The Lake Forest College football team defeated visiting Carroll University 14-13 on Saturday. Freshman tailback Alex Pasiewicz's 18-yard touchdown run with 3:10 remaining proved to be the winning score.
The home team trailed 13-7 when Forester junior safety Joey Kropp recorded his team-high third interception of the season. Lake Forest took possession at its own 38 with 7:41 to play in the contest and, on the eighth play of the drive Pasiewicz broke several tackles on his way to the end zone.
After the Pioneers turned the ball over on downs with 3:06 remaining, Pasiewicz carried the ball for 6, 5, 8, -1, and 26 yards. However, a bad exchange on the next play produced a fumble that Carroll recovered at its own 5-yardline with 1:08 to play.
The visitors ran three plays and faced 2nd-and-10 at the 15 when game administrators were forced to evacuate the field due to severe weather in the area. The delay lasted more than 80 minutes. Forester senior cornerback Nick Waters finally clinched the victory with an interception on the second play after the delay.
In addition to the interceptions by Waters and Kropp, senior linebacker John Dillon picked off a pass and senior linebacker John Dillon and senior defensive end Jake Rotkvich recovered Pioneer fumbles. Lake Forest entered the weekend tied for sixth in the nation in turnovers forced and added five to that total on Saturday. Dillon and Cruz led the defense with 10 tackles apiece against Carroll and junior linebacker John Preston added eight. Senior defensive linemen Michael Garetto-Balmer and Taylor Holzmeyer each sacked the quarterback twice on the day and the Foresters finished with 10 tackles for loss.
The Foresters' other touchdown was scored by sophomore wide receiver Mike Rantis on the team's first play from scrimmage. Senior quarterback Mike Lewis faked a handoff and was about to get hit when he launched the ball down the middle of the field, leading Rantis perfectly for a 53-yard score. Rantis caught three passes in the game for 71 yards and Lake Forest sophomore wideout Willie McIntyre had four receptions for 66.
It looked as if the touchdown by Rantis may be all the Foresters would need as they held the Pioneers scoreless until the final minute of the third quarter. Carroll scored on a 4th-and-three pass play from the 6-yardline and the extra point tied the game. The visitors also reached the end zone on their next possession but the extra point was blocked by Forester senior linebacker Bryce Jones.
Carroll outgained Lake Forest 332-245 and had the ball for nearly 35 minutes in the game. However, the Foresters' five forced turnovers, five sacks, and blocked extra point were enough to extend their season-opening winning streak to five games. They are also 4-0 in Midwest Conference play. Carroll fell to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in the league.
Lake Forest will travel to Illinois College (4-0, 3-0 MWC) next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off.
