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Undefeated Lions look to clinch outright HAAC title
Lindenwood vs. Central Methodist
Nov. 3 , 2007 - 1:30
St. Charles, MO
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It’s Senior Day at Lindenwood on Saturday afternoon, as ten Lion seniors will play their final home game—regular season home game, that is—on the turf at Harlan C. Hunter Stadium. The opponent for the unbeaten, seventh-ranked Lions will be Central Methodist University, a winner last week over Culver-Stockton by a count of 28-27.
Head coach Patrick Ross and his fourth Lindenwood team continued to roll last week at Evangel, pulling away in the second half to win easily, 34-10. The Lions have already clinched at least a tie for the Heart of America Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 8-0 mark in league play (9-0 overall), but a tie for the crown is not what this team has in mind.
A win this weekend against veteran head coach Merle Masonholder’s Eagle team (2-6 overall and in the Heart) will clinch the outright championship, and give the Lions the league’s automatic berth in the NAIA Football National Championship Series. A loss to CMU, and the Lions would find themselves in a precarious position heading into next weekend’s regular season finale at Missouri Valley. You remember the Vikings—the preseason conference favorites are hitting their stride as of late, and remain the only team (6-2 in league play) with a chance of tying Lindenwood for the league crown. That scenario would make the game at Valley for the league’s automatic berth, with the loser hoping to get into the playoffs as a wild card. After rolling virtually unchallenged through nine games (the Lions have won by an average margin of 42-19 in 2007), you can bet that no one in the Lion camp is prepared to let that final game be a winner-take-all proposition.
To take care of business on Saturday, the Lions will lean heavily on that group of ten seniors. Tailback Hakeem Abdullah has enjoyed an outstanding final season, leading the team in rushing with 893 yards and in scoring with 12 touchdowns. The Indianapolis native has also been a devastating weapon out of the backfield, entering play today with 27 receptions for 426 yards. Senior tackle Dustin Ostmann has rebounded from a season-ending leg injury last season to post an All-American caliber performance in 2007. The Lions’ leading receiver this fall has been senior Dominic Peterson, whose 44 catches have included six for touchdowns—and for good measure, the talented Californian has also rushed for two scores and passed for another.
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Seniors Jeremy Coley (left) and Dominic Peterson (right) have been key players for the undefeated Lions in 2007 - Coley has recorded 11.5 tackles for loss, while Peterson leads the team with 44 pass receptions. |
Over on the defensive side of the ball, the front wall has been a strength all season, behind the stellar play of seniors John Krieger, Jeremy Coley and Brian Schaefering. Back in the secondary, safety Jared Shoemaker (who has been with the Lion coaching staff for five years, going back to the Ottawa University days) has played well, returning a pair of interceptions deep into enemy territory to set up touchdowns against Graceland and Evangel in two big road wins. Courageous senior cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Larry Gladney have played through injuries to be big contributors on defense, as well.
Not to be forgotten on the list of seniors who have contributed greatly is All-American punter Zac Atterberry. A four-year starter who is currently leading the nation in punting at 44.2 yards per kick, Atterberry is a weapon like few other in the NAIA.
In all, the Lions will start eight seniors this weekend, so the future looks bright, with a loaded junior class ready to take the leadership role in 2008. There is no denying, though, that players like those are going to be hard to replace, particularly when their quality as people is taken into account. It is no accident that the Lions have enjoyed such huge success this season when those ten young men happened to be seniors.
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Senior tailback Hakeem Abdullah (21) and his classmate at tackle, Dustin Ostmann (55) have been the ringleaders for an LU offense averaging 42 points per game. |
Even though they are 9-0 and can already be called the Heart co-champions, at least, the Lions and their senior leaders find themselves in a must-win situation against Central Methodist. In reality, that’s always the case late in the season when the national playoffs loom on the horizon. Things like rankings, and seedings, and the question of home vs. away games in the first round become important in the season’s final weeks, and the truth is, you just can’t afford to lose late.
The Eagles will try to derail the Lions’ championship train with a strong running game led by tailbacks Justin Gerald and Rashaad Lee. Last week in the win over Culver, Lee ran wild in the second half as CMU came from behind, rushing for 176 yards on 28 carries after intermission. That kind of effort here this afternoon would go along way toward providing upset fuel—it’s no secret that if you can’t keep the Lion offense off the field for prolonged stretches, eventually that Ben Kisner-led high wire act is going to score points.
It’s Kisner’s 26th start as a college quarterback on Saturday, and the junior from Kansas City has put together an outstanding season which can only have one fitting conclusion … and there is no blueprint around the Lindenwood football offices for that end to come anytime soon.
Ross and his teams have now won more league games over the last four seasons than any other team in the Heart, posting a conference record of 30-8 since the beginning of the 2004 season. No two games have been more important than the next two, however, so it’s time for a finishing kick like no other—that second outright Heart title in four years is not going to come easily, starting with Saturday afternoon.
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