Seventy-seven Lake Forest High School Scouts football players ground through two-a-day practices at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside from Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, as the program completed its 22nd summer camp in Kenosha, Wis.

Among them was senior wide receiver Jack Burger, back on the field after a broken leg in Week 1 of the 2025 season ended his junior year early. Burger told The Athletic Scout on Saturday, July 25, that the mental toll hit harder than the physical pain.

"The injury hurt, but it was more the emotions," Burger said. "I kind of realized that my recruiting would mostly be shut down for most of the big programs I was talking to at the time. I was pretty much in a dark headspace for a few weeks."

Burger said he channeled his recovery through David Goggins' book "Can't Hurt Me," which he read during rehab. He has since connected with Denison University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Valparaiso University, and said his mindset is to have the best season possible and hope a program takes a chance on him.

He applied for a team captaincy. The squad voted on captains the evening of July 25; results have not been publicly confirmed.

On the field

The Athletic Scout's Jon Kerr spent five hours at camp on July 25 and documented the details. The morning session ended with a "team tie up" segment: 16 plays of 11-on-11, coaches assigning a winner to one side of the ball after each snap. Players not in regular practice worked out separately with strength coach Larry Lilja in a session the staff calls "Camp Wonderland."

In a Ranger Hall classroom, head coach Chuck Spagnoli gave a three-question quiz on defensive concepts. Wrong answers earned updowns at the next practice. Offensive coordinator Dylan Johnson told the room the day's emphasis was the goal line: score touchdowns, not field goals.

Team manager Noah Friedlund operated a field drone during the afternoon session, giving coaches an aerial angle on practice film.

Spagnoli on culture

Spagnoli, who also serves as defensive coordinator, told Kerr the camp's purpose extends beyond football fundamentals. He said the itinerary is structured so players learn responsibility for themselves and their roommates, and that the team's personality gets defined during the week.

Before the final Saturday practice, Spagnoli gathered the seniors and told them they would be the reason the effort level stayed high or the reason it didn't.

The Scouts missed the playoffs in 2025 after a Week 8 loss to Libertyville. The 2026 IHSA season features an expanded playoff field for the first time since 1985, with 48 qualifiers per class instead of 32. The compressed calendar gives Lake Forest just 46 days from the start of summer camp to opening night, the shortest window in decades.

What's next

Lake Forest opens at home Friday, August 21, against Deerfield. It's the same opponent Burger faced when he broke his leg in Week 1 of 2025. The quarterback job remains a competition between senior Rafi Karam and junior Colin McMahon.