MILWAUKEE –
Charl'Tez Nunnery (
Sr.-Liberty, Miss.) threw four touchdown passes, all 45 yards or longer, and Lakeland University used one big play after another to wallop Wisconsin Lutheran College 62-14 Saturday afternoon at WLC's Raabe Stadium.
The Muskies finished the spring Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division round-robin with a 3-0 record to clinch the division crown and the division's No. 1 seed in the conference playoff. Lakeland will host South Division No. 2 seed Benedictine University next Saturday in a semifinal game with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Taylor Field.
Lakeland left little doubt about the outcome against Wisconsin Lutheran (1-2 overall, 1-2 NACC North, racing out to a 48-7 halftime lead while scoring seven touchdowns in the first half. Six came from 36 yards out or more and two were scored by the defense as the Muskies overwhelmed the Warriors early.
Nunnery hit
Christian Chatman (
Jr.-Detroit, Mich.) for a 50-yard touchdown to open the scoring less than four minutes into the game, and he connected with
Jaylen Rido (
Jr.-Houston, Texas) for a 56-yard touchdown with 6:43 left in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.
Larry Rivers (
Sr.-Dearborn Heights, Mich.) rushed for a nine-yard touchdown late in the first quarter to cap a quick seven-play, 62-yard drive that took just 2:12 and gave Lakeland a 21-0 lead. The Muskies then scored 27 points in the second quarter, with Nunnery completing passes of 52 yards to
Brice Kensey (
Sr.-New Orleans, La.) and 45 yards to
Mason Prunick (
Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) for touchdowns.
The defense also got into the act with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter.
Otis Watts (
Jr.-Chicago, Ill.) sacked WLC quarterback Nick Yockey just over a minute into the quarter and forced a fumble that
McNemon Vincent (
Sr.-Vernon Hills, Ill.) returned 36 yards for a score. Yockey was later intercepted by
Max Ramminger (
Kiel, Wis.) late in the first half, and the sophomore cornerback returned it 54 yards for his first collegiate touchdown.
Lakeland cruised in the second half, adding two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Nunnery carried it in from three yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 55-14 lead, and
Lane Sobieski (
So.-Berlin, Wis.) connected with
Jesse Meyrick (
So.-Hoffman Estates, Ill.) for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 8:45 left in the game, both players' first ever touchdowns as Muskies.
Lakeland rolled up 594 yards of offense, including 336 yards passing and 228 yards on the ground. The Muskies also were outstanding defensively throughout, limiting the Warriors to 180 yards, including minus-5 yards rushing on 22 attempts, and forcing four turnovers. Lakeland also held WLC to just one third down conversion in 15 attempts.
Ramminger intercepted a second pass late in the game for his third pick of the season.
Rayshion Brumfield (
Jr.-Ponchatoula, La.) also added a fumble recovery.
Andrew Cardiel (
Jr.-Needville, Texas) posted a team-high nine tackles,
Agustin Diaz (
So.-Chilton, Wis.) finished with three tackles for loss for 14 yards including a sack, and
Shazon Crutcher (
Sr.-Lansing, Mich.) added a sack and a forced fumble.
Nunnery completed just 13 of 33 passes but for 334 yards, and he also went over the 100-yard mark rushing for the second time in three games, rushing for 102 yards. Rivers also added 25 carries for 88 yards, and he became the first Lakeland player to go over the 3,000-yard rushing mark for a career.
Kensey caught three passes for 68 yards and Prunick (76 yards), Rido (62) and Chatman (61) all caught two passes each.
Box Score Lakeland 62 WLC 14
