Postgame interview with Ryan Slager

GRINNELL, Iowa – History was made on a sunny and chilly Saturday afternoon at Grinnell College's Rosenbloom Field.
 
Linebacker Ryan Slager '19 (Orland Park, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) shattered the NCAA Division III record for tackles in a career during the Pioneers' 24-0 loss to Lake Forest College.
 
Slager recorded 18 stops in the game, boosting his career total to 561 and passing the previous mark of 545 held by Luther College's Kyle McGivney from 2008-11. Slager is currently ranked third for tackles among all levels of NCAA. The overall leader is Connor Harris of D-II Lindenwood (Mo.) with 633.
 
Slager, the D-III national tackles leader the past two seasons, made quick work of the record. Needing just two to tie, he made one stop on Lake Forest's first series and then recorded a combo tackle with Jeff Keele '19 on the Foresters' second possession. Two plays later, with 6:34 left in the first period, Slager combined with Jelani McCray '21 in stopping Lake Forest short on a fourth-down play deep in Grinnell territory.
 
The contest was stopped momentarily as Grinnell head coach Jeff Pedersen '02 and defensive coordinator Jason Martinez presented Slager with a football commemorating the occasion.

Slager was just part of a strong Pioneer defense that held Lake Forest to its second-lowest point total of the season. Besides Slager's tackle total, Anthony Johnson '22 added a career-high 10 stops, Hassan Thompson '19 had nine and Jeff Keele '19 tallied eight.
 
Offensively, Jake Kaplinski '22 completed 22-of-43 passes for 132 yards with the completion total being a career-high. Dustin Saia '22 had nine catches for 53 yards, David Taylor '20 brought in six passes for 36 yards and Daniel Carter '22 had three catches for 18 yards.
 
Taylor ranks 13^th in program history for career receptions with 101 and 15^th in reception yards with 1,317. Thompson is 15^th in career assisted tackled with 136 and Slager ranks eighth for unassisted tackles in a season with 64.
 
Grinnell's defense held firm early, ending Lake Forest drives on downs on the Foresters' first three possessions. The first time came at the Pioneers' 33-yard line when Lake Forest tossed an incomplete pass on fourth down, the second time came at Grinnell's 16-yard line via the stop by Slager and McCray and the third time on another incomplete pass.
 
The game was a scoreless tie after one period before the Foresters scored two touchdowns later in the second frame for a 14-0 halftime edge.
 
Grinnell stopped Lake Forest on fourth down at the Pioneers' 19-yard line early in the third period before the Foresters managed a field goal on their next drive for a 17-0 edge.
 
Lake Forest added an insurance touchdown in the fourth period to stay perfect in the Midwest Conference South Division at 3-0 while moving to 5-2 overall. Grinnell fell to 0-3 in the division and 1-6 in all games.
 
The Pioneers head to Jacksonville, Ill., to meet Illinois College next Saturday.