In the first round of the IHSA playoffs, the Lake Forest Scouts defeated the Libertyville Wildcats 9-3. After getting knocked out by Loyola last year in the sectional final, the Scouts are hungry for a deep playoff run this year. With a much tougher matchup coming up, the Scouts must remain levelheaded and get back to work during practice tomorrow.

Headed into halftime, the Scouts led 4-3 in a back and forth contest. Coming out of the half, the Scouts took control of the game with five unanswered goals. The Scouts scoring was spread out, as Mead Payne led the way with three goals, Luke Milliman and Jack Mislinski added two, and Connor Armstrong and Nate Field each contributed one.

After a first round victory, the Scouts travel to Grayslake North to take on a team that beat them 11-7 in the second game of the year. Be sure to travel to Grayslake North on Wednesday night to watch the Scouts take on the Knights at 7 p.m.

LAKE FOREST, Ill.–Heading into their final game of the regular season, the Scouts (10-6) hosted Glenbrook South (12-3). A team led on the offensive and defensive side of the ball by seniors, Glenbrook South posed a threat to the Scouts on senior night at West Campus.

Getting off to a hot start, the Scouts went into halftime with a comfortable five-goal lead and never looked back. The final score was 12-8, giving the Scouts their 11th win of the season. The Scouts leading goal scorers were Jack Mislinski and Connor Armstrong, who netted four and three respectively.  

The Scouts are now finished with regular season play and host Libertyville Monday night. This is the first round of the IHSLA playoffs, as the Scouts look to take down the Wildcats for a second time this season. Be sure to support the Scouts, as they look to advance in the state playoffs.  

After a tough loss on Saturday, the Scouts conquered their 10th win of the season, taking down Kettle Moraine (WI). The defending Wisconsin Lacrosse Champions would be a true test for the Scouts, who share similar record heading into this key matchup.

As the game went back and forth, the Scouts found themselves down two goals with under a minute left in regulation. Starting to lose hope, the Scouts were able to send two through the net and send the game to overtime, in which a Jack Mislinski goal eventually gave them a 12-11 victory. Senior Mead Payne led the Scouts with five goals, as the rest of the goals were spread out between Bobby Winebrenner, Jack Van Hyfte, Connor Armstrong, and the overtime winner, of course, from Jack Mislinski.

Heading into their last game of the regular season, the Scouts host Glenbrook South on Thursday for senior night. Be sure to come out as the seniors will take Varsity Field for one last time.

Saturday morning, Lake Forest hosted Loyola Academy (14-3), a talented team who knocked the Scouts out of the IHSA playoffs a season ago. With the Scouts seeking revenge this time around, they came out ready to play at the start.

At the halftime buzzer, the Scouts went into the locker room with a 6-5 lead. In what was an ugly third quarter out of the half, Loyola outscored the Scouts 4-0. After taking the lead 9-6, Loyola never looked back and went on to win 10-7, improving their record to (15-3). Jack Mislinski and Jack VanHyfte found the back of the net twice, while Charlie Altounian, George Schoettle, and Mead Payne each contributed one.

With only three games remaining on the schedule, the Scouts look to finish the regular season on a positive note. Tonight, the Scouts travel to Kettle Moraine High School, a team that should match up well against the Scouts. With a similar record of (9-6), this matchup will be a good opportunity for the Scouts to get back on the winning track.

Gaining momentum at the right time, the Lake Forest lacrosse team has won three straight, heading into their toughest local game of the year: a match-up with the Loyola Ramblers, a team that knocked the Scouts out of the playoffs last year.

Mead Payne led the Scouts to victory over Mundelein Thursday night, thanks to his five goals. Charlie Altounian and Jack Mislinski netted two each, and Bobby Winebrenner, Jack Van Hyfte, and Nate Field each contributed one in the 12-5 win. The Scouts dominated the Mustangs throughout the contest and never looked back.

