Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Friend, Teammate, and Forester Role Model Passes Away
My heart has never ached this heavily, and I know along with our players that this is a moment that we will not forget. We were fortunate to get to know Benny through his battle with cancer, and he will live in our hearts forever.
In the last year, Benny had become a fixture of enthusiasm and excitement on our team and campus. He had joined the players for lunches (Chicken nuggets were his favorite), attended practices, our games -- both home and away, he had done pumpkin carving, mini-golf, and numerous other activities with his "big brothers."
As Benny's condition worsened, he still made it a point to come and see his brothers. His lemonade stand at our most recent game was a huge hit. Our team, and school are blessed with a number of cherished memories that we will celebrate for a long time. We know that whenever we take the field, our biggest fan will be watching down on us.
I hope that all of you will help keep Benny's sisters Bella and Lily, and his parents Brendan and Lisa in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
- Coach Cat
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Foresters Learn From Game Against Concordia!
On Saturday, the Foresters welcomed the Concordia University of Chicago Cougars to Farwell Field for the Foresters’ first game of the season! Although the Foresters were defeated with a final score of 52-23, there are many positive lessons to be taken from this year’s season opener.
Five outstanding players from the game were Brock Stenberg, who had 23 carries for 99 yards, 3 catches for 20 yards and a touchdown; Austin Sobey, who had 5 carries for 82 yards; Luke Butts, who had 10 tackles during the game; Kenny Clady-Mason, who had 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble; and, Tanner Compton, who had 5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Following the game, the general consensus is that the Foresters have plenty to work on, but show great potential this season. Coach Cat said, “I am confident that our team will mature greatly before the next time that we are on Farwell Field. Of the 22 starters on Saturday, for 13 of them, this was their first start as a college athlete. There is no doubt that you will see tremendous improvement from our team now that we have experienced ‘game speed’ as opposed to practice speed. Concordia had that opportunity a week before us with a scrimmage, and it took us a quarter or two to get some of our wrinkles out. [Editor note: Midwest Conference schools are not allowed to scrimmage another school during their preseason.] I think individually, you'll see better play from Justin Novak as he continues to get some experience under his belt. His performance as the game went on was encouraging for the upcoming games."
As the Foresters work through this season, they will be refining how they play football as a team. When asked about the game, sophomore linebacker Aidan Price said, “Obviously, I am disappointed about the outcome, and we have a lot to work on. However, we are a young team, and I am excited about the potential that the freshmen show.”
When asked how the team reacted to the outcome of the game, Coach Cat said, “Our team got caught up in playing the game, and forgot about some of the basic fundamentals that they have been practicing for three weeks. I know that when our guys watched the film on Sunday there was a lot of head shaking. The reaction that many of them had was, ‘Wow, what was I thinking?’ or ‘I didn't realize I was doing that.’ This is why video watching is so important for football players. They can really see what they are doing, as opposed to what they think they are doing. I look forward to our guys using this game as a learning experience as we prepare to open up conference play against Ripon."
Midwest Conference play officially begins this coming Saturday, as the Foresters go on the road to take on Ripon!
-Elise Beckman, contributing author
POTW WEEK 1
Forester Football Players of the Week Announced:
The Coaching Staff at Lake Forest announced their players of the week for the first week of the 2010 season.
Offensive Player of the Week: #12 Austin Sobey: The sophomore WR in his first collegiate start recorded 5 catches for 81 yards. His blocking was also a point of emphasis by the coaching staff.
Defensive Player of the Week: #95 Kenny Clady-Mason: The junior defensive end recorded 8 tackles, 2 TFL's, 1 Sack, and Kenny forced a fumble that lead to a touchdown by temmate Tanner Compton.
Special Teams Player of the Week: #2 Domnick Campagna: The sophomore transfer averaged 61.2 yards per kick off on an extremely windy day at Farwell Field. The hang time component, coupled with great coverage limited the return game for Concordia to 13 yards per return.
Scout Team Player of the Week: #34 Brock Ungvarsky: The offensive coaches nominated the Junior Cornerback for his all-around effort and willingness to do "anything to make the offense better."
Congratulations to all four players for this accomplishment.
