CLC football remains undefeated heading into playoffs

By Osirus Washington

Central Lakes College football coach Greg Medeck and the Raiders became the fourth team in school history to go undefeated during the entire regular season. The accomplishment follows Saturday’s game, where the Raiders beat Northland 30-6.

After the game Medeck spoke to the team, “This season has been a lot of fun. I’ve went on some journeys with some 8-0 teams before but I also had my heart crushed right in front of my eyes. Remember that we still have a job to do.”

That job is to win State and go on to Nationals.

The Raiders started off a bit slow Saturday, but quickly picked up momentum. Neither team could gain an advantage until CLC threw a 15-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. They ran all over the Northland defense while CLC Quarterback Mike Tveitbakk threw 0 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, and ran for one more. An early passing touchdown to Mo Strong sparked the 24-point blowout win.

The offense meant business in their balanced attack. They used a trio of running backs (Teddy Sherva, Greg Lewis, Kejuon Burton) to control the clock and tempo of Saturday’s game, and when it was time to strike Tveitbakk picked on the Northland cornerbacks. He added a late 28-yard passing touchdown to Tristan Waters. The game appeared to be close on paper. Nearly every stat is close in numbers.

The CLC defense made the big difference in Saturday’s game. Second-year defensive backs Kyree Mclain, Maurice Willis and Tykeise Johnson each were very vocal in setting the tone for the defense. They communicated the entire game. The defense forced four interceptions and two fumbles. Tykeise Johnson ran one back for a touchdown, while Mclain had a key interception for a big return late in the game.

Saturday’s game also shined a spotlight on the parents of sophomore players. A large group of Raider football alumni held a reunion and cheered on the team as well.

The pressure is on the Raiders heading forward. They will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Follow CLC on their road to State!