Lake Forest will now have one day of rest prior to hosting Loyola Academy on Saturday morning. Loyola, one of the favorites to win the state title, is going to bring their best against Lake Forest. Look for a physical game, as the Scouts will need as many offensive possessions as possible to end up on top. Be sure to cheer on the Scouts in one of their last home games of the year.

GURNEE, Ill.–Wednesday night, the Lake Forest Scouts traveled to Gurnee to take on the Warren Blue Devils, the #1 seed in the Grayslake North Sectional. Heading into the game, the Scouts knew they would have their hands full with Warren, who only had one loss on the year–to Grayslake North by a score of 9-8. Despite Warren’s impressive record, the Scouts were able to hand the Blue Devils their second loss of the year, as they capped off a 17-14 victory after an impressive effort.

The Scouts offense has been consistent all year and Wednesday was no different. The road warriors netted 17 goals on 21 shots. After being down 7-5 in the second quarter, the Scouts offense took control of the game and never looked back. Jack Mislinski had seven goals, which was a season high for him. Adding to Mislinski’s outstanding performance, Mead Payne and Connor Armstrong, netted five and four goals, respectively. In addition, Jack VanHyfte added another goal, pushing the Scouts past an impressive Warren team.

The Scouts look to continue their win streak tomorrow night when they travel to Mundelein for a 6:30 p.m. game. Mundelein (9-7) comes into the contest hungry for a win after falling to Stevenson Tuesday night. This game will conclude conference play for Lake Forest as three games remain on its regular season schedule.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana–For the second weekend in a row, Lake Forest traveled to Indianapolis. This time, the Scouts played St. Xavier (OH) and Detroit Country Day (MI). They finished the weekend (1-1), with a tough loss Friday night to St. Xavier and a big win on Saturday against DCDS. These games were part of the Midwest Lacrosse Challenge, a tournament in which the Scouts struggled at times but also showed they can compete with the region’s best.

In the first game, the Scouts were thoroughly outplayed on both sides of the ball, resulting in a 20-5 loss to St. Xavier, one of Ohio’s toughest squads. They trailed throughout the entirety of the game, proving why St. Xavier is one of the midwest’s strongest teams. St. Xavier was the #2 seed in the tournament and dominated the Scouts. After dropping their first game of the tournament, the Scouts beat Detroit Country Day by a score of 12-6. This game allowed the Scouts to regain momentum heading into one of their bigger weeks of the season.

After splitting games in Indianapolis, the Scouts await their biggest local competition. With three games in a four day stretch, the Scouts must have a successful week prior to the IHSA playoffs. They will host Warren on Wednesday, travel to Mundelein on Thursday, and take on Loyola Academy on Saturday at home, which should be an exciting game with the highly-touted Ramblers. Be sure to come support the Scouts as they look to beat their biggest rivals.

This past weekend the Scouts traveled to Indianapolis to take on Cathedral High School and Culver Academy, the top ranked team in the country. Despite losing to both teams, the Scouts battled hard and learned some valuable lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of the season.

In the first game on Friday night, the Scouts got off to a slow start and found themselves down 4-0. However, they were able to close the gap to one goal with less than two minutes left on the clock. While they dropped the game by an eventual score of 6-5, the Scouts made things interesting in the early part of the fourth quarter thanks to goals by Jack Mislinski and Connor Armstrong. In fact, Mislinski scored four of the Scouts’ five goals. Unfortunately, the Scouts were plagued by multiple turnovers and were unable to overcome the four goal deficit.

On Saturday, the Scouts played Culver Academy, a team who was going into the matchup with an undefeated record and the country’s number one ranking. With its depth and consistency, Culver had no trouble with the Scouts, as they stormed to a 22-1 victory. Connor Armstrong had the lone goal for the Scouts in a game that was dominated by Culver on both sides of the ball.

After dropping back to back non-conference games, the Scouts will look to get back on track Tuesday night when they host St. Viator (10-2). This game will be broadcasted live on MaxPreps if you are unable to make it to West Campus for the 6:30 p.m. start.

