Football's Early Lead Foiled By Foresters In Season Opener

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College scored the first touchdown of the game, but was held scoreless over the final three quarters in a 42-7 loss to Lake Forest in the season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Farwell Field.

The Warriors (0-1) took a 7-0 lead at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter, but the Foresters (1-0) responded with the game's final 42 points to take home the win.

WLC grabbed the early 7-0 lead after stopping LFC on downs and drove 63 yards on 10 plays on its first possession of the game. The opening drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Matthew Davis (Lake Mills, Wis.) to junior wide receiver Carter Schneider (Jefferson, Wis.).

Lake Forest knotted the score at 7-7 following a six-yard touchdown pass on its next possession with 6:53 left in the first quarter. The Foresters took a 14-7 lead two possessions later with a six-yard touchdown run. Wisconsin Lutheran's remaining first-half possessions ended on downs, a fumble, and four punts as it trailed 14-7 at halftime.

LFC found the end zone on its first three possessions of the second half with a pair of touchdown runs and a long pass, as WLC was unable to move the football across midfield. A late fourth-quarter score accounted for the final points for the visitors.

Lake Forest out-gained Wisconsin Lutheran 370-247 in total offense, and had 202 passing yards to the Warriors' 99. Senior Justin Parbs (Milwaukee, Wis.) rushed for a team-high 84 yards on 16 carries. Freshman Javier Murillo (San Antonio, Texas) caught two passes for 25 yards. Senior Ty Castillo (San Antonio, Texas) tied for a game-high with tackles, while senior Jake Antczak (Mukwonago, Wis.) and sophomore KT Thomas (Birmingham, Ala.) added six stops each.

Quarterback Trey Stewart threw for 202 yards and two scores for the Foresters, who are receiving votes in the latest D3football.com Top 25 poll. Damon Bonds rushed for 99 yards on 14 attempts and A.J. Jackson caught four balls for 91 yards and a score. 

WLC hosts Carroll (0-0) next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Raabe Stadium for its home opener and The Glazers Bowl presented by Kwik Trip. It'll be the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Live coverage links will be available for the game at WLCSports.com.