Second-Half Surge Denies Roosevelt Upset Bid

MARION, Ind. – Roosevelt jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan scored 35 unanswered points to defeat the Lakers 35-14 in a non-league game between the two Mid-States Football Association members Saturday in Marion, Ind.

All of the big momentum plays favored the Lakers (2-2) in the early going, starting with Joey Mahop's interception at the goal line midway through the first quarter to deny the Wildcats any points. On Indiana Wesleyan's next drive, it ran nine plays and marched down 73 yards, but were stonewalled at the goal line by the Lakers defense, forcing a turnover on downs. Mahop picked up a second interception in the second quarter to stifle any momentum for the Wildcats after an Indiana Wesleyan takeaway.

Mahop's first interception pinned the Lakers at their own 9-yard line, but two plays later, Carson Budke picked up 23 yards on a connection to Keonta Nixon. A Wildcats penalty allowed Roosevelt to cross over midfield and Tyler Tenner gashed the Wildcats for 20 yards on the next play to bring the ball near the red zone. Budke found Jacob Biddle for 22 yards on the next play, setting up Tenner's four-yard touchdown plunge to give Roosevelt the early 7-0 advantage.

After denying Indiana Wesleyan at the goal line, the Lakers found themselves needing to go 99 yards on this drive. Consecutive five-yard carries from Tenner plus an extra 15 yards from a Wildcats penalty got the Lakers out of the shadow of their own end zone. Budke did the rest with a 73-yard strike to Ethan Cano to give Roosevelt a two-score lead. Cano finished as the team's leading receiver with four catches for 123 yards.

A pair of chunk plays put the Wildcats on the board on their next drive then they pounced on a fumble near midfield to regain possession. Yet Indiana Wesleyan tried throwing on first-and-goal from the 5, and Mahop swooped in for the pick and returned it to the 20 to give Roosevelt some breathing room. The teams traded punts before Roosevelt put together a methodical 11-play, 72-yard drive that led to a field goal attempt that missed to the right.

Indiana Wesleyan took over the game in the second half and quickly capitalized on a Budke interception to tie the game. Budke threw a second interception two drives later, and the Wildcats cashed in that takeaway for their first lead of the day. Tenner tried to turn the tide with a 31-yard run and an additional 15-yard personal foul on the Wildcats, but Budke was picked off for a third time. Indiana Wesleyan marched 98 yards in 10 plays to make it a two-score game.

Budke was 17 of 35 for 314 yards and a touchdown in his second start for Roosevelt, but also had four interceptions against the No. 4 team in the land. Tenner rushed for 103 yards on 25 attempts, but a strong Lakers rushing attack was limited to 3.5 yards per carry in the loss. Corties Draper led the defense with 10 tackles while Jordan Payne had Roosevelt's only sack in the contest.

The Lakers return home next Saturday to begin MSFA Midwest League play against St. Ambrose at 2 p.m. at Morris Field in Arlington Heights.