The Lake Forest College football team fell 21-7 at Illinois College on Saturday (September 19). The Foresters fell to 0-3 overall on the season and 0-2 in Midwest Conference play. The Blueboys raised their overall record to 2-1 and league mark to 2-0.
A 77-yard interception return set up a short touchdown pass by Illinois College on the home team's first possession of the game. The Foresters responded by forcing and recovering a fumble on the Blueboys' next possession and tying the score on a 32-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Geoff Sobey (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Prospect) to junior tight end Steven Yena (Chandler, Ariz./Basha) with 5:07 to play in the opening period. It was Yena's first career touchdown.
Illinois College blocked a Forester punt and regained the lead on a 9-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes to play in the quarter.
The teams combined for more than 300 yards of total offense in the second and third quarters but niether squad was able to score.
The Foresters drove to the Blueboys' 9-yardline early in the fourth quarter but came up empty after the snap on a field goal attempt got away. The home team then marched 67 yards in 11 plays and scored the game's final points on a 10-yard pass.
Sobey completed 24 of 31 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Brock Stenberg (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) caught a career-high 11 passes for 53 yards and senior wide receiver Dan Carter (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) finished with eight catches for a game-high 94 yards. Stenberg also led the visitors with 35 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Senior linebacker Donovan Baldridge (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade) led the Lake Forest defense with 13 tackles and forced a pair of fumbles. Junior linebacker Anthony Garetto (Orland Park, Ill./Marist) and senior defensive end Jaron Eanes finished with a dozen stops each. Eanes had a sack and a total of 3.5 tackles for loss. Sophomore safety Luke Butts (Warrensburg, Ill./Warrensburg), senior linebacker Chad Zimborski (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North), and junior linebacker Tanner Compton (Excello, Mo./Macon) each recovered a Blueboy fumble.
The Foresters gained 233 yards in the contest (33 rushing, 200 passing) and surrendered 385, including 131 on the ground. Illinois College committed three turnovers and Lake Forest just one.
The Foresters will host St. Norbert College next Saturday (September 26) at 1:00 p.m. A live video webcast of the game will be available at www.midwestconference.tv.