Lake Zurich takes flight at Lake Forest

A conservative ground and pound was topped by a pair of dazzling aerial strikes and a defensive 6.

With playoff hopes at stake against a potent offense, Lake Zurich found the right formula at Lake Forest.

The visiting Bears combined for 408 yards of total offense, outlasting a tough Scouts squad 35-24 in North Suburban Lake action at Varsity Field.

"It's huge," said Lake Zurich coach David Proffitt. "We've got to win and now we're another step closer. Lake Forest has got a good offense and quarterback (Daniel Carollo), which we knew coming in.

"We really felt he had a strong arm and we were concerned about him. Defensively, we did enough to win the game and that's all you can ask for in a close game like this."

Zane Lodico picked up 120 yards on 26 carries with a touchdown and Ben Klett rushed 16 times for 84 yards and a score for Lake Zurich (4-3, 3-2), which led 14-10 at the midpoint behind the backs.

"We kept converting on third down, which was very important," Lodico. "I think the long drives really did it for us. This is basically playoffs for us. We need all the momentum we can get and need to win every one of these games."

Completing just one pass in the first half, the Bears caught Lake Forest off guard, however, during its first drive of the second half as quarterback Joey Lindstrom landed a perfect spiral into the hands of an open Trevor Staley, who raced 66 yards to pay dirt.

Lake Forest (4-3, 1-3) responded as Wes Janeck, who tallied 105 yards on 18 carries, took an option pitch 33 yards home.

The Scouts' defense forced a punt and the host offense returned to sync with a first down strike from signal caller Carollo. A high snap served doom for the home team, bobbling backwards into the end zone into the hands of Bears senior Jordan Juarez.

"Coach Proffitt always stresses running to the ball and never giving up on a play," said Juarez. "Especially with our backs against the wall, we need every play."

Added Proffitt: "It was huge. They had a lot of momentum going into that time. Were we in trouble? Yeah, they had us back on our heels and we were struggling. But, as we teach our kids, you don't give up, keep fighting and something's going to happen."

Lake Forest would cut it to four in the fourth quarter with a three-yard strike from Carollo to Patrick Bentz, but Lake Zurich caught the Scouts off guard with its third pass of the game - a 26-yard touchdown strike between Lindstrom and Staley to cap the game.

"The golden visualization of a quarterback is having guys wide open," said Lindstrom, whose three passes equaled 100 yards on the night. "It was a great call by coach. We were grounding and pounding them and they didn't expect the play action."

For Lake Forest, it was a case of not being able to completely overcome the visiting defense.

Trailing 14-3 in the first half, Carollo engineered a 67-yard scoring drive with 1:33 remaining in the half for the team's first taste of momentum. Giving up a quick seven and losing the game's lone turnover in the second half proved to be the spoils for the home team.

"I don't think we had momentum at any point in the game, not that I really saw," said Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli. "Obviously, we had some positive plays at time. When you put yourself in a position that every time they have a possession they have a chance to score without really too much resistance, that makes it pretty much impossible."

Offensively, aside from Janeck's strong night, Carollo finished with a 15 of 23 night through the air for 150 yards and the two scores. Scouts linebacker Jack Traynor led both teams with 14 tackles on the defensive end.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the focus shifts toward a strong finish for each team. Lake Forest hosts Zion-Benton while Lake Zurich, which needs one win over the next two weeks to maintain extend its postseason streak, visits Warren.