As I stepped out onto the field for the Band halftime show, I heard a dead Varsity Field crowd behind me – quite reasonable considering the state of things by that point.

Yet when I turned around, I saw the most tightly packed student section ever. The stands were filled with a fanbase that had stepped up, and was willing to ride or die – even if the scoreboard ominously read 25-7.

Just how did we get to this point? Let’s go through it.

Our first Friday Night Feels three weeks ago showed that this was a defensive team that prefers grinding out a win with low scores, especially considering uncertainty on offensive production beyond a solid running back in Jahari Scott.  

The team hasn’t evolved much. The questions concerning the offense have persisted through the weeks leading up to this second home game, as the unit had yet to score a single passing touchdown this season.

The good news is a defense that boasts star power and leadership can often make low scores win. Two weeks ago at Wheaton North, though, a wrench was thrown into the works when an injured Rylie Mills exited play. Even despite his absence, it was mission accomplished in Mundelein, but the increase in yards allowed showed that the impact of the injury wasn’t a myth. The defense was gonna need help this time, and the offense needed to step up.

Well, this is how things got started…

• Lake Zurich RB Jack Moses has a 79 yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage
• Jackson Pearre throws an interception on the offense’s first play, prompting yet another Lake Zurich touchdown

….Yeah. This isn’t the start you want for a team that has to work very hard to put points on the board. Blink once, and it was already 14-0. The defense confirmed the idea that they needed some help, and the offense didn’t help at first.

Fortunately, things seemed to slow the momentum down for a second when Lake Forest finally got on the board.

Michael Clarke 70 yards to Kai Kroeger 70 yd TD pass. 22-7 LZ w 4:46 left in quarter.

— Jon J. Kerr (@scoutsfootball1) September 21, 2019

There was the Scouts’ first passing touchdown! And it was Kai Kroeger. Some like to compare him to Red Grange, I prefer Tom Harmon, but regardless – an all-around player who can be trusted as a positive talent just about anywhere. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff will utilize him in the future.

It was Michael Clarke throwing the ball. With the different pros/cons lists involved with all QBs in the rotation, we will still have another week to see what defines this position for the Scouts. Regardless of what that is, it has to be clear sooner rather than later if the team expects to accomplish big goals this season.

Unfortunately, the slight momentum shift did not seem to build. The Bears got three points on the board before halftime, and a lot more before the game’s end.

Final: Bears 39, Scouts 7

— Jon J. Kerr (@scoutsfootball1) September 21, 2019

With that in mind, let’s go back to that moment when I saw our stands.

Homecoming Week brings a lot of festivities with it, and LFHS took those opportunities and ran with them. The Spirit Days saw incredible participation, the reformatted Pep Rally was a success, and the pregame Luau got everyone ready to go.

But the game! Students packed the stands, and loudly! Poms, Cheer, the Band, Parents, Alumni – everyone stepped up. This community was ready to support the Scouts in a more unified way than ever, and you could feel it.

Sure, the score didn’t pay off, but Homecoming is more than that. To me, it’s an indicator of how full the school spirit tank is before the long hard drive of the school year.

I think we’ve definitely got a lot of that to work with, and when this team –  goals still in front of them – settles all the persistent uncertainties, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Let’s dance tonight to celebrate that.

Our next home game is in two weeks against Waukegan.

Until then: Go Scouts, Beat Warren.

POSTGAME STUFF ELSEWHERE:

Jon Kerr’s scoutsfootball.com Postgame Interviews: Coach Spagnoli, Kroeger and Altounian, Shea, Pearre

WHERE TO WATCH I.C.Y.M.I.:

TFS editors Connor Clark and AJ Shaw were once again on the call, courtesy of LFHS New Media!