Junior defensive end Jordan McInerney had a career-high 13 tackles, including two sacks and two more stops behind the line of scrimmage, but the Lake Forest College football team was defeated 48-16 at the University of Chicago in Saturday's season finale.
McInerney finished the year with 74 tackles, including a league-leading 23.0 tackles for loss, the second-highest single-season total in program history. The two sacks on Saturday raised his total on the year to nine, which ranks tied-for-sixth in team annals.
Senior linebacker Charlie Timmerman was next on the team with a dozen tackles while junior safety Blake Becker and senior nose tackle James Pruitt added nine apiece.
While McInerney was posting historic numbers on defense, senior quarterback Jagan Cleary and wide receiver Chris Edomwande were putting their names among the program's all-time leaders on the offensive side of the ball. Cleary completed 24 of 38 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His season marks for completions, passing yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, and pass efficiency rating all rank among the top five marks in team history and he finished his career as the Foresters' career leader in all five categories. Edomwande caught five passes for 82 yards and a score on Saturday. He had the fifth-most receptions and 10th-highest touchdown reception total in program history on the season and will graduate ranked fifth in team history in receptions and yards and tied-for-sixth in touchdown catches.
Chicago scored three touchdowns in the opening quarter and added one more early in the second. A 7-yard touchdown pass from Cleary to senior tailback Andrew Shweky put the Foresters on the scoreboard but another Maroon touchdown made the score 35-6 at halftime.
A 31-yard field goal by Lake Forest junior Michael Bounds was answered by a touchdown from the home team in the third quarter and both squads reached the end zone once in the fourth, the Foresters on a 10-yard pass from Cleary to Edomwande. Bounds made the extra point, his 36th in 38 attempts this year, and also finished the season 4-for-6 on field goals while averaging 39.0 yards per punt, the ninth-highest mark in program history.
Both teams entered the game 6-3 overall after finishing second in their respective division of the Midwest Conference at 4-1 in league play.