The Forester football team was defeated 38-37 in double overtime on Saturday by visiting Wisconsin Lutheran College. Lake Forest junior tailback Charlie Quinn carried the ball a career-high 34 times for 143 yards and a touchdown.
Quinn led a rushing attack that gained 190 yards. Senior quarterback Sean Dickson was next on the team with 19 rushing yards and a score. He also completed 18 of 32 passes for 217 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Senior wide receivers Willie McIntyre and George Vidas shared team-high honors with six receptions apiece and both scored a touchdown. McIntyre finished with a career-high 114 yards.
Senior safety Pat Clark led the Forester defense with 10 tackles and added an interception. Sophomore linebacker Michael Cole was next with nine stops and sophomore cornerback Chase Slagboom finished with seven tackles, a pair of interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
Lake Forest racked up 449 yards of offense, the team's highest total in nearly three seasons.
Wisconsin Lutheran started the scoring with a 25-yard field goal on the opening possession but was unable to score again in the opening half. Dickson capped off the Foresters' second drive with an 18-yard pass to a wide open McIntyre in the end zone, giving the home team a 7-3 lead. Freshman quarterback Jagan Cleary led a pair of scoring drives in his collegiate debut, connecting on a 9-yard pass to Vidas on the first and setting up a 40-yard field goal by senior Jon Gurchak on the second. The Lake Forest lead reached 21 points when Quinn scampered to the end zone from seven yards away with 7:44 to play in the second quarter.
Wisconsin Lutheran turned things around quickly in the second half, scoring three touchdowns in less than 12 minutes to tie the score at 24. Both teams had scoring opportunities during the final 18 minutes of regulation but the score was still 24-24 after four quarters of play.
The Warriors needed just four plays to reach the end zone in the first overtime and take their first lead of the contest. Dickson found Vidas for six yards on fourth-and-five and later found junior wide receiver Alex Pasiewicz in the end zone on a fourth-and-nine play from the 13-yardline. Gurchak's extra point tied the score at 31 and forced a second overtime.
Twenty-nine rushing yards by Quinn helped the Foresters overcome a holding penalty in the second overtime and Dickson's quarterback sneak from inside the one put the home team ahead 37-31. The team was unable to execute the extra point, however, a mistake that would prove costly. The visitors drove for a touchdown of their own and converted the extra point for the victory.
It was the season opener for both teams.
Lake Forest will travel to Gustavus Adolphus College next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
