The Wildcat football team fell to the Lake Forest Scouts last Thursday night, 55-37. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 1-3 on the season.
The Scouts jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of an interception on the Wildcats' opening drive of the game. The Scouts would score on their following drive, taking an early lead, 7-0.
The WIldcats drove back down the field, but a would-be Andrew O'Sullivan touchdown was called back on a penalty. The Wildcats would not score on the drive.
LHS then gave up a touchdown on the first drive of the second quarter, increasing Lake Forest's lead 14-0. The Wildcats rallied back immediately when Schurr found senior wide receiver Ryan Barth on a laser of a pass down the near sideline, narrowing the Scouts' lead to seven points. The touchdown was Barth's first of the season.
Lake Forest responded minutes later when quarterback Paul Carollo ran himself in for a touchdown, giving them a 21-7 lead.
As was typical the first half, the momentum quickly shifted from the Scouts back to the Wildcats when LHS capitalized on Lake Forest's poor field position late in the second quarter, forcing the Scouts' quarterback down in their own end zone for a safety. The safety put the score at 21-9.
However, the momentum shifted yet again toward Lake Forest when Scouts running back Owen Williams took it to the house from midfield, putting the Scouts ahead 28-9. The Scouts then added an interception and another touchdown, all within the last minute of the half, giving them a 35-9 lead going into half time.
After another Scouts touchdown early in the third, the Wildcats rallied back. Schurr and senior wide receiver Jeremy Birck connected twice in the quarter, and then one more time early in the fourth to put the Wildcats down 19-points, 42-23.
However, Willamson scored twice for Lake Forest in the fourth quarter, quashing all hopes of a Wildcat comeback.
LHS senior Jake Duguid did score in the fourth quarter on a nifty hook-and-ladder play. However, it was not enough to overcome the Scouts.
For such a high scoring game, defense was surprisingly a factor. The Scouts secondary seemed to have Schurr's number. The Scouts intercepted Schurr four times on the night, including three interceptions by senior Connor Calavaris. The Wildcat defense didn't produce any turnovers. However, sophomore defensive linemen Logan Klepac did net the Wildcat safety.
Junior linebackers Mike Parker and Luke Mathewson left the game late in the first quarter due to injury. They did not return to the game.
The Wildcats will take on Lake Zurich Friday. The Bears are ranked 6th in the region by the Daily Herald.
Up Next: Lake Zurich (4-0)
The Good:
The Wildcats' recievers. Wideouts Jeremy Birck, Andrew O'Sullivan and--now--Ryan Barth have been playing outstanding so far this season. Birck and Barth had a combined 15 receptions for a staggering 291 yards against Lake Forest. If the Wildcats can keep using Birck and Barth as downfield threats and O'Sullivan as the go-to guy in short yardage situations, then the Wildcats should be able to keep pace with anyone offensively. Sophmore Logan Klepac's safety was the highlight of the night on defense. Klepac and the rest of the Wildcat defensive line did a good job pressuring the Scouts all night long. That'll be key against Lake Zurich.
The Bad:
Lake Zurich is the best team in LHS' conference, without a doubt. Their defense is strong, only letting up 13-points over four games. The Bears have scored every offensive touchdown by running the ball, and they run an offense similar to what Carmel ran against the Wildcats in week two.
The Ugly Truth:
The Wildcats would pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory if they were to beat Lake Zurich. Lake Zurich's offense has scored 81 points in their last two games against North Chicago and Zion-Benton. And their defense didn't let up a point in those two games. The Wildcats will score against Lake Zurich--that's not the issue. The issue is how many times Lake Zurich will score.
Wildcats 35, Lake Zurich 56
photo by Matt Kalish