Check in Day Pictures

Here are a few pictures of our check-in day. Thanks to one of our team dads, BJ Ungvarsky, for sharing some of these pictures.

With the help of student video guru Andy Lambert, Coach Cat was able to present this video to the team at their kickoff meeting this evening. There are GREAT EXPECTATIONS for this team to perform in line with this years motto of : BEYOND MEASURE!

GO FORESTERS!

THEY'RE HERE!!!!

THE LAKE FOREST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM GATHERED IN THE TAILGATE PARKING LOT AT 11AM THIS MORNING TO KICKOFF THE 2011 SEASON. PICTURES TO COME!

Camp Countdown

Q: Coach, who will step up to replace the voids cast by graduating two 30+ game starters in Anthony Garetto and in Tanner Compton at linebacker?

A: No one. Both Anthony and Tanner are different from any player in our current program. They had intangibles that were extremely unique. Whether it was Anthony's ability to motivate his teammates emotionally, or Tanner's ability to lead them from a toughness perspective. I think that there are some players on our team that can be leaders in those traits, but i don't know that it is prevalent in their current roles.

As far as the on-field ability and performance, there are a few players that have been waiting in the wings for the opportunity to claim their playing time. At outside linebacker, Jake Rotkvich has had an amazing off-season for the second year in a row. I am excited to see him on the field.

At the inside linebacker position, we return four players who have started games for us at that position. Junior Aidan Price, sophomore Jordan Cruz, and sophomore Michael Somma all saw action at inside linebacker. Michael's season was cut short due to injury, but the other two players are in the midst of what could become highly decorated careers. Sophomore Bryce Jones has started at inside linebacker, but has also seen time at outside linebacker and defensive end for us. He could be a very complimentary swing player who sees time at all three positions. Bryce has a very high football IQ and is going to be a force on the field somewhere.

I am looking for returning junior starter Joe Stella to provide a lot of leadership and direction to this group of players. Joe really started to embrace this position during the spring semester in our non-traditional season. I know that with guidance from Coach Little and Coach Kurz, these two position groups will provide us with great strength.

Camp Countdown

Q: Give us a couple of players that you are looking to step up from their previous roles this season?

A: Junior Justin Smith leads the list for us in this category. Justin will be replacing Steve Yena, who was a 40 game starter at tight end for us. Justin began to see his role expand as the season went on last year. Justin missed his freshman year with a season long injury, and really started to show some of his abilities last year as the season. He is a great blocker, and a big target in the passing game.

On the defensive side of the ball, our second safety position is one that is going to be a heated battle in fall camp. Junior Domnick Campagna, Senior Mike Nelson, and Junior Mike Dotson all bring something unique to the plate. Dom has great range as a deep safety, Nelly is a big hitter who is very aggressive, and Mike Dotson is probably the most cerebral of the three and knows our defense inside and out. All three have been hampered by various injuries thus far in their careers. I look forward to seeing them step up and compete for the starting spot alongside Luke Butts.

Countdown to Camp:

The third in a series of articles dedicated to the "questions" leading into Forester Football's 2011 season.

Q: What stands out about this years recruiting class?

A: First off, they are older than a traditional recruiting class. We have six transfers, and two players who had at least one year of post graduate play. This will help balance the youth of our team from last years big recruiting class. The second thing that stands out is this a BIG class in terms of size. We were able to bring in 10 offensive and defensive lineman. This was a huge need for us in order to develop size. Of those 10, 4 of them are transfers. Our average incoming lineman is 6'2 265lbs. This will help us a lot, as we look toward the future. We have three senior offensive lineman, and three senior defensive lineman. We needed to add some depth of experience to balance out the extremely talented second-year players that we have coming back at some of those spots.

I think the final thing that stood out about this class is their character. We have a number of individuals who are coming to Lake Forest for all the right reasons. They believe in the message that they are being told in recruiting, and when they come to campus, they find out that there is only truth in the message. They see that the players and coaches are all on the same page, and that they are getting exactly what is being discussed on the phone, or through emails. They see a tremendous opportunity at a great education, the possibility to continue their football playing career in an extremely competitive environment, and they will be a part of a football family, that truly cares about each member.

Replacing Record Holders

Q: The 2011 Senior Class graduated some talented players, including senior running back Brock Stenberg and quarterback Geoff Sobey, who both appear on the career charts in multiple categories. Who can we expect to replace them?

A: At the quarterback position, we saw a glimpse of what redshirt Junior Quarterback Pete Scaffidi could do in the last four games of the season last year. Against Knox, Pete ran for 100 yards, and threw for four touchdowns in that game. Against Lawrence, Pete ran for 47 yards and completed over 55% of his passes, and we won both of those games. We lost his other two starts, (Monmouth and St. Norbert), and Pete struggled a bit in those games. We will need Pete to be more consistent and trust his arm and legs equally. Pete will get pushed by Sophomore Mike Lewis who made strides this off-season, and has been working extremely hard this summer. Mike is a proven winner. His high school team went 27-1 during his high school career, winning the 2009 state championship, and finishing as the runner up in 2010. Junior Justin Novak struggled in his two starts in 2010, but will have a chance to redeem himself during training camp. Justin has been working tirelessly on some of his mechanics to put himself in a better position to compete this year.

At the running back position, Brock was a workhorse back for us. In addition to Brock, we lose our top backup Ty VanValkenburg to graduation as well. We do not have that type of back returning to us next year. However, we will have a number of talented running backs. Among the players expected to compete for the bulk of the carries are juniors Al Mitchell and Thomas Wilson, and sophomore Alec Howe. Al averaged 5 yards per carry in 2010, and performed very well given the opportunity. He had 11 carries for 78 yards against Monmouth. Alec saw some good reps last season against different opponents. He averaged 6 yards per carry on the season, and contributed a lot on special teams. Thomas struggled through an injury filled season, that included two surgeries. I look forward to him having a great camp and trying to force his way on to the field. Pound for pound, Thomas is one of the strongest and most explosive players that we have. Also looking to battle for carries in the backfield will be sophomore Ed Daniels. Freshman Wendell Carter and Raul Torres both bring impressive resume's to Lake Forest College. Carter, who was an all-state selection in Arizona, while Torres was one of the fastest high school athletes in the state of Massachusetts, finishing 3rd in the 100yd dash at the Western Massachusetts meet, and 11th at the end of the year state meet.

"I look forward for the competition at both of these positions, and I am confident the depth will make our team better," said Coach Catanzaro.