It's 1,014 miles from Lyon College's campus to Niagara Falls, but that's one of the places that the Scots have been in pursuit of Division III opponents this season. Lyon College photo

By Joe Sager
D3sports.com

The 1987 classic movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a staple for many around the holidays.

This fall, the Lyon College football team has experienced it all. Though the Scots’ travels haven’t been as extreme as those of Steve Martin and the late John Candy in that movie, they’ve definitely logged some miles.

The program’s switch from the NAIA to the NCAA Division III level left the team with a quirky schedule this fall. Located in Batesville, Arkansas, Lyon has made two treks to western New York and two more deep into Texas for games and heads to Decorah, Iowa for a Saturday meeting at Luther College.

“It has been an experience, for sure,” Lyon starting running back Jaylin Babers said. “Overall, though, there have been a lot of good things and it’s been a good experience. The travel part sometimes can be a pain. Overall, though, it builds memories and creates a bond within the team.”

The long road trips are a new thing for Lyon, which was accepted as a new provisional member into the NCAA membership process in 2022 and is slated to become a full NCAA member in fall 2025. However, the Scots have made the most of their long jaunts.

“It’s amazing when I hear guys talk about their memories or the brotherhood and family they were part of on teams, they often refer back to those long bus trips and flights and early morning departures, time spent in the hotel, time spent together in the locker room,” said Lyon coach Chris Douglas, who has been coaching for three decades and was previously head coach at Division III MacMurray. “Just kind of being cooped up for a long time has made the guys really bond together and make a lot of memories.”

The team took charter buses for their first long road trip to Alfred, New York, which included an overnight stop in Cincinnati.

“It was fun. On those trips, you’re not necessarily having to worry about going to school or class or doing work,” Babers said. “Yes, we’re going to play a college football game, but we’re not sitting there watching film the whole time or game planning. We have a lot of free time to talk about anything and joke around about anything.”

While trekking so far by bus can be grueling, the Scots made the most of it.

“We don’t get bored,” Lyon starting left guard Jake Fore said with a laugh. “We find stuff to fill the time with. It’s a lot of time to fill, but we usually make it work out for us.”

Many players bring portable video game systems or watch movies to help pass the time. The gaming competition can get intense, too.

“When we got stuck on the highway behind an accident for two hours while going to Alfred, many guys didn’t even know we were stuck. They were all playing a game,” Fore said. “I bring my (Nintendo) Switch on the bus and play Mario Kart. That usually eats up about two hours.”

For their second trip to New York last week, the team traveled by airplane to Buffalo, which made for a much quicker journey. They bused the rest of the way to Hilbert.

“When we flew in, some of the guys were saying they would have liked to have taken a bus instead,” Babers said with a laugh. “When we took a bus that first time, that was a fun trip. We got to sit there and laugh and joke with each other a lot.”

Last week’s trip included a sightseeing detour to Niagara Falls as well.

“This year has been a blessing. I am getting to play the sport I love, but getting to see places I’ve never seen before, too,” Fore said. “I had never been to Niagara Falls. This situation has allowed me to go see a lot of these things that I had never experienced before – and maybe wouldn’t, normally – and I am getting to do it with my boys, too, and get to play football. It’s great.”

Kamron Turner fights for extra yardage while Jake Fore (70) blocks. Lyons College athletics photo

“This is my 30th year of coaching football – and 28th at the collegiate level – and I have never been to western New York, let alone twice in one year,” Douglas said. “It’s been great to see the leaves in the mountains up there or play some of the teams we’re playing. We’re going up to Luther. I know a lot about them, but never had a chance to play on their field or be on that blue turf.”

Almost every player on Lyon’s roster is from the Southern United States. So, they’ve had a chance to play against some different styles, too. For instance, linemen may have different ways to use their hands to gain leverage when blocking their counterparts.

“I’d say football is pretty much the same everywhere,” Fore said. “But, some of these guys play with a little different technique. It’s kind of weird playing against them, at first, and trying to figure what they’re trying to do.”

Each team on Lyon’s schedule is different from last year. Once the Scots join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference next fall for football, the program looks to establish new matchups in their new conference.

“This year has been awesome. Who wouldn’t want to go across the country to play football and meet new people and play in new environments? I was talking with a guy from the hotel in Buffalo, as far as the Buffalo Bills and how people in Buffalo really follow their team,” Babers said. “Getting to play new teams that we’ve never seen before and tee where our talents really are, compared to them has been cool.

“But, the ultimate goal is to find a forever home in our conference. This year is an experience. But, going into a conference and knowing we have the potential to play for title and, a couple years later, trying to play for playoffs adds some more meaningfulness to the games.”

The Scots will join Austin, Centenary and McMurry in the SCAC next fall. The conference had hoped to have eight members participating in football no later than 2026 before Southwestern and Trinity (Texas) announced full-time moves to the Southern Athletic Association. Schreiner had previously announced it was adding a football program, and Texas Lutheran is slated to bring its football program home to the SCAC from the American Southwest Conference, where it is an associate member.

“We understand it’s a building process, especially for us. We’re still playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores. This in-between year, more than half of this schedule we will never see again,” Douglas said. “It’s definitely been a challenge. We’ve been working on this schedule for 14-15 months and two schools (Iowa Wesleyan and Finlandia) closed on us during that time.

“But, the players have been pretty excited about the change to D-III. Anytime you have a big change like that, there’s concern, doubt and fear. We addressed it head-on. We took it as a positive change. Institutionally, we think it’s a great fit for us to be in D-III and play with like-minded schools.

“This kind of off year, where we are forced to spread our wings and expand our playing schedule has been exciting and a breath of fresh air. But, it’s a lot of work. And I wouldn’t want to try to do it again or wish it on anybody.”

The Scots are 4-4 and hope to finish the next two weeks on a positive note. In addition to the trip to Luther, Lyon hosts Centenary, which plays its first season of varsity football next fall, in 2024.

“For me, it’s been awesome. As far as football, this is the most fun I have had in a long time,” Babers said. “We want to finish the season strong. We have two more opportunities left. We want to build on our experience and have a great offseason, too.”

“It’s been a long season, but it’s also been a short season,” Fore added. “We’ve done a lot of traveling and spent a lot of time on the road. But, we’ve had a lot of fun. I think this has been my favorite group to play with and be with on the practice field each day. I think everybody bought in more than before and we’re all on the same page and moving in the same direction. I am excited to finish the last two and see how things going to go.

“I was talking to my family and I am kind of bummed we can’t compete for playoffs. But, in the future, when Lyon is in the playoffs, I will be able to tell my kids or friends that I played for Lyon when they first got their start in D-III. I think that’s a great blessing to be part of this first team.”