Crystal Lake South's Fourth Quarter Rally Ends Lake Forest's Season

Five passes ended up in the wrong hands, leaving   football team with a 28-17 loss to Crystal Lake South Saturday afternoon and an exit from the Class 6A state playoffs.

The Gators' defense chalked up five interceptions split between Scouts quarterbacks P.J. Carollo (8-19, 92 yards, 3 INT) and Jordan Beck (8-13, 78 yards, TD, 2 INT).

But it wasn't until the final three minuites that those mistakes caught up to Lake Forest (7-4). Leading 17-15 after Sam Moran connected on a 28-yard field goal with 6 minutes, 57 seconds left to play, the Scouts surrendered 13 unanswered points in the final three minutes to watch the lead and the season slip away.

The Gators (11-0) returned the kick-off after the field goal to the Lake Forest 40, and CLS regained the lead on Bolek Mikulec's 5-yard touchdown run with 2:36 left to play. The two -point conversion failed.

The Crystal Lake South kick-off sailed into the end zone, and Lake Forest surrendered the ball on downs to give CLS a first down at the Scouts' 22. Three plays later, Gators quarterback Drew Ormseth (2-9, 30 yards, 2 INT; 17 carries, 104 yards, 3 TDs) scored from a yard out and Mikulec added the extra point for a 28-17 lead with 1:15 left to play.

"We needed Drew to step up for us on defense and he had two big plays for us," said Gators coach Chuck Ahsmann. "Lake Forest is a good football team. They are able to throw the ball, and they can run the ball great."

Scouts running back Owen Williams (20 rushes, 112 yards, TD), who was a non-factor in the first half, exploded onto the scene in the second half.  On the first possession of the third quarter, Williams gained 63 yards, including a 34-yard scamper down the middle of the field for a touchdown to put the Scouts ahead 14-3 with 10:03 left in the third quarter.

"We did a better job of blocking in the second half, and he (Williams) did a better job of running," said Scouts coach Chuck Spagnoli of Williams' second half performance.

The Gators answered Williams' TD with their first when Ormseth rambled 15 yards for a score with 13 seconds left in the quarter. Crystal Lake South's drive started at the Scouts' 40 because Lake Forest receiver Jacob Hellinga was flagged for offensive pass interference after it appeared the senior had snagged a fourth-down pass for a first down. The penalty resulted in a loss of down and the ball. Kenny King's extra point was no good, leaving Lake Forest still ahead at 14-9.

CLS came right back to lead 15-14 when Ormseth scored from one yard out and the two -point conversion failed with 11 minutes left to play in the game. Moran then came in and kicked his field goal to give the lead back to Lake Forest after the Scouts recovered a CLS fumble inside the Gators' 30-yard-line.

Crystal Lake South struck first in the game with a 42-yard field goal by Brad Walovitch, who had missed from 50 yards earlier, with 5:33 left in the second quarter.

Lake Forest answered back with a 7-yard scoring pass from Beck to Hellinga (6 rec. 62 yards, TD) with 59 seconds left in the first half. Key play in the 65-yard drive was a 19-yard pass from Beck to Michael Karacic for 19 yards for a first and goal at the Gators' 9. Moran added the extra point.