Entering their eigth game of the season, the Scouts took down Lake Zurich at West Campus by a score of 11-5. With a record of 6-2, the Scouts now face a tough stretch of games ahead. This Saturday, they travel to Indianapolis to take on Culver Academy, one of the strongest teams in the Midwest.

Last night, the scoring was scattered for Lake Forest. Senior Jack VanHyfte was the leading scorer, as he scored three goals on three shots. Following VanHyfte in scoring was Nate Field, Jack Mislinski, and Mead Payne, who each netted two. Luke Milliman and George Schoettle were each able to find the net once in the win as well.

The Scouts will have the rest of the week to practice as they prepare for their toughest matchup of the season, a Culver team that comes in to Saturday’s showdown at 17-0. 

MUNDELEIN, Ill.–Over the weekend, Lake Forest picked up its fifth win of the season by a score of 12-6 over Carmel Catholic. The Scouts traveled to Mundelein to face Carmel Catholic on Saturday afternoon to do battle with a stingy Corsairs team. Getting off to hot starts has been key to the Scouts’ success this year, and this game was no different.

As usual, senior captain Jack Mislinski led the way for the Scouts, netting five of the twelve total goals. The remaining goals were scored by Mead Payne, Luke Milliman, Jack Van Hyfte, and standout freshman Connor Armstrong. Armstrong has been impactful in many games this year, guiding the Scouts to a strong start.

Sitting at a record of 5-2, coach Thieghart’s team hosts Lake Zurich–who hold the same record as the Scouts–on Tuesday. Surprisingly, both Lake Forest and Lake Zurich have one thing in common: they both lost to Grayslake North earlier in the year. Come on out to West Campus Tuesday night to watch these highly competitive North Suburban Conference teams battle.

After four straight victories, the Scouts were not able to keep up with the state’s perennial powerhouse, the New Trier Trevians, last night. The defending IHSLA champions were too much to handle for a Scouts defense that had been solid thus far in the season.

After the first quarter of play, the Scouts found themselves down 3-2, hoping to gain momentum. Unfortunately, things did not get better for the Scouts in the second quarter, as they trailed 8-3 at the half. Out of the break, New Trier maintained their comfortable lead and went on to win by a score of 9-6.

Once again, the Scouts were led by their captain Jack Mislinski, who netted two goals in the defeat. Mead Payne, Luke Milliman, George Schoettle, and Connor Armstrong each contributed a goal each, while Owen Clarke helped out with the Scouts’ lone assist.

Coming off the loss, the Scouts will have just one day to prepare for their next game. They travel to Carmel on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest with the Corsairs. Carmel is coming into the game with a 3-4 record, after losing 14-5 to St. Viator earlier in the week. Last year, the Scouts pummeled Carmel 11-2, and they will be eager to do the same this year, especially after last night’s loss.

LAKE FOREST, Ill.– On a brisk Tuesday night, the Lake Forest boys lacrosse team flat out manhandled the visiting Libertyville Wildcats. The Scouts (4-1) are now in mid-season form after overcoming an early season loss. Heading into one of their most important games of the season later this week, the Scouts are playing well at the perfect time.

The Scouts offense has been electric lately, led by seniors Jack Mislinski and Mead Payne. Jack Mislinski had four goals, George Schoettle netted three, while Luke Milliman, Jack Vanhyfte, Mead Payne, and freshman Connor Armstrong all scored once. Bobby Winebrenner and Mead Payne each tallied two assists, supporting the Scouts to a 12-5 victory.

The Scouts next game is Thursday night, as they travel to New Trier to take on the Trevians. The Trevians, who are 8-1 on the season are coming off a loss to St. Xavier (OH). These two teams are likely to clash in this year’s playoffs, as the Scouts look to pull off an upset on the 2017 IHSLA State Champions.

On Saturday, Lake Forest hosted Olentangy Liberty High School at West Campus. Although two games were scheduled for the weekend, the teams were only able to play one, as Sunday’s game was cancelled due to poor weather.

