Lakeland looked to finish their season off strong on Saturday, Oct. 10 when the Muskies took on Benedictine at Taylor Field, but the Muskies once again came up short as they dropped the game 27-3.

The Muskies’ only score came from William Yelverton, who converted on a 20 yard field goal in the first quarter. Though Yelverton was the lone scorer of the contest, backup quarterback Dylan Kelly led the Muskies offense all afternoon. Kelly made his season debut substituting for the injured Dylan Van Straten.  Kelly rushed 20 times for a career high 134 yards and completed 7 of 17 passes for 37 yards.

Lakeland had 224 yards of total offense. Another Muskie standout was Kendrick Burks, who rushed for a total of 41 yards.

Defensive standout was Bruce Romagnoli who played his last game as a Muskie. Romagnoli had 10 tackles in the game, closing an impressive season and college career on a high note. Jake LaFleur also added six tackles for the Lakeland defense.

Despite Lakeland’s high points, Benedictine dominated the Muskies on the ground. Benedictine gained 254 of its 345 total yards in the second half. Benedictine star player Joe Borsellino started the momentum for Benedictine when he rushed for an eight yard touchdown in the third quarter. Boresllino rushed for 129 total yards.

Borsellino led Benedictine’s offense on the ground with the help of John Alessi, who also had a good day on the ground as he rushed for 104 yards. Alessi kept Boresllino’s momentum going in the fourth quarter when he ran right up the middle for 38 yards and found himself in the end zone, making the game 21-3.

Benedictine’s final score came from quarterback Cyle Schultz, who had a sneak play on the one yard line and maneuvered the ball across the goal line.

The loss ended the Lakeland season at a 2-8 overall record and a NAC record of 2-5. The Muskies look to rebound next year with many returning young stars in the lineup.