D3football.com released its 2022 All-Region Teams on Wednesday and five Lake Forest College players were listed.
Senior defensive back Doug Antonucci was a First Team honoree for his work on special teams. Antonucci tied for third in the nation with four blocked kicks, including a blocked punt out the back of the end zone for a safety in the team's 31-14 triumph over Monmouth College. He also made seven tackles on kickoff returns during the season.
A pair of Foresters earned Second Team All-Region 5 accolades. Graduate student Damon Bonds earned that status as a kick returner after averaging 23.8 yards per kickoff return during the season and scoring on a 74-yarder against Monmouth. Bonds, a running back, also rushed for 852 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. The other Second Team selection was cornerback Dante Esposito. Despite missing the first three games of the season due to injury, Esposito led the team with eight pass breakups, made 19 tackles, and added his ninth career interception.
Lake Forest also had two players named to the Third Team in senior defensive end Alex Bendler and junior safety Trenton Brail. Bender is 10th in the nation with 20.5 tackles for loss and tied-for-11th with 11.0 sacks on the year. Both single-season marks rank fourth in team history, as do his career totals of 39.5 tackled for loss and 22.5 sacks. Brail returned two interceptions for touchdowns this season, scoring from 81 yards out against Knox College and on a 15-yarder against Illinois College on Homecoming. He ranked fifth on the team with 39 tackles and added six pass breakups and a fumble force and recovery.
The Foresters were 9-2 overall this fall and captured the program's back-to-back league titles with an 8-1 mark in Midwest Conference play. They also advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the second year in a row and just the third time in team history.