Crusaders Fall to the Muskies
Maranatha 0, Lakeland 19
October 31, 2009
Box Score
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – The Maranatha Crusaders were defeated 19-0 by the Muskies of Lakeland College in a Northern Athletics Conference game on Saturday. The Crusaders are now 0-8, 0-5 in conference play. The Muskies improve to 4-4, 4-1 in conference.
After a defensive stop by both teams, Lakeland’s punter pinned the Crusaders back on their own 2-yard line. The Crusaders advanced the ball 2 yards before having to punt which resulted in Lakeland starting at Maranatha’s 26-yard line. The Muskies scored on the first play of the drive on a 26-yard pass.
On the ensuing possession, the Crusaders advanced the ball to the Lakeland 33-yard line, but the drive stalled, and a punt pinned the Muskies at their own 5-yard line. Both defenses held strong the next 4 possessions until Lakeland’s final possession of the first half. The Muskies completed 2 long pass plays and then ran the ball in from 5 yards out to give them the 13-0 lead going into halftime.
The Muskies added one more touchdown in the third quarter after a Crusader interception to finalize the score at 19-0. The Crusader offense struggled all day producing only 29 total yards and never reaching inside the Muskies’ 30-yard line. Field position was also a major factor. The Muskies’ average start was on the Crusaders 47-yard line; whereas, the Crusaders’ average field position was their own 21-yard line.
The Crusader defense held strong in spite of the Muskies’ great field position, as they forced the Muskies to turn the ball over on downs 6 times. Sophomore linebacker Caleb Rader (Kinross, Mich.) led the Crusaders with 10 tackles. Sophomore defensive end Ethan Rosen (New Munich, Minn.) had 8 tackles, and senior defensive end Phil Sturm (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 8 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Senior defensive back Mike Walton (Decatur, Ala.) contributed 8 tackles and 3 pass breakups, and junior defensive tackle Brian Zockoll (Salisbury, Md.) had 7 tackles.
Next weekend, the Crusaders (0-8) will play their final home game of the season against Rockford College on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12:00 p.m. The Regents were defeated 32-6 by Benedictine University on Saturday.