A Change for the Better: Lake Forest Football is Back

That chip  on Lake Forest's shoulder?

It's still there.

The Scouts recently concluded a 7-4 season that included advancement to the second round of the Class 6A State playoffs before losing to then unbeaten and No. 1 seed Crystal Lake South.

That was quite a turnaround from a year ago when Lake Forest finished 3-6, which left more questions than answers coming into this season. That was a strong source of motivation for the players, according to senior defensive back Connor Cavalaris.

"I am proud of myself and my team for the many successes we had this year," he said, adding that,  "a lot of people around the area and in our community doubted us and didn't think we had a shot this year, but we've always had a strong belief in our team and knew we had something special and were capable of having a big season."

The building process began almost after the final  game last season, Cavalaris said.

"We had a great group of seniors this year," said Cavalaris.  "Only a couple days after the last game last season, we brought the whole team together and basically preached to everyone about the confidence we had in our team and how we needed to take things to the next level this year. Our team really worked with a chip on our shoulder throughout the whole off-season and it really paid off."

The tone was set early when Lake Forest jumped to a 4-0 start, and after a couple of setbacks rebounded to shut out previously unbeaten and unscored upon Vernon Hills. The Scouts hosted and won their first playoff game in 14 years by dismantling Shepard, 45-25.

The Scouts hope to build off the success for next year.

"We believe we set a new precedent for Lake Forest football.  Something for next year's team and teams after that to build off of," said junior linebacker Dominick Keefe. "This team was a starting point for a new brand of tough, fast, and physical football."

For a returning player like Keefe, he believes any previous notion that Lake Forest was overlooked by opponents is over.

"I think this is just what the program needed," he said. "When teams get their schedules, they don't want to see Lake Forest on it anymore. We're making people believe we can have a good team here and be a real competitor in our conference."

For the seniors, they leave with a sense of accomplishment both as individuals and as a team.

"It definitely is a confidence builder for us seniors knowing that, even though we went 3-6 our junior year, we had the determination to turn it around this season to really compete and beat some very good teams," Cavalaris said.

Cavalaris entered the season with no career interceptions and finished with four, including a three-pick  game against Libertyville. He returned his fourth interception for a touchdown against Warren.

"I really credit my performance this year to my off-season work," he said. "I was really motivated to work hard all year long, whether that was in the gym or on the field, to be ready for this season and to get myself in the best shape possible."