Lake Forest Community Comes Out To Support Scouts in Football Playoff Loss

Well over 8,000 fans converge on Varsity Field to watch Lake Forest play Cary-Grove in semifinal game Saturday.

Kick off was scheduled for 4 p.m., but Lake Forest was ready for football well before that time Saturday.  The main parking lost east of Varsity Field was completely full by 2:30 p.m, the home stands filled with fans not soon after. One driver pulling into the lot asked a security guard, "is there a football game going on?" His response was dripping with sarcasm, "that's what I hear." With the exception of that driver, there didn't appear to be a single person in Lake Forest not aware the Scouts were playing a football game Saturday. From the "Blue-Out" and "Scout-Out" dress code to "Fear the Spear" written on business windows and signs all over town, Lake Forest's 6A semifinal game against Cary-Grove was clearly a community-wide event. …

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Lake Forest's Dream Football Season Comes To An End in 42-21 Loss To Cary-Grove

In front of an electric atmosphere at Varsity Field, Lake Forest jumps out to early lead but in the end couldn't keep up with the Trojans option attack in the IHSA 6A semifinal game.

  One hour before the 4 p.m. scheduled kickoff, the bleachers at Varsity Field were filled with Scouts fans, ravenous for the start of Lake Forest's 6A semifinal playoff game against Cary-Grove.  It was worth coming early as the Scouts scored on their first offensive possession, a 32-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Andrew Clifford to junior Geno Quaid.  The crowd was more energized, screaming for Lake Forest to pour it on against favored Cary-Grove. But the Trojans were undefeated and a top seed in 6A for a reason. They are a good football team, outscoring the Scouts 42-14 the rest of the game and ending Lake Forest's charmed postseason run, the final 42-21. "We knew we had to take advantage of drives. We did the best we could, we …

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Football Playoff Preview: Q&A With Lake Forest Coach Chuck Spagnoli

On the eve of the Scouts' first semifinal playoff game in 34 years, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch chats with Coach Chuck Spagnoli about the keys to beating Cary-Grove Saturday.

  Your opponent, Cary-Grove, is undefeated (12-0) this season. Why are they so good? They are very good and balanced at every positon. There are not too many weaknesses that we can exploit. We have to understand what we are doing on each scheme and execute. Hopefully we can block and tackle.  This is the first option team you have faced all season. How do you stop that type of offense? It creates assignment football for your guys. Not that they don't have assignments (in other games), but they are more defined and they have who they got. They can’t worry about who their guy is versus following the ball. It starts with their fullback (senior Eric Norberg, who has rushed for 1,933 yards and 23 touchdowns this season) and their quarterback (…

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Lake Forest Football Wins To Advance To State Semi-Finals

Williams 7 sacks sparks Scouts to 31-19 victory against Notre Dame.

Trent Williams rolled a seven to help send Lake Forest to the state semifinals in football for the first time. Williams recorded seven sacks Friday to spark the Lake Forest High School defense as the Scouts knocked off Notre Dame 31-19 Friday in the Class 6A quarterfinals in Niles. “It was all my defensive linemen and defensive backs that gave me time to get to the quaterback,” said Williams, who also wears the number seven. “I was just playing hard. That is what the coaches teach us to do and that’s what I did.” Want more Lake Forest sports and school news? Like us on Facebook and sign up for our free newsletter. Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli was excited for his team, which became the first in four attempts to make it to the semifinals…

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Make Sure to "Like" the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch on Facebook

Help us get to our goal of 800 "likes" on Facebook - and stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff!

Facebook Photo Album: Lake Forest Football Signing Day

Three Scout football players celebrate their college decisions at West Campus.

  On Feb. 1, three Lake Forest High School athletes officially became former Scout athletes.  Football players Owen Williams, Nick Keefe and Bo Dever all made their college decisions. Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch was at West Campus, where a signing event was held with teammates, parents and coaches.  Go to the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Facebook page for a complete look at the day in pictures. Be sure to "Like" us after you look at the photos. 

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Holiday Wish List for Lake Forest Football Seniors: To Play in College

As many as five Scout seniors could be playing football on Saturdays next fall. We have an update on where things stand.

  While the rest of us wish for less snow and more holiday shopping time, it's a different list for high school seniors.  College applocations are in, decisions are still up in the air as 2011 comes to a close.  For five key contributors to Lake Forest High School's conference championship football season, four are still deciding on their collegiate destination next year.  Here is a status update on all five: If Santa is good to the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder, he will be enjoying surf and turf for the next four years.  The University of San Diego is Keefe's first choice. He hopes to be unwrapping an acceptance letter sometime after Jan. 1.  "I'm talking to them every day right now, and they are in the process of taking my transcript to …

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2011 Football Season Over for Scouts; Recruiting Season Kicks in for Seniors

Just over two weeks removed from season-ending loss, a few Lake Forest High School football players prepare for their college careers.

  He hasn't seen the tape. When asked about the Scouts 31-17 playoff loss to Batavia on Nov. 5, Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli said the game tape remains in the DVD sleeve. "I haven't looked at it. There is no value in looking at it now," said Spagnoli. "I'm sure I'll pop it in over the winter." What he would see was a Lake Forest team that we saw all season: one that thrived on turnovers and an opportunistic defense. He would also see a team that held a 17-10 lead on the road against one of the state's better teams in Batavia (which lost 33-22 to Prairie Ridge in 6A semis last Saturday). He would also see a team that could not run the football (leading rusher Owen Williams had zero yards on 13 carries), which ultimately was the reason …

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VIDEO: Post-Game Interviews After Lake Forest's 31-17 loss to Batavia Saturday

The Scouts had the Bulldogs on their heels, leading 17-10 in the fourth quarter. But Batavia scores 21 unanswered points to end the year for Lake Forest.

They talked about finishing. And they almost did. Leading 17-10 with nine minutes left in the game, the Scouts had the home Batavia Bulldogs right where they wanted them.  But much like last year, the Scouts couldn't close the deal, losing 31-17, ending their conference championship-season run.  We start our video round up with Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli, who talked about how proud he is of this group of seniors, only wishing they could have gone further (VIDEO). Then we caught up with offensive coordinator Phil DeWald. The Scouts could not get star running back Owen Williams going, who had his least productive rushing output of the season. Ultimately, this was a contributing difference in the game (VIDEO). We grabbed one player on …

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