Lake Zurich Holds Down Lake Forest in 16-6 Win

In a matchup of arguably the two best defensive teams in the NSC Lake Division, (6-2/4-1) prevailed over Lake Forest (6-2/4-1). Ironically, it was a touchdown catch by the Bears’ star defensive player Jack Lynn that sealed the deal in the fourth quarter, increasing the team’s lead to 16-6.

“That was a great catch, just a terrific catch," said Bears quarterback Zach Till after the game. “He just grabbed the ball out of the air and took off.”

The game did not begin auspiciously for Lake Zurich, as they fumbled the ball on their second play from scrimmage at the start of the game, furnishing the Scouts with excellent field position.

Several running plays by Lake Forest’s H. Owen Williams, including a 17-yarder, got the Scouts moving toward the red zone. But a timely tackle by Lynn, moving in from behind the line to wrestle Williams for a loss, and a subsequent incomplete pass by Scouts quarterback Andrew Clifford, playing in place of injured first-stringer Jordan Beck, forced Baylor Broughton to kick a 22-yard field goal, giving Lake Forest a 3-0 lead.

The Bears appeared to be out-of-synch during their first two possessions, going three-and-out on their first series. When they went three-and-out on their second series, the snap on the punt was fumbled and the Scouts recovered on the Lake Zurich 5-yard line. Although Mike Shield made an athletic tackle of Clifford for a 6-yard loss, Broughton eventually kicked another field goal for a 6-0 Scouts lead.

It appeared that the Bears had recovered the ball from the Scouts on a fumble by wide receiver Cameron Douglass during the series, but the referee ruled it an incomplete pass instead.

Lake Zurich finally got moving on their next possession. After a reception by John Orlando, Shield broke through with a 17-yard run, followed by a 19-yard sprint by Till. After a short gainer by Shield, Connor Schrader motored up the middle for 16 yards. The Scouts' prevent defense kept the Bears out of the end zone, and Mike Leiva drove it through the uprights for a 23-yard field goal, trimming Lake Forest’s lead to 6-3.

“Our defense played great, as usual,” said Shield. “Our offense was pretty much touch-and-go during most of the game. We need to get much more consistent. We were too tentative. We were winning ugly, but I guess a win is still a win.”

Lake Zurich’s defense virtually shut down the Scouts' running game throughout the first half, as running back Williams desperately looked for openings but found very few. Grant Soucy and Taylor Coleman continually closed off gaps, while Jack Lynn and Rocky Triggiano, who seems to get better every week, maintained pressure on Clifford. Defensive backs Sean Lynch and Chris Rantis also put in a good night’s work, as did Robert Rossdeutcher, who almost picked off Clifford early in the second half.

A paltry 4-yard punt by Lake Forest, kicked into a strong 20-mile-per-hour wind, put the Bears at about midfield for their first series in the second half. After Shield ran the ball for 12 yards, Till took off on a keeper for a 40-yard touchdown, cutting from the right sideline to the middle of the field as he evaded three tacklers.

“I got some good blocks on that run,” said Till.

John Orlando attempted to run the ball in for the two-point conversion, and in spite of some acrobatic maneuvering, was unable to get into the end zone, giving the Bears a 9-6 lead.

The score remained 9-6 until Lynn’s dramatic pull-down of Till’s pass deep into the fourth quarter. Lake Forest went to the air after halftime, as coach Chuck Spagnoli realized that their ground game was getting nowhere against the Bears’ defense. But it didn’t help, as Lake Zurich’s defense, sensing that the Scouts now were focusing on a pass attack, zeroed in on Clifford as well as his receivers.

In the third quarter alone, Rantis broke up a pass by Clifford, Soucy nearly picked off a pass, Triggiano tackled Scouts running back Williams from behind the line, Lynch broke up a pass, and William Hussey sacked Clifford.

The Bears’ defense kept their offense in the game, which paved the way for Lynn’s big touchdown reception with 3:18 remaining in the fourth. The Bears started at their own 13-yard line, after a penalty on the punt by Lake Forest pushed them back half the distance to the end zone.

Shield got them moving with a 5-yard run, followed by a keeper by Till that pushed them to the 30-yard line. After Till connected with Brandon Markert for a first down, Shield ran twice more for gains of 5 and 3 yards. That set the stage for Till’s pass to Lynn, right down the middle of the field. Lynn hauled it in running full stride. He stumbled momentarily, righted himself and accelerated, but it didn’t matter. He was practically in the end zone before any defenders were downfield.

Bears Pause: Mike Shield carried the ball 30 times for 114 yards for the Bears. It was a performance that LZ defensive coach Gary Simon felt was Shield’s best ever. Zach Till rushed for 93 yards on 12 carries. He was 2-for-4 passing, good for 55 yards, including Lynn’s big touchdown reception. He also accounted for both of his team's touchdowns, one rushing and one passing. The Bears tallied 318 total offensive yards, compared to 140 yards for Lake Forest. The Scouts had 34 yards rushing and 106 yards passing, with just nine first downs.

Next Up: Lake Zurich hosts Zion-Benton next Friday at 7:30 in their last regular season game. Pending the outcome of the final week of play, they are in a three-way race with Lake Forest and Stevenson to determine who wins the Lake Division.