Coach's Show: Lake Forest College vs Carroll College

Player Card #5 - Tom Mitchell

Dominating 2nd Half Propels Foresters To Victory!

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" exclaimed Coach Catanzaro as he met with the team after their decisive 34-13 victory over the visiting Prairie Fire.

In a tone that was much different than both the pre-game, and half-time talks with the team, Catanzaro was smiling and joking with his players after the game. 

"We were frustrated at half time, we felt like we had given them both touchdowns because of drive extending penalties. They came at us with everything they had in the playbook. Reverse passes, throwback screens, a surprise on-side kick, a fake punt, among others. To their credit, they did a lot of things to try and win the game. To our guys credit, they battled against everything they saw, and we came out and won the game in the second half," said Catanzaro."Our pregame talk was full of emotion, and I think that was a detriment to us early in the game as we were "too fired up" to stay focused on the task. At half-time, especially with the defense, I wanted a very calm focus. I wanted us to make sense of the mistakes we had seen to that point, and capitalize on our line play on both sides of the ball in the second half." 

The talk must have worked, as the Forester offense exploded into the game, and scored four touchdowns, including one on each of their first three drives. Meanwhile, the Forester defense shut out the Knox offense and limiting them to 128 yards after intermission. 

"I though Coach Kerr and the offense in the second half was outstanding. That's the second week in a row where we have really gotten going in the second half. This is a testament to the adjustments that they are making at half-time. For the players, our challenge to them is to start the game with the same type of execution.I thought that we were able to capitalize on some big plays, but more importantly, we were able to sustain long drives," said Catanzaro."Pete (Scaffidi) did a tremendous job managing the clock, and pace of our offense. He was outstanding in all facets of that. He has really matured in his game management, and I am looking forward to his continued growth and effectiveness." 

Austin Sobey move into fifth all-time in receiving TD's

During the course of the game, a few Forester milestones were passed as Senior WR Austin Sobey caught his 100th pass reception, and moved into sixth place on the all-time receptions list at Lake Forest, as well as sixth on the all-time receiving yards category. His touchdown reception ties him for fifth overall in school history. 

Quarterback Pete Scaffidi moved into fourth all-time in career passing yards with his performance. Senior running back Al Mitchell moved into fifth place for career rushing touchdowns with his first score of the day. 

Even with the strong senior offensive performances, it was a pair of freshman on the offensive side of the ball that truly caught Coach Catanzaro's eye. 

Senior Al Mitchell hurdling ahead for the Foresters

"Did you see how Joey (Valdivia) ran the ball? That was a fantastic to see. This was the most extensive look we had at him, and he ran with such conviction and power. He is a going to be a great running back here if he continues to run like that. The other guy that it was great to see was Mike Rantis. The burst he displayed after his first catch was outstanding. He caught a six yard route, and turned it into a 30 + yard gain. His one kick return was fantastic as well. He was one defender a way from a touchdown. I was really excited to see both of those guys going at full-speed and not thinking while they were out there. That has been the greatest improvement for each of them as they get more comfortable with our schemes their impact is only going to increase," commented Catanzaro. 

The Foresters travel to Waukesha, WI next Saturday to play against Carroll University, who were defeated in over-time by St. Norbert College this past weekend 28-21. 

"This game is always tough. We have had some great battles with the Pioneers during my time at Lake Forest. Our guys are going to have to go to the next level of execution and performance to defeat one of the top teams in the conference," previewed Catanzaro. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: 

Offense: Sr. AL MITCHELL, RB- Pulaski HS, Milwaukee, WI. 13 rushes for 75 yards, and 2 touchdowns, while also recording 6 catches for 56 yards and 1 touchdown. 

Defense: Jr. JOHN DILLON, LB- Basha HS, Phoenix, AZ. 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 quarterback knockdowns. 

Special Teams: So. JOEY KROPP, DB/RET- Rolling Meadows HS, Arlington Heights, IL. 3 of 3 on Extra Point Holds, 2 Punt Returns for 26 yards. 

Lineman of the Week: So. BRYAN FELTMAN, OG- Marist HS, Chicago, IL. Graded out at 89%, and had several blocks beyond 15 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Scout Team: Fr. RYAN FLYNN, DL- Morristown HS, Morristown, NJ. 

Click on the link below to view highlights of the game on Saturday. 

HIGHLIGHTS VS KNOX

Coach's Show: Lake Forest College vs Knox

Make sure to check this list of what to bring and donate to the care packages for our brave men and women oversea:
www.asa-usa.org/site/DocServer/CARE_PACKAGE_IDEAS_2008.pdf?docID=1181

CARE PACKAGE IDEAS!!!

To find out ideas for the care package donations for this weekends game, please click on the link below:


http://www.asa-usa.org/site/DocServer/CARE_PACKAGE_IDEAS_2008.pdf?docID=1181


Thank you for your support of our players efforts!

Coach Cat

PLAYER CARD #4 - Bryce Jones

Foresters defeat Pioneers- Leave Iowa Tied for MWC Lead

Lake Forest traveled to Grinnell, Iowa, and came away with an impressive victory on Saturday, defeating the Pioneers 33-7.

In what was an early defensive struggle, the Forester defense took scoring into their own hands as they returned two interceptions for touchdowns against the Pioneers. With the Pioneers up 7-6 on the Foresters midway through the second quarter, Senior Captain Jake Rotkvich, intercepted a screen pass and returned it 70 yards to reclaim the lead for the Foresters at 12-7. After half time, the Foresters Nick Waters, would claim his first career interception and return it for a touchdown, the successful point after attempt would give the Foresters a 19-7 lead.

"Our defense did somethings that I am extremely proud of. Forcing seven turnovers (2 Interceptions, 5 Fumbles)  is an incredible feat. I am ecstatic with the way our guys went after the football," commented Head Coach Jim Catanzaro."There is no doubt that the two defensive scores provided a lot of emotional fuel, and our offense was inspired to go out and get their scores afterwards."

The Forester offense would tally two fourth quarter touchdowns to close out the scoring. Offensively, the Foresters received two receiving touchdowns from Junior TE Justin Smith.

"This was a big game for Justin. I believe he is one of the toughest match ups on our team. In practice our guys have a terrible time covering him because of his size. He possesses great hands, and is really starting to carve out a niche for himself in our offense," complimented Catanzaro.

The Foresters were paced on defense by Rotkvich who added two sacks to his interception on the day, and John Preston who lead the Foresters in tackles with 8 and recorded a forced fumble in the red zone to prevent a Grinnell scoring opportunity. Senior safety Aidan Price recovered three of the five forced fumbles on the day.

"Aidan epitomizes the benefits of running to the ball no matter what. He was "Johnny on the spot" a couple of times, and I am thrilled that his effort was rewarded on the field," said Catanzaro.

The Foresters held the Pioneers to their lowest point total on the season, while the Foresters achieved their highest point total.

"This was a much better trip to Iowa this year, than last year. I can guarantee you that, we are thrilled to be returning to Farwell Field this week. Home games are always exciting. The fact that we are honoring the 2002 MWC Championship Team, as well as having our annual Hero's Day make it truly special. I know this is a big game for our players. We want to get to 3-0 in conference," finished Catanzaro.

For the first time since 2005, the Foresters are 2-0 to start Midwest Conference play. The last time they started off 3-0 in conference was 2002, when the team won the Midwest Conference.

Players of the Week:

Offensive POTW: JR, Tight End, Justin Smith, Centerville, TX:  3 receptions 20 yards, 2 TD's.See Justin's two TD's on the video HERE:

Defensive POTW: JR, Cornerback, Nick Waters, Centennial High School, Las Vegas, NV: 3 PBU, 1 INT returned for a TD, and 1 Tackle. See Nick's INT for a TD HERE:

Lineman of the Week: SR, Defensive Lineman, Jake Rotkvich, St. Laurence, Chicago, IL: 3 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 1 INT for a 70 yard touchdown.See Jake's INT for a TD HERE:

Special Teams POTW: FR, Kicker, John Gurchak, Grayslake Central, Grayslake, IL: Gurchak averaged  39 yards per punt, and pinned two of his three punts inside the Grinnell 20 yard line. He also averaged 55.8 yards per kick off in extremely windy conditions. Gurchak also made a touchdown saving tackle on a Pioneer return.

Scout team POTW: Freshman, WR, George Vidas, Taft HS, Chicago, IL.