The Forester football team is making its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance since 2002 and will play at Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in Saturday's opening round.
Both teams enter the game with perfect 10-0 records with the Foresters ranked 22nd in the nation in the American Football Coaches Association Poll and 24th by D3football.com. The Johnnies are listed fifth by both organizations.
Lake Forest outscored the other nine teams in the Midwest Conference by a combined score of 415-75 and clinched the league title and automatic berth in the NCAA Playoffs with a 28-6 triumph over the University of Chicago in last Saturday's regular season finale. Saint John's also earned an automatic bid to the tournament by posting a 29-28 victory over Bethel University in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Game on Saturday. The Johnnies were 7-0 in the league during the regular season.
Despite averaging more than 44 points per game, the Foresters are even more impressive on defense, where they rank tied-for-third in the nation at 8.5 points per game. Lake Forest posted a pair of shutouts and allowed 10 or fewer points in six other contests. The unit also ranks ninth in the country in turnovers forced (29) and in the top 15 in total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and opponent pass efficiency rating.
Senior linebackers Dominic is the Foresters' leader with 55 tackles, including 10.0 tackles for loss, and junior safety Danny Baker is next with 49 stops. Baker also has also forced two fumbles, recovered three, and picked off four passes. He is joined in the defensive backfield by junior cornerback Dante Esposito, who is tied-for-second in the country with eight interceptions and was named MWC Defensive Skill MVP earlier this week. Junior defensive end Alex Bendler leads the squad in sacks with 6.0 and has amassed 34 tackles on the season.
This week the Forester defense is tasked with stopping the 10th-highest scoring team in the country with 46.5 points per contest. The Johnnies gain 204 yards per game rushing and 250.6 passing and rank 16th in the nation in total offense.
Saint John's leading rusher Henry Trost has gained 714 yards and scored 17 touchdowns on the ground and Ravi Alston has paced the Johnnie receivers with 56 catches for 800 yards and seven scores. Chris Backes took over full-time as the team's quarterback late in the season and owns a pass efficiency rating of 168.6 with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Backens has also rushed for 175 yards, including 103 in last week's MIAC Championship Game.
Lake Forest also boasts a dual-threat quarterback in junior Tre Stewart, who has thrown for 1,815 yards, rushed for 389, and accounted for 28 touchdowns. He was named First Team All-MWC and MWC Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday. Senior tailback Damon Bonds leads the team in rushing with 899 yards and a dozen touchdowns and ranks 10th in the nation with 7.0 yards per carry. Junior A.J. Jackson is the Foresters' best weapon in the passing game with 46 receptions for 819 yards and his 14 touchdown catches are a school record and the fourth-highest total in the country.
The Foresters average 5.0 yards per carry and rank 20th in the nation in passing efficiency (164.65). Their toughest test of the season will come on Saturday against a Saint John's team that also ranks in the top 20 nationally with just 250.6 total yards and 11.1 points allowed per contest. Linebacker Erik Bjork leads the unit with 63 tackles while defensive lineman Seth Morem has a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
Both program's are also strong in the kicking game, where Patrick Goldammer (Lake Forest) and Conor Pavelko (Saint John's) have each made four field goals and missed two extra points on the year. Johnnie punter Spencer Ell averages 40.7 yards per attempt while Forester junior Logan Persson, a Second Team All-MWC selection, is at 38.6 with nearly half of his punts setting opponents up inside their own 20-yardline.
Jackson repeated as a First Team All-MWC selection as a kick returner and ranks second in the country with 28.4 yards. The two-time D3football.com First Team All-American punt returner reached the end zone on returns four times this season and is the NCAA Division III career leader with eight such scores in just 22 contests. He also averaged 23.5 yards per kickoff return. Troy Feddema leads Saint John's with 20.1 yards per kickoff return while Nick VanErp is the Johnnies top punt returner with 6.8 yards per attempt.
The 2021 conference title was the second for Lake Forest Head Coach Jim Catanzaro, who was voted MWC Coach of the Year. He is now 73-50 overall and 54-33 in the league in his 13th season at the helm of the program. Gary Fasching took over head coaching duties at Saint Johns, his alma mater, after the 2012 season and is 80-14 overall and 55-8 with four titles in the MIAC.
Saturday's game will be played at Clemens Stadium on the Saint John's campus with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
