Benedictine wide receiver Max Seibert and quarterback Ryan Keener. Benedictine athletics photo

All it took was one game to turn the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference from the routine one-team race into a wild four-team scramble with two weeks left to play.

You can thank the Benedictine Eagles for that and their 33-6 thrashing of defending NACC champion Concordia (Wis.) last Saturday, which turned the conference race upside down. Lakeland (5-3 overall) finds itself now on top of heap with Benedictine (4-4), Concordia (5-3) and Wisconsin Lutheran (5-3) right behind at 3-1 in league play.

The fun is that all of these teams will have a chance to knock each other off in various games over that time, setting up some pivotal matchups on the field that could set up some dramatic finishes.

"It's going to be a fun two weeks," Benedictine coach Jon Cooper said Monday, noting that he could not be more pleased with his team's resiliency after losing three of its first four games with now having a shot at making the playoffs.

"Looking at the situation we were in, 1-4 everyone figuring we were dead but our players had no quit," Cooper said. "We had some unbelievable weeks of practice. We have some good kids at all three levels. They didn't quit and they kept playing. That was very gratifying to see their attitudes and now we have a chance to control our own destiny."

Concordia (Wis.) entered that contest scoring 50.3 per game against its first three NACC opponents and surrendering 19.3, but the Eagles forced six Falcon turnovers and Concordia lost big-play wide receiver Garrett Wenzelburger early in the game to an injury.

Concordia now faces its annual rival and preseason predicted title challenger Lakeland on Saturday. Muskies coach Kevin Doherty said he doesn't quite know how the loss will affect the Falcons, but he knows the record books are usually thrown out the window when the two teams meet.

"I could only imagine that Concordia probably can't wait to get back out on the football field after a loss like that," Doherty said Monday. "I don't think it really matters to us because if we want to win the NACC, we have to beat them, whether if comes off of a win or a loss. That's what our mind-set has been all year. What we've been doing is playing one-game seasons. That's been our approach."

Well, actually for Lakeland, it's a two-game season. The Muskies are the one team that completely owns its destiny in the NACC. If they run the table and beat the Falcons and Benedictine on Nov. 15, they will capture the title and represent the NACC in the playoffs. End of story.

"We're feeling pretty good about our season so far," Doherty said about his squad that has won five in a row after starting the season 0-3, including gaining its first nonconference win last week against Alma. "We're still searching for our first complete game so I think we're still growing and getting better each game. We've had some nice wins, but we're still looking for that first complete win."

Doherty said Lakeland has leaned on its defense most of the season while its offense found its footing with two freshmen quarterbacks. Anchored by defensive lineman Trevor Tanck, defensive back Yaphay Harvey and linebackers Romain Johnson and Fred Fielding, a convert from safety, the Muskies have taken over the NACC's frontrunner's position.

Cooper said Benedictine's turnaround has been aided by getting key players healthy and sterling play of others, including defense back Rodney Nichols and Stefan Herron and defensive lineman Alex Davis along with the play the quarterback Ryan Keener, running back Artie Monaco and the solidification of its offensive line.

"We've had the same starters for the past three games that has been a tremendous help to keep those guys healthy and together," Cooper said.

If Lakeland and Benedictine could pull off wins on Saturday, then their game on Saturday would be huge, but the Eagles would still need Concordia to do them a favor and beat Wisconsin Lutheran in its final game on the same date to reach the playoffs.

It is amazing how one game has tuned made several NACC games down to the wire contests.

Macalester makes waves in Midwest Conference

As the new kids in the Midwest Conference after playing as a longtime independent, the Malcalester Scots were the great unknown going into the season. Coach Tony Jennison's club has made a strong statement so far, leading the North Division with a 4-0 record after beating previously undefeated Carroll 34-17 on Saturday, getting to 7-1 overall.

Jennison admitted that playing in a conference seems to suit his team, where having a chance to win a division and conference title and earn an automatic bid for the playoffs can be a big intangible for his squad. As an independent, everything can be nothing more than guesswork.

"I think playing in a conference was a big thing for them," Jennison said, "For the first time in 12 years, the young men in our program are playing for something more than pride. I believe it has been a motivating factor for them." 

Macalester's potent backfield combination of running back Zandy Stowell and quarterback Samson Bialostok and proven a difficult task for MWC teams to handle this year. Stowell is averaging 116.3 yards a game this season and is 67 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season while Bialostok is snatching up 78.3 yards per contest and a whopping seven yards per carry.

In the Carroll game, they were particularly lethal, with Stowell rushing for 176 yards on 34 carries and Bialostok 122 more yards on 17 carries. Jennison said the offensive line deserves as much credit as Stowell and Bialostok.

"Zandy and Samson have been tremendous all season," Jennison said. "The bigger the game, the better they play. Our offensive line has really been the key. Our offensive line is very well coached and they play very hard. We are not always as big as our opponents up front but our offensive line and defensive line plays with great technique and effort. Senior Djoser Ramsey, our center, has been dominant all year. Seniors John Stephens and Spencer Weckwerth have been rocks we have relied upon as well."

Even though Macalester's defense surrendered 121 yards to Carroll running back Lamont Williams, Jennison said he felt his defense played well and think they have been one of the backbones of the Scots all season. Overall, Jennison said this team may stand out for him since he's been hired there in 2008.

"I believe this is the best team we have had since we have been at Macalester," Jennison said. "We may not be as strong in certain positions as in other years, but overall I think this is our best team."

Jennison said, though, Macalester’s job is hardly done. The Scots still have to play traditionally strong St. Norbert (3-1, 5-3) on the road to actually capture the North Division title on Saturday. If they win, then will have to play in the Midwest Conference title game the following week to win the conference's automatic berth to the playoffs.

"I know this is very cliche but we don't really think about last week's game or the game next week," Jennison said. "We just focus on doing our very best right now."

The big game in the South Division is Cornell (3-1 and 5-2) at Illinois College (4-0, 6-2). Illinois College is the preseason favorite to win the division but Cornell beat Illinois College in the final game of the season last year. If that happens, Monmouth (3-1, 6-2) is at home against Knox (0-4, 2-6) and if they win could create a three-way tie, where the conference tiebreaker (quarters led) will apply.

Things clearer for Wheaton, Franklin

For the CCIW and the HCAC, life is a little simpler for No. 12 Wheaton (8-0) and Franklin (6-2), respectively. Wheaton, which is coming off wins over No. 20 North Central (6-2) and Elmhurst (5-3), sits on top of the CCIW standings and looks poised to win an undisputed conference title, breaking North Central's string of eight straight. Franklin is coming off a bye week and needs to win one of its last two games against either Defiance or Hanover or have Mount St. Joseph lose to claim at least a share of the HCAC title for the fifth straight season.

The only real questions, postseason-wise, is will North Central get into the playoffs with two losses, even those losses came to Wheaton and UW-Stevens Point, which was ranked in the top 25 until last week? The Cardinals own a win over No. 17-ranked UW-Platteville. Chicago, at 6-1, would like to make a case for itself with its only loss to No. 10 Bethel on the road, but it lost to Bethel badly, 52-21.