The End of the Road
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Two weeks ago, the players of Lakeland College thought their season was over. A 35-28 loss to rival Concordia (Wis.) meant the Muskies' hopes for an undefeated trek through the Illini-Badger Conference and another trip to the postseason were destroyed. They had dropped from a first place tie to second with only two weeks remaining.
But the next week, after Lakeland took care of business with a 56-7 win, shouts rang through a group of players' living area, "Concordia lost! We're going to get a ring!" It was one of Lakeland's offensive lineman, letting whoever was in the vicinity, football player or not, know that his senior season would not go by without a reward -- be it a little premature, for Lakeland still had one more game remaining on its schedule.
A quick check on my computer confirmed it. Greenville 44, Concordia 14!
(You see, there is no such thing as "scoreboard watching" in NCAA Division III football. There are things such as "website watching" or, if you're lucky, "internet broadcast listening," but no scoreboard watching.)
But, nonetheless, a voyage down to the fifth quarter tailgate proved that news does indeed travel fast. The team had much to celebrate, and their hopes of an extended season were renewed.
The final week, Lakeland was to face Aurora, the team its first year head coach had spent the past few seasons roaming the sidelines as the offensive coordinator, in an attempt to bring home Lakeland's third conference championship in four seasons.
It was also senior day, and unlike Division I, senior day usually meant the end of careers. Unless the playoffs came calling, this was it.
The seniors of Lakeland College's team took the field to be honored prior to kickoff, hugging family members and shaking hands with their coaches, among them two who were on the other side of this exchange a few years earlier on this same field.
Those two, one of them an All-American linebacker in 2004, had pursued professional careers after college, heading overseas and leading leagues in tackles or interceptions only to return to coach at their alma mater. It's an often sobering fact: life after Division III is unlikely, but it should by no means disparage their dedication or abilities.
Many of them know this, however. Many do not have delusions -- dreams, yes -- of playing at a higher level.
So today, they took the field with more pride than most of today's Division I players feel when winning the national championship, because, win or lose, it was pretty much all they were playing for.
Lakeland held a 14-3 halftime lead, and, sparked by its passing game, went on to win 34-3, and the "internet broadcast listening" began.
Concordia was playing, Benedictine, a mid-level conference team on the rise. Concordia was leading 7-0 in the third quarter when we tuned in and had held BU to just over 50 yards of total offense up to that point.
But it was still close.
Fast forward: Benedictine drives to the Concordia seven-yard-line with just under three minutes left. Incomplete pass. Timeout. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. Timeout. Incomplete pass. Turnover on downs. Shit.
"It's not over yet," says Lakeland's assistant sports information director.
She was right. Two plays later, Concordia fumbles while trying to run the clock out and gives it back on the 14-yard-line with just over a minute left. Incomplete pass. Incomplete pass. PENALTY! PASS INTERFERENCE IN THE END ZONE! First and goal from the two.
Rush for no gain. Rush, same result. Timeout. Incomplete pass. Interception. Season over.
There will be no bowl game. There will be no playoffs. There will be no NFL Draft. There might be an NFL Combine workout in the future, most likely for MacArthur White, a D-I transfer who broke the school's receiving yards record and finished his career with 27 touchdown catches in only three seasons. But for most, the future holds in store the result of being a student-athlete.
But this is why I commend the players that took the field today. They may not be going to the playoffs, but that will also allow them to say their careers ended with a win and another ring.
And even though this article will probably be overlooked because Division III football is treated like tennis in the scope of the sports world, I will not overlook the effort these kids put into playing for pride. Great things come from D-III, too.
