of the Year, and a total of 13 Foresters appeared on the All-Conference list, the most of any team in the conference.
Read the article by SID Mike Wajerski by clicking on the link below.
The Lake Forest College Football team defeated visiting Ripon College on Saturday 17-7. This was the first time that the Foresters had defeated Ripon since 2004. With the victory, the Foresters have guaranteed themselves at least a share of the 2012 Midwest Conference Championship.
"That was a great win. We had to make plays in all three phases in order to win that game. There are some plays that will stand out to us when we watch film, but it was a total team effort. There were two plays that I felt were the ultimate momentum changes for us. The blocked field goal by Nick Waters and the fourth down stop on the first possession of the second half really made the game change. It forced Ripon to make very specific decisions in the fourth quarter because of what happened on those plays," said a beaming Head Football Coach Jim Catanzaro.
The first six minutes did not look positive for the Foresters. Despite marching 41 yards, the Foresters would turn the ball over on an interception at the five yard line. On the very next play, Ripon would run a counter play, and it would go 95-yards for a touchdown.
"When that first play busted, I was nervous that things were happening faster on the field than we had been able to practice all week. That is usually the case. Ripon's offense is so unique, that it is very difficult for our scout team to simulate it. In reality, the only reason that play goes for a touchdown is that two of our players were actually playing TOO FAST and had overscraped the counter action. For that to be the only points of the game is nothing short of amazing to me," commented Catanzaro.
The Foresters would immediately respond with an eight play drive that covered 61 yards and took 5:40 off the play clock. The drive culminated with a one yard run by Running Back Alec HoweThe defense would force an interception on Ripon's next possession as Senior Safety Dom Campagna deflected a pass that ended up in the hands of Cornerback Eddie Dobernig at the Foresters 3-yard line.
The Forester offense would capitalize on the take-away and march 97 yards on 14 plays, while taking nearly eight minutes to do so. Senior RB Al Mitchell would plunge in from 3 yards out. On the drive, the Foresters used six passing plays and eight rushing plays.
"That drive was a testament to our ability to implement both run and pass plays with equal effectiveness.The play calling and the execution of the players was outstanding. Coach Kerr called a great drive, and our players believed in each play that was signaled in," said Catanzaro.
The Forester defense would become more stingy as they would only allow 247 yards and 0 points the rest of the game. The seven points that the Foresters gave up were their lowest since week three when they gave up seven to Grinnell College.
The Foresters would tack on their first offensive possession of the second half, and the Redhawks would be unable to close the gap. The Forester offense recorded both a 100+ yard receiver and rusher, as Mitchell rushed for 111 yards on 16 carries, and Senior Austin Sobey caught seven balls for 105 yards.
"I am thrilled that we have clinched a share of the MWC title. Leading the league has been something on our radar since I took over as head coach. Now our goal is to go 1-0 next week when we play St. Norbert and keep the championship all to ourselves," said Coach Catanzaro.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
OPOTW: SR. Wide Receiver, Austin Sobey (Mt. Prospect HS), Mount Prospect, IL. 7 rec. 105 yards. 5 of his 7 catches went for first downs.
LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: JR. Center, Tommy Mitchell (Marist High School), Chicago, IL. Graded out at 92%.
SPECIAL TEAMS POTW: FR. Kicker, Jon Gurchak (Grayslake Central), Grayslake, IL 2-2 Extra Points, 1-1 on FGs (33 yards), averaged 56 yards per kickoff, including one touch back.