Olentangy Liberty, an Ohio school coming into the game ranked seventh in the Midwest, was stunned by Lake Forest. A double overtime goal scored by Mead Payne led the Scouts to victory in thrilling fashion. With Saturday’s overtime win, the Scouts now have two overtime victories thus far. Lake Forest goalie Alex Thoms impressed the crowd as he kept the scoring threats at bay against a tough offensive team. Chris Cavalaris and Danny Moorhead made this task a bit easier as they played strong defense and snagged multiple ground balls.

While they would have liked to play a second game, the Scouts were certainly pleased with the strong showing against one of the area’s better teams. With the momentum from the weekend, Lake Forest will look to extend their winning streak Tuesday night against Libertyville.

On a brisk Wednesday night, the Scouts hosted the Stevenson Patriots in their home opener at West Campus. After a hard-fought game, the Scouts earned a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory, propelling them to 2-1, 1-1 on the season.

The Scouts were led on offense by senior captain Jack Mislinski, who scored four goals including the game winner. Junior George Schoettle had three goals, while Bobby Winebrenner and Connor Armstrong added one each. On defense, senior Adam Johnson had a strong showing, not allowing the Patriots to score in overtime. Chris Cavalaris, a defensive midfielder, was able to snag five ground balls, allowing the team extra offensive opportunities.

Coach Thiegart’s squad has a couple days off before heading into Saturday’s game with Olentangy Liberty, an Ohio team that is part of the new Midwest Lacrosse Conference.  

NORTHBROOK, Ill.–Last night, the boys lacrosse team started their season on a hot note. The Scouts defeated the Glenbrook North Spartans convincingly, by a score of 11-7. Led by a strong senior class, the Scouts signaled what they could be capable of in their season opener in Northbrook that was rescheduled to Thrusday night after the midweek cold front.

After the game concluded, junior midfielder Bobby Winebrenner shared his thoughts on the first game of the year. “We took an early lead, but after many costly penalties the game remained close. Although we had the lead all game, it was closer than it should’ve been. The Spartans played a zone defense and that made it tough for our offense to score at times. Overall, for our first showing, we are pretty happy.”

On the offensive side, the Scouts were led by senior captain Jack Mislinski, who netted four goals, and senior Mead Payne, who added three goals for the Scouts as well. Freshman Connor Armstrong silenced the critics as he managed to score twice in his varsity debut.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side junior Tommy Henry and senior Adam Johnson had strong showings, as they dealt with man down defense for most of the game. The Scouts are now off for an extended period of time during spring break. Their next game will be an April 9th matchup against Grayslake North.

Tomorrow, the Lake Forest boys varsity lacrosse team travels to Glenbrook North High School to take on the Spartans. Lake Forest is coming off of an impressive 2017 season in which they finished third in state after falling to rival Loyola Academy in the state semifinal. Lake Forest, led by captains Jack Mislinski, Adam Johnson, Chris Cavalaris, Jack VanHyfte, and junior George Schoettle, is looking to make a deep run this spring with 15 returning players and seven returning starters.

The Scouts are looking forward to an exciting 2018 season with many high-caliber match-ups on the schedule. Tonight, in their first road game of the season, the Scouts will look to come out on a hot note without any rust. With many players being multiple sport athletes, the Scouts are looking to start off in mid-season form to contend for an IHSA State Championship.

Glenbrook North, coached by Justin Georgacakis, is entering their second game of the 2018 season after finishing 2017 with a losing record of 7-13. Last season, the Spartans postseason run ended when they fell to Lake Forest in the second round of the playoffs.

Tomorrow’s season opener will be played at Glenbrook North High School, starting at 5 p.m.

Former Lake Forest standout and all-time leading scorer Conor Walters is nine games into his junior season for the Leopards of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Though the Leopards are struggling as of late, with a record of (2-7) overall, (1-4) in conference play, Walters is leading the team in scoring with 29 points in just nine games. His 13 assists and 16 goals on just 60 shots lead the Leopards, and he has started all 9 games.

Many foresaw this kind of individual start for Walters this season, as he had two or more goals five separate times last season and played in all 14 games with 11 starts and led the team in overall scoring.