The Lakeland University football team takes its final road trip on a road-heavy 2026 schedule when it travels to face Aurora University Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Aurora is the longest-running opponent in Lakeland football history, with the series between the two schools dating back to the Muskies' first season in 1934. The Spartans have won the last seven meetings, including a 49-28 win last year on Oct. 4 at Lakeland. Before Aurora's current winning streak in the series, Lakeland had won the previous five meetings, with its last win a 47-38 victory at Aurora Oct. 28, 2017, as Michael Whitley passed for 452 yards and four touchdowns and Dezmon Eddie gained 100 yards rushing and receiving and scored four touchdowns. Until COVID-19 affected the 2020-21 season, the teams had met for 22 consecutive years after a 47-year break in the series, a result of Aurora dropping football in 1952 and not reinstating the sport until 1986.
Lakeland last time out: Defeated Eureka 58-20 last week
The Muskies received contributions from up and down the roster on their Senior Day in handling the Red Devils to end a four-game losing streak, all in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
Octavis Cherry and
Caden Kleparski scored two touchdowns each and six different players in all scored touchdowns in the game.
Carson Glosny threw for 221 yards and two touchdown passes-including one for 77 yards to
Jaden Davis-and ran for another, Cherry broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run, and
Zach Heitzmann added his first collegiate rushing touchdown.
Cherry rushed for a season-best 91 yards. The defense also held Eureka to 245 yards of offense, including just 59 yards rushing, forced four turnovers, and sacked Red Devils quarterbacks six times.
Kenyon Peoples notched 2 1/2 sacks plus a fumble recovery,
Giovanni Merriweather posted 3.5 tackles for loss including 1 1/2 sacks, and
Robert Brown added his first collegiate interception.
Aurora last time out: Lost at St. Norbert 10-3 last week
The Spartans lost in frustrating fashion on the road in De Pere this past Saturday, as the Green Knights scored all 10 of their points in the game's final 1:01 to come from behind. St. Norbert tied the game with a 31-yard field goal with just over a minute left, and then SNC's Jim Feeney intercepted a pass and brought it back 50 yards for a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the game for the winning score. Defenses dominated the entire day, with Aurora's lone points a 43-yard field goal by Brett Money with a minute left in the first half. The Spartans outgained the Green Knights 332-271, including 278 passing yards, but the teams were a combined 6 for 32 on third downs and 1 of 5 on fourth down, including St. Norbert stuffing Aurora on 4th and 1 near midfield with 3:34 left in the game to lead to the tying field goal.
About the Spartans: It's been a challenging season for Aurora, which up until last year had dominated the NACC with six straight conference championships from 2019-24 and five trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs in that time. The Spartans won 46 straight games in NACC play until a one-point loss to Benedictine last year, the first of two conference losses in 2025, and Aurora is 3-4 overall this year and has losses to Concordia Wisconsin and St. Norbert in NACC play this year.
Aurora is again coached by Don Beebe, who played in the NFL for nine seasons, including in 1996-97 for the Packers, and was a member of Green Bay's Super Bowl XXXI champions team. Beebe quickly built Aurora into the standard in the NACC, and the Spartans advanced with wins in the Division III playoffs in 2022 and 2023, including to the national quarterfinals in 2022.
Team effort: Saturday's effort against Eureka involved nearly every single Muskie in uniform for the day, with Lakeland substituting freely in the second half and especially in the fourth quarter after running out to leads of 28-0 at halftime and 49-12 after three periods. Four different quarterbacks-Glosny, Heitzmann,
Cy Lumbano-Larson and
Garrett Weninger-played, eight players posted at least one rush, and 13 players were targeted with at least one pass. On defense, 25 different players were involved in at least one tackle, including
Kenarzee Abernathy,
Alex Bauer and
Josiah Winston in their first action of the season. In all now including defense, special teams and tackles after offensive turnovers, 46 different players this season have now been involved in a tackle for the Muskies.
McKynzee's first: Lakeland kicker
McKynzee Schepp made seven of eight point after touchdown kicks against Eureka, and she also knocked in a 32-yard field goal late in the game. It was her first collegiate field goal in two seasons with the Muskies and in just her second attempt, and was the first field goal by a Lakeland kicker since Jesus Garcia made two field goals in the 2023 season, both against Rockford Sept. 23, 2023. Schepp is now up to 57 PAT kicks made in her career, which is up to fifth-most in Lakeland football history, eight kicks behind Billy Hughes with 65 PATs made from 2006-08.
Breaking it up: With opponents running the ball twice as much as they've passed it against Lakeland, splash plays have been relatively few this year until last week's six sacks and four turnovers forced against Eureka. The team's leaders in pass breakups are
Deontae Rickmon and
Norrye Evans with three each. Rickmon is a freshman safety who broke up a pair of passes against Eureka. Evans is a sophomore defensive end, and his three breakups all are on knockdowns of passes while rushing the passer, including one last week against the Red Devils.
Â
