Lakeland College

Muskies enjoy historic day in retaining Cheese Bowl trophy

Athletics - posted on 11/13/2010

The Lakeland College football team made a little history in beating rival Concordia, Wis., in the season finale for both teams on Saturday at Taylor Field.

Lakeland's 29-7 win over the Falcons gave the Muskies three straight wins in the Cheese Bowl, the first time they have accomplished such a feat since the Cheese Bowl trophy was born in 1992.

It also allowed Lakeland's seniors to end their careers on a high note.

"Emotionally, it's a great day in the program, but it's sad as well," Lakeland head coach Kevin Doherty said. "We lose 16 seniors who have fought hard the last four years, and it feels good send them out with a win. Becoming the first group to beat Concordia three years in a row is something for them to be proud of."

Lakeland finishes the season 4-6, 3-4 in the Northern Athletics Conference.

The Cheese Bowl win streak wasn't the only history that was made Saturday, as several Lakeland records were tied or broken.

In a sloppy game played in a driving first-half rain, the Muskies, playing without leading rusher Jeremy Williams, turned to freshman running back Tyler Muzzy, and he delivered. Muzzy led the Muskies with 134 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns, including a school-record 97-yard TD run in the first quarter that gave the Muskies a 16-0 lead.

In the third quarter, senior quarterback Jake Dworak connected with senior wide receiver Roberto Flores for a 32-yard touchdown pass. The TD pass tied Dworak with Kevin Fix for second on Lakeland's career touchdowns list with 60.

"It means a lot to be in the Lakeland record books, but this is a team effort and the victories mean more then my personal accomplishments," Dworak said.

For Flores, the reception moved him into fifth place in receiving yards in a season with 893, and it put him over 2,000 yards in his career (2,044). Only five other Muskies have accomplished that feat.

On the defensive side, senior cornerbacks Isiah Calhoun and Keith Woodson each set records.

Woodson intercepted two passes, leaving him in a tie for fourth for career interceptions with 14.

"It means a lot to win three straight Cheese Bowls, especially to finish off my senior year," Woodson said. "I didn't know how many I needed, but it was a goal of mine to set a record. It was nice to get it the last game of the season and to go out on top."

Calhoun intercepted a pass to give him six on the season, tying him with several other players in Lakeland history to do so.

"I can't say enough about our seniors," defensive coordinator Colin Bruton said. "We started eight seniors on defense, and they have all worked hard and done a great job in their careers here. This has been a really special group and they have meant a lot to this program."

It was an important win for Lakeland, which closes out a season filled with emotional highs and lows.

"There's nothing worse than ending the season with a loss," Doherty said. "Winning our last two games gives us a little momentum headed into our offseason. It's something our players need to build on as we look ahead to workouts and spring ball."

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