Byron Dean strengthened his playoff chances while Curtiss Dokey (So.-Manitowoc, Wis.) kept his hold on first place as the Lakeland University Esports team competed in the second-to-last week of the regular season in Madden Mondays.

Dokey, the lone remaining undefeated player in the New England Collegiate Conference, showcased a powerful offense against Newberry (N.C.) College's Zachary McGee. Dokey outscored McGee 97-10 across the two games, shutting out McGee 30-0 in the first game and dominating 67-10 in the second. Dokey improved to 7-0 on the season and maintains a one game advantage over Carroll (wis.) University's Danny McGee in the standings.

In a battle between two of the top three players in the NECC, Otis Watts (Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) fell to Carroll's McGee. Watts lost by a close 26-22 score in game one before struggling to score in a 39-14 game two loss to drop the best-of-five series. Watts dropped to 4-2 with the loss, while McGee solidified his hold on second place and now holds a 6-1 record, one game behind Dokey for first place.

Dean, who started the night tied for sixth place with teammate Isaiah Vance (Sr.-Zion, Ill.), played Swaggyp11k of Elms (Mass.) College. Dean started the scoring in game one with a touchdown on his opening drive, and that would be the only offense of the first half until Swaggyp11k tied the game at 7 with 0:37 remaining the second quarter. Dean responded with a touchdown just 20 seconds later to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Swaggyp11k tied the game at 14-14 with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Dean ran out the clock for the rest of the game and sealed the 17-14 win on a field goal as time expired.

Strong defense continued into the second game as both teams were held scoreless until Dean scored the first touchdown with 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Dean then forced a fumble on a sack and returned it for a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half for a 14-0 lead at the break.

Dean extended his lead to 21-0 with a touchdown late in the third quarter and then kept the shutout alive with a goal-line stand to begin the final quarter. He then broke free for a long run down to the one-yard line, and Swaggyp11k conceded the 21-0 victory to Dean. The sweep improved Dean to 3-2 overall, tying him with Brandon French of Newberry for fifth place in the NECC standings going into the eighth and final week of the regular season.

Fans can watch Dean's thrilling wins on the NECC eSports Twitch channel by clicking here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/782827936.