The Lake Forest College football team traveled to Ripon College on Saturday for a match-up of two 5-0 teams. They left with a 42-7 victory and continue to own a share of first place in the Midwest Conference standings.
The Foresters ran for 201 yards and passed for 198 while allowing a total of 129 on the day. Senior tailback Damon Bonds led the visitors with 76 yards on the ground while junior Armani Brown and freshman Christian Johnson added 55 and 36, respectively. Bonds, Brown, and junior quarterback Tre Stewart each ran for a score.
Stewart also threw for three touchdowns and completed 14 of 21 passes for 198 yards on the day. Senior wide receiver Robbie Mills, who began his collegiate career as a quarterback, led the team with four receptions and finished with 53 yards and his first career touchdown. After having his seven-game streak with at least one touchdown catch come to an end last week, junior wideout A.J. Jackson scored on two of his three receptions and had 80 yards this Saturday.
While the Foresters' offensive numbers by the end of the day were impressive, it took a big play on defense to get things going. The first four possessions of the game produced a total of one first down and the fifth was halted after the third play when Lake Forest junior safety Danny Baker recovered a Ripon fumble and advanced five yards to the home team's 22-yardline.
Brown ran for three yards on first down, eight on second, and 11 to the end zone on his third consecutive carry. Senior Patrick Goldammer made the first of his seven extra points on the day and Lake Forest led 7-0 exactly 11 minutes into the contest.
Mills caught an 8-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter and Stewart ran it in from nine yards out on the Foresters' next possession. The first half scoring was completed by an acrobatic 25-yard catch in the end zone by Jackson, making the score 28-0 at intermission.
An 11-yard touchdown run by Bonds early in the third quarter extended the visitors' lead and, after the Red Hawks reached the end zone for the only time on the afternoon, Jackson caught a long pass and headed up the right sideline for a 53-yard score with 10:44 to play in the game.
The Lake Forest defense entered the day ranked tied-for-seventh in the nation with 16 turnovers and added three to that total. In addition to Baker's fumble recovery in the opening period, Dante Esposito intercepted in the second and fourth quarters. It was his second two-interception game this season and the junior cornerback now has six picks on the year. He also led the team with five tackles. Senior defensive lineman Jacob Fitch was next on the squad with four stops, including a sack and two additional tackles for loss.
The Foresters will play just their third home game of the season next Saturday against Grinnell College. Kick-off at Farwell Field is slated for 1:00 p.m.