Trojans defeat Lake Linden 36-28

By Patrick Browne
LAKE LINDEN — The Forest Park Trojans traveled to Lake Linden on Saturday, Sept. 30. The Lakes had previously defeated Norway — the only team to beat the Trojans this year.  
Tensions were high as both teams knew the strength of their opponent. The Trojans were without Assistant Coach Daniel Nocerini, who has been instrumental in assisting the team with offensive adjustments and of whom Head Coach Brian Fabbri refers to as the team’s “eye in the sky.” 
Scoring first on a run by senior Felix Quevedo and completing the two-point conversion, Forest Park took the early lead. The Lakes countered two minutes later with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Thus began a back-and-forth match that would continue through the game’s final seconds.  
The Trojans led at the half, 24–14. After a scoreless third quarter, each team scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. 
The Lakes refused to quit and pushed the Trojan defense to its breaking point. Every time Lake Linden looked like it would take the lead, however, senior Felix Quevedo countered with a heroic spring for the endzone. Quevedo had runs of 50 and 59 yards in the final quarter, and 221 yards and four touchdowns for the afternoon.
As the game clock expired, the final score read Forest Park 36, Lake Linden 28, leaving the Trojans at 5–1 for the season.
While the running attack for the Trojans was clearly led by senior Felix Quevedo,  freshman Dax Huuki has the most impressive game the Trojans have seen from a freshman in quite some time. Huuki gained 162 yards on 19 carries, with long runs of 71 and 25 yards.  
While the Trojans looked impressive in the victory, they were flagged for 10 penalties and lost the ball three times on turnovers. Work remains to be done if the Trojans are to defeat state-ranked North Central later this month.