The Forester football team extended several winning streaks by posting a 48-14 victory over visiting Knox College on Saturday.
It was Lake Forest's 12th consecutive triumph over the Prairie Fire and the team's 16th regular season win in a row. The Foresters have now prevailed in nine straight home games and in 13 consecutive match-ups with fellow Midwest Conference members.
A pair of scores late in the second quarter put the game out of reach. Already ahead 20-7, the home team added to its advantage with a 12-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tre Stewart to sophomore wide receiver Langston Metoyer with just 41 seconds on the clock. The Foresters recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff but turned the ball over themselves on an interception on the next play. Three plays later, Lake Forest junior safety Trenton Brail picked off a pass and returned it 81 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the half.
Brail's interception was one of three for the Foresters on the day. The other two were the first career picks by senior linebacker Dylan Pedersen and senior defensive lineman Brandon Rollins. Lake Forest also recovered a pair of fumbles and recorded seven tackles for loss, including 3.5 by senior defensive lineman Robert McPhee. McPhee led the team with a career-high nine tackles in the contest.
The Foresters took the lead on their first possession of the game when graduate student Damon Bonds reached the end zone on a 2-yard rush. The opening quarter also featured a 38-yard score on the first career reception by freshman wideout Ty Thomas, a 26-yard touchdown run by the Knox quarterback, and a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stewart to senior running back Armani Brown.
Leading 34-7 at halftime. Lake Forest added to its advantage on a 5-yard touchdown run by Brown in the third quarter and a 7-yarder by Stewart in the fourth. The visitors reached the end zone in the final minute to account for the final score.
Stewart was 17-for-22 for 193 yards on the day and is now tied-for-ninth in team history with 27 career touchdown passes.
Brown led the Foresters with 92 rushing yards on 16 attempts and Bonds carried the ball a dozen times for 64 yards. They have combined for 372 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry, and eight touchdowns on the ground in the first three games of the season.
Metoyer was the team's leading receiver with five catches for 70 yards.
Lake Forest is now 3-0 overall this season and 2-0 in MWC play. Knox fell to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the league.
The Foresters's next game will be played at Cornell College on Saturday, October 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
