Lake Forest's football season hit a new low Thursday, Sept. 10, when Libertyville scored two touchdowns in 44 seconds to turn a two-point game into a 40-26 rout at Varsity Field.

The Scouts fell to 0-4, extending the worst start in head coach Chuck Spagnoli's 24 seasons leading the program.

Lake Forest trailed most of the game but clawed back. Senior quarterback Rafi Karam scored on a 4-yard run with 7:17 left in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 28-19. Then Alston punched in a 10-yard touchdown run with 3:56 remaining, pulling the Scouts within two at 28-26.

That's when the game unraveled.

Libertyville answered with two scores in 44 seconds, the second a pick-six, to blow the game open and seal the 40-26 final, The Athletic Scout reported on X.

The Wildcats set the tone early. Williams returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to put Libertyville ahead 7-0. Karam responded with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jack Ruzila on fourth down, tying the game at 7-7 with 11:52 left in the second quarter.

Libertyville retook the lead on a 20-yard touchdown reception, going up 14-7 with 3:12 left in the half. Karam found senior receiver Jack Burger for a 6-yard score with 9:27 left in the third quarter to make it 14-13, but the Scouts never led.

Karam accounted for three touchdowns against Libertyville. He completed scoring passes to Ruzila and Burger and added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The 0-4 mark is uncharted territory for a program that went 4-5 last season. After the Scouts' Week 3 loss at Zion-Benton on Sept. 4, Spagnoli told The Athletic Scout, "We'll be ready. It does us no good to feel sorry for (ourselves), nobody else is … We have work to do."

Four games in, the work continues. Lake Forest hosts Warren at Varsity Field on Friday, Sept. 18. Warren was 0-3 through Week 3, including a 21-6 loss to Libertyville on Sept. 5.