The Central Lakes College football team battled hard in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference championship Sunday, Nov. 7 but came up short, 34-31, against the Rochester team whose only loss in 2010 was to the Raiders. It was the only loss for CLC after 10 straight wins. The run came to an end for the Raiders when quarterback Dominique Corder’s last-ditch pass to a well-covered Nick Grewe with no time remaining was batted down near the goal line. CLC had the Yellowjackets on the ropes for most of the contest. Tyler Guimont put the Raiders on the board early with a 27-yard field goal, and Ryan Fay hauled in a three-yard pass in the second quarter, accounting for the Raiders’ scoring and a 10-9 halftime lead. CLC held a 24-9 lead entering the fourth quarter. Rochