Lakes earned respect. Lake Forest earned the victory.
That was the story of Friday night’s Class 6A first-round football playoff game, as the host Scouts hung on for a 34-27 victory, courtesy of a five-touchdown night from senior running back Quinn Julian.
Lake Forest (now 7-3) will play in the Round of 16 next week at Prairie Ridge (9-1).
Lakes (6-4) ended its season giving all it had against an opponent from a bigger school that faced stronger competition all season, and the Eagles weren’t out of the game until Lake Forest recovered an onside kick with a little more than a minute to play.
The Scouts had a 34-14 fourth-quarter lead thanks to Julian, but Jeremy Sasser caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Colton Jewell to make it 34-20 with 1:41 left, and Sasser returned a Scout fumble 47 yards for a touchdown with 1:30 left to make it 34-27.
That’s when Lake Forest recovered the onside kick to secure the win.
“Everybody who has (Julian) play knows he’s a pretty decent player,” Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli said. “He’s not just an average player. He’s awfully good. He’s been very productive for us. We’re fortunate to have him.”
The Eagles hung with the Scouts for a half and trailed 13-7 at intermission.
But Lake Forest seemed to wear down the smaller school in the second half, as third-quarter touchdowns by Julian — 10-yard pass from Carollo and an 8-yard run — made it 28-7 after three quarters.
Lakes never quit, getting to within 28-14 on Jordan Mercure’s 6-yard quarterback keeper with 10:03 left in the game. But Julian’s fifth touchdown of the night made it 34-14 with 4:59 to play.
That’s when Lakes made its late surge that fell short.
Julian finished with 125 yards rushing on 23 carries and four TDs. He also caught seven passes for 110 yards and his fifth score.
Carollo was 21 of 28 passing for 273 yards with a TD and a pick.
For Lakes, Mercure was 18-for-26 passing for 153 yards and he ran nine times for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a pass for 72 yards.
Lake Forest led by six points at the end of a first half in which both teams left points on the field.
The Scouts struck first with a six-play, 47-drive on their first possession.
Julian scored on a 4-yard run and Carollo was 3-for-3 for 30 yards on the drive. The short field was the result of Lakes losing seven yards on a fourth-down sack.
The Eagles got the touchdown right back when quarterback Mercure ran 51 yards to set up a 4-yard scoring run by quarterback Jewell.
The two alternated at the position, though neither left the field when Lakes was on offense.
Lake Forest regained the lead at 13-7 when a 55-yard pass from Carollo to Julian led to a 1-yard TD run by Jewell.
Lakes then whiffed on its bid to match that score. a 72-yard flea flicker from Jewell to Mercure got the ball to the 1-yard line. But four plays went like this: minus-2, plus-1, plus-1, zero.
Lake Forest had a scoring chance in the final minute of the half, but a 31-yard field goal was wide, and the teams hit the break separated by six points.
This was the second time in four years Lake Forest and Lakes met in the playoffs.
In 2012, Lake Forest trailed 21-20 with four minutes to play. But the Scouts recovered a Direll Clark fumble, drove 56 yards behind the arm of quarterback Andrew Clifford, and took the lead on a Baylor Broughton 26-yard field goal with 1 minute, 5 seconds remaining.
Lakes’ Brandon Brumm missed a 43-yard field goal wide left in the closing seconds.
The Scouts would reach the 6A semifinals that year before being taken out by Cary-Grove.
“It’s hard. You get so close to these guys. You spend every day together, and like that, it’s over,” said Lakes coach Luke Mertens. “Jordan and Colton are like part of our family. I know my kids will miss having them around.”
As for losing to Lake Forest in the playoffs again, Mertens said, “They’re a good program, we’re a good program. Football is about results. They, at the end of the day, made more plays than we did. There’s a fine line between winning and losing.”
Bryan Bonato is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.
FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS: FRIDAY’S AREA RESULTS
5A: Joliet Catholic 48, Vernon Hills 29
6A: Lake Forest 34, Lakes 27
7A: Libertyville 56, Downers Grove North 24
8A: Stevenson 43, Conant 35
SATURDAY’S AREA GAMES
6A: Wauconda (5-4) at Montini (9-0), 2 p.m.
6A: Hubbard (6-3) at Grayslake North (6-3), 2 p.m
6A: Deerfield (6-3) at Kenwood (7-2) at Gately Stadium, 3:45 p.m.
8A: Warren (5-4) at Curie (8-1) at Lane Tech, 3:45 p.m.
