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College Football, Galesburg, Knox, Knox College, Knox Prairie Fire, Lake Forest, Lake Forest College, Lake Forest Foresters, Midwest Conference, MWC, NCAA, NCAA Division III football, Prairie Fire
By Matthew Wheaton, Wheat on the Prairie
GALESBURG — The behavior of fires can differ significantly.
Some burn steadily and evenly, while others ignite with intense heat and rapidly.
And Knox College football coach Aaron Willits hopes his Prairie Fire have the characteristics of the latter category this week.
Coming off a bye, Knox will take on Lake Forest at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Knosher Bowl.
The Foresters hold a 3-0 overall record, and they sit in a tie with the Fighting Scots of Monmouth (2-1 overall) at the top of the Midwest Conference standings with a 2-0 mark in league play.
With a 1-1 record in MWC action, Knox (1-2 overall) is tied with five other squads (Cornell, Grinnell, Illinois College, Ripon, and University of Chicago) for second place in the league. Beloit and Lawrence have played a pair of conference affairs and suffered defeats in both of them.
“The focus preparing to play Lake Forest has been on us — our schemes, understanding and executing fast. We played slow for a number of reasons (against the University of Chicago), and we are working to be in a situation to play fast — fast on individual plays, a fast start in the game, fast to the football,” Willits said. “Lake Forest can play ball. They built themselves into what they are in the MWC.
“They are physical with great size on the offensive line with playmakers all around. Defensively, they are aggressive,” Willits added. “We need to control what we can control but we need to play good football, not bad football. We need to get off the ball on offense, make good reads, catch the ball in the air. Defensively, we need to play downhill, tackle well and fight for it in the air.”
Bye week came at a good time
The Prairie Fire’s players took a few days of practices off at the end of last week, as Knox had a bye.
It came at a good time, too.
In Week 3, the Prairie Fire hit the road and were routed by the Maroons of UChicago 63-0.
“As much as you want to just get back to games and take out some frustration from the previous week, we obviously had plenty of things to work on across all three phases,” Willits said. “We had to step back, analyze, swallow some pride and work to fix those things.
“On top of the football specifics, a bye week is great for our student-athletes. We were just a week into classes heading up to Chicago,” he added. “Whether they are a veteran player or first year, they had a change in schedule and pace. A bye week over week two of the academic trimester allows them to settle in a bit more academically, as well.”
Faculty-Staff Appreciation Day
Knox’s workforce will be acknowledged on Saturday, as it’s Faculty-Staff Appreciation Day.
“It takes a village to build a football program and athletic department. All of these individuals are helping me grow these young men on a daily basis, helping me grow our football program at Knox College,” Willits said. “We really do appreciate all they do.”
By the numbers
Knox fifth-year senior quarterback Kaile Williams has completed 24 of 53 passes for 316 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception. He also has 43 rushes for 223 yards and two TDs.
Senior Hunter Anderson has 48 carries for 176 yards and a TD for the Prairie Fire. Senior Evan Laws has three grabs for 32 yards and has broken the plane once. Knox sophomore wideout Niko Powe has 11 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown.
Saturday’s expected starters
KNOX
Offense
Quarterback: Kaile Williams
Left tackle: Creed Justice
Left guard: Jace Bennett
Center: Julian Huggins
Right guard: Jacob Lesus
Right tackle: Esteban Alvarez
Running back: Hunter Anderson
Running back: Owen Beaver
Running back: Kierre Turner
Wideout: Mario Byrd
Wideout: Niko Powe
Defense
End: TJ Nehls
Tackle: Jacob Etienne
Nose: Phillip Strahle
End: Jon Sarich
Linebacker: Kolton Krutsinger
Linebacker: Davis Brumbaugh
Safety: Anthony Garcia
Safety: Nikko Deligiannis
Safety: Isaac Mora
Corner: Colin Finnigsmier
Corner: Darnell Centeno
Specials
Snapper: Makani Konopka
Holder: Reese Miller
Kicker: Chris McMillan
Punter: Jonathan Walker
LAKE FOREST
Offense
Quarterback: Tre Stewart
Left tackle: Ian Ramey
Left guard: Braxton Matteson
Center: Andres Mestre
Right guard: Vinnie Colasacco
Right tackle: Sean Brady
Running back: Jayce Knutsen
Tight end: Jake Kostoryz
Wideout: Trevor Land
Wideout: Dax Lindholm
Wideout: Langston Metoyer
Defense
End: Alex Bendler
Tackle: Donnevan Plummer
Tackle: Jaylen Johnson
End: Justin Albee
Will Linebacker: Javan Ah Quin
Sam Linebacker: Nik Rieck
Mike Linebacker: Charlie Fordon
Safety: Thomas Dechesaro
Safety: Trenton Brail
Corner: Darion Miller
Corner: Dante Esposito
Specials
Snapper: Aayden Dodd
Holder: Seth Jelovic
Kicker: Beckham Sonnabend
Punter: Haris Zukancic
Knox’s 2023 Schedule
Joint Practice: Sat., Aug. 19 at University of Dubuque
Week 1: Eureka 41, Knox 16 (Lincoln Bowl)
Week 2: Knox 31, Beloit 14
Week 3: University of Chicago 63, Knox 0
Week 4: Bye
Week 5: Sat. Sept. 30 vs. Lake Forest, 2 p.m.
Week 6: Sat. Oct. 7 vs. Ripon, 1 p.m.
Week 7: Sat. Oct. 14 at Illinois College, 1 p.m.
Week 8: Sat., Oct. 21 at Grinnell, 1 p.m.
Week 9: Sat., Oct. 28 vs. Cornell (Homecoming), 1 p.m.
Week 10: Sat., Nov. 4 vs. Lawrence (Senior Day), 1 p.m.
Week 11: Sat., Nov. 11 at Monmouth (Turkey Bowl), Noon
Departing thought…
“The best part of coaching young men in college is they move on pretty fast. They live in such a micro world. This class to the next, this Monday to Friday,” Willits said. “After a tough loss is one of those times I am glad they don’t sit on things and let them linger or always live in the macro like coaches, and you can grow that into your culture. It’s why win or lose, we always talk about back to work on being the best version of ourselves.”
Want to help pay for some gas? Venmo: @Matthew-Wheaton-10 Want to shoot an email? matthewlwheaton@gmail.com