The Foresters helmet decal took on a little Arizona flavor for Week 1 as Lake Forest brought its team to the state where 53 of its football players hail from. Lake Forest athletics photo

By Greg Thomas
D3football.com

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The first Division III football game ever played in Arizona kicked off Saturday evening at Jerry Looper Stadium on the campus of Hamilton High School and the desert was ready for it. 

The thermometer still read in the 90s at kickoff, the sun blazed directly onto the Lake Forest sideline, and yet the Foresters’ supporters stood, cheered, and waved like this was any other Saturday at Farwell Field. Across the field, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps had its own sizable contingent making the trip from Southern California, eager to see the Stags open their season.

Lake Forest starting center Anthony Chacon is one of more than 50 Foresters that hail from Arizona and Chacon’s family and friends bought more than 50 tickets to come see Chacon and the Foresters take the field. That kind of player support was hardly an outlier on Saturday as Lake Forest’s section was jammed well before kickoff and stayed energetic throughout. Official attendance was listed at 3,145, but that number felt like a floor rather than a ceiling. For two programs traveling to Chandler by 1,700 and 360 miles, respectively, it was a remarkable turnout.

The charged atmosphere was fitting, because this was no ordinary season opener. It took two willing partners, each with its own motivations, to bring Division III football to Arizona. By the end of the evening, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps had secured a 14–7 victory, while Lake Forest left with nearly everything it had hoped to gain.

The idea of Lake Forest playing in Arizona had been in head coach Jim Catanzaro’s head since around 2017. Over the past decade, Arizona has become a central recruiting hub for the Foresters. This year’s roster features 53 players from the state, making up nearly half of the team. This is more than just a football pipeline for Lake Forest. It’s an enrollment strategy for a college of 1,700 students.

For those Arizona Foresters, this wasn’t just another non-conference road trip. It was a homecoming and, in some ways, a showcase. Playing a Division III game in their home state meant families who rarely see them in person could finally be in the stands, and it meant a chance to put their brand of football on display in front of high school players, coaches, and fans who may never have watched D-III live.

“I'm really humbled to have the opportunity first and foremost, especially to get to play in front of a bunch of my family that I haven't seen me play in a long time,” said senior wide receiver Tommy Carberry, a Florence, Arizona native. “I'm very excited for the other 53 guys who are from Arizona to play in front of their families and friends.”

Defensive back Thomas DeChesaro of Scottsdale, Arizona told Around the Nation what he hoped fans, high school coaches, and future college football players watching would take away from the game. “That it's a lot better than what they think it is. I kind of had that stigma in my head, like, D-I is way up here, D-II is right there. And then, D-III is where all these rejects and bums go play football. That's not the case. I played around a lot of talent growing up and I think there's just as much talent at the Division III level.”

For CMS, the attraction was not as much about a pipeline and more about practicality. Stags head coach Kyle Sweeney noted that because of the SCIAC’s scheduling agreement with the Northwest Conference, this year the Stags were going to have to travel anyway.

“We didn't quite get off the hook,” Sweeney said. “We do have two travel games this year, but yeah, financially, to not have to fly makes a big difference. It's kind of unique for us to do the bus trip. I know for most schools it's the opposite, where the unique one is the flight.”

The Foresters’ desire to showcase their program in a recruiting hotbed met the Stags’ need for a quality opponent within reach on I-10. The result was something neither could have pulled off alone.

By late afternoon, it was clear Lake Forest wasn’t simply staging a football game. No, Lake Forest College was putting on a showcase for the entire institution. A few hundred supporters gathered in a hotel ballroom for a pregame event that felt like equal parts alumni reunion and tailgate. Brand new college president Mike Sosulski addressed the group. Alumni mingled with current parents. As the team loaded buses for the short ride to the stadium, supporters lined the lobby and cheered them out the door in a Forester Walk that easily could have taken place on campus.

That kind of momentum carried over into the stands, where Lake Forest essentially created a home game atmosphere 1,700 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan.

Catanzaro recognized the significance. “I'm willing to bet that this will be the biggest crowd we play in front of this year, other than maybe our homecoming game,” he said. “When you're talking about a school of 1,700 students, like we are, and there are over 3,000 people here today in Arizona 27 hours away from our campus, I think that that's a testament to the work we've done here, the recruiting and the relationships we've built.”

CMS, meanwhile, can see its own version of a payoff. Sweeney pointed out that previous cross-country games—to Tennessee, Virginia, and Chicago—led directly to improved recruiting in those regions. Getting in front of Arizona high school players and coaches, even a little closer to home, had the potential to spark a similar ripple effect.

“It's just going to be a nice chance to kind of showcase, actually look people in the eye and meet some recruits in person,” Sweeney said. “It’s just a great chance for some visibility for our program.”

For all the build-up, the game played out much like early-season football often does. Defenses ahead of offenses, some uneven execution, and for those watching, a little patience required. With just five returning offensive starters combined between the two teams, neither side could generate sustained momentum early. The scoreboard remained empty through three quarters.

CMS finally cracked the scoreboard on the first play of the fourth quarter when quarterback Robert Litscher connected with Ben Kim on a 21-yard strike. That 11-play, 70-yard drive came on the heels of six consecutive CMS drives that lasted just three plays. On their next drive, the Stags found the end zone for a second time when Litscher tossed his second touchdown of the game, this time a 17-yard pass to James Ryan.

Lake Forest kept grinding, and with six seconds left, Mason Wright’s 3-yard reception at least rewarded the Forester-heavy crowd with a reason to roar one last time. The Stags covered the last-second onside kick attempt and held on for a win that gives them a valuable non-conference victory against an NCAA playoff regular.

“Obviously the result was not what we wanted,” Catanzaro said after the game, “But I think the result of the event as a whole probably exceeded the expectations of everybody that was a part of it. I mean we had a great crowd, great energy, and a tough football game that we came on the wrong end of. I think if there were 27 boxes to check for the day, we checked 26 of them.”

For CMS, the checked boxes look slightly different. The Stags head back west with a strong win against a quality opponent, a manageable travel game, and the intangible benefit of putting their program in front of a new audience. A bus trip to Chandler may not seem as extravagant as team flights to Tennessee or Chicago, but the payoff could be just as real for CMS.

Could this kind of creative scheduling become a model? The short answer is “maybe.” The finances are daunting. Lake Forest spent years planning and fundraising to pull this off, and it’s not something they can feasibly repeat annually. However, both coaches were open to the idea that another program might want to try, and that SCIAC schools in particular could be willing partners.

It’s worth applauding both programs for making this work. CMS, isolated on the Division III map, found an inventive way to schedule a quality game without straining its budget. Lake Forest, drawing heavily from Arizona, found a way to bring the program to its players’ families and prospects. Together, they showed what can happen when programs get creative to solve complicated problems as out-of-conference scheduling can often be.

When the final horn sounded, CMS players celebrated their season-opening win, while Lake Forest’s players lingered with the clusters of family and alumni who had come out in droves. The scoreboard favored the Stags, but the night belonged to both programs.

Division III football has finally planted its flag in Arizona. If Saturday proved anything, it’s that this won’t be remembered as a one-off novelty, but as an example of what can happen when schools look for shared solutions. CMS got a test and a win. Lake Forest got a showcase. And Division III football got bigger by a few degrees of longitude.

Taking Attendance

Opening week always brings out some of the biggest crowds of the season, and this year was no exception. UW–Whitewater pulled in its typical five-figure turnout at 11,610, Concordia-Moorhead christened new lights with nearly 7,000 fans on hand, UMHB packed 5,148 into Crusader Stadium for its opener, and Merchant Marine drew 4,600 for Parents Weekend.

But the number that jumps off the page is 5,643 at Salem Stadium for Roanoke’s varsity debut. The Maroons played a non-countable contest against Virginia University–Lynchburg, but the game itself was almost beside the point. Just three Stagg Bowls held in Salem during the AQ era- 2001 (Bridgewater), 2006 (Mount Union vs. UW–Whitewater, Part II), and 2012 (St. Thomas vs. Mount Union) have drawn more than Roanoke’s varsity debut.  

For a first-year program, that’s remarkable. If Saturday’s debut is any indication, the newest team in Division III will never lack for noise. The Maroon open their Division III schedule this weekend at Greensboro.  

Seven ways to Saturday 

Whether you need to recap the week that was or get ready for the week to come, D3football.com is your daily source for fresh Division III football content. We’re bringing the content seven ways to Saturday. 

Sunday: New Top 25 Poll

Monday: Around The Nation podcast. Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas recap the weekend that was and preview the weekend to come in Division III football.

Tuesday: Team of the Week Honors

Wednesday: Features columns

Thursday: Around the Nation Column

Friday: Quick Hits featuring our panel’s predictions and insights into the weekend’s games

Saturday: Game Day! The D3football.com Scoreboard has all of your links for stats and broadcasts. 

I’d Like to Thank…

Special thanks to Lake Forest’s Jim Catanzaro, Tommy Carberry and Thomas DeChesaro as well as Kyle Sweeney from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for spending time with Around The Nation for this week’s column. Additional thanks to Jeremy Kniffin, Director of Athletic Communications at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Mike Wajerski, Lake Forest College Sports Information Director for coordinating conversations and gameday logistics! 

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There’s nothing small about small college football. Division III is home to 241 teams, and many thousands of student-athletes and coaches. There are so many more stories out there than I can find on my own. Please share your stories that make Division III football so special for all of us! Reach out to me at greg.thomas@d3sports.com or on X @wallywabash to share your stories.