Schools
Fourth Quarter Downfall Leaves Lake Forest With Season-Ending Loss to Batavia
Bulldogs take advantage of good field position to score twice in the final 12 minutes.
Date: Nov. 5 - Class 6A State Playoff - 2nd Round
The Final Score: lost to Batavia, 31-17.
Scouts’ Star Performer: After trailing 10-7 at halftime, Lake Forest led the Scouts to a 17-10 lead with a quick strike just three minutes into the third quarter. The senior then brought the Scouts another three points on Baylor Broughton's 26-yard field goal after a Lake Forest drive stalled at the Bulldogs' 9. Passing was about the only avenue the Scouts (8-3) were able to exploit against Batavia. Beck finished 13 of 28 psassing for 109 yards and 2 TDs.
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Other Notable Scout Performances: Nick Keefe was dominant on defense, especially in the third quarter with a pair of quaterback sacks. Ben Warren and Phil Sheridan finished as top tacklers with seven each. Cam Douglass enjoyed one of his best days as a Scout receiver, catching five passes for 54 yards and a TD. Sophomore Liam Howe has a memory to keep with a 30-yard TD reception in a playoff game.
Who's Next: Batavia (11-0) will face Lakes High (9-2) next Friday or Saturday at a neutral site. Lakes advanced Friday night with a 38-7 victory over Grant.
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The Bottom Line: Both teams had to deal with a wind that impacted punts and created advantageous field position. Freshman Evan Boudreaux punted nine times for a 26.8 average, while Batavia punter Jon Gray punted seven times for a 13.3 average. The wind really hurt Lake Forest in the fourth quarter when the defense could not keep Batavia out of the end zone. The Bulldogs did nothing in the third quarter when the Scouts gained momentum by taking a 17-10 lead. However, they were never able to establish a running game that could keep Batavia off-balanced on defense. (13 attempts, 0 yards; total for the team, minus 10 yards) piling up yardage like he has done so many times this season, Lake Forest became one-dimensional and made it easier for the Bulldogs to drop more defenders and make it harder for Jordan Beck to find an open receiver. Lake Forest finishes with its most wins in a season (8) since 1996. Batavia managed 10 yard rushing and 137 psassing, but more telling statistics were 17 first downs compared to Lake Forest's 4, and time of possession, Batavia had 29:46 to the Scouts' 18:14.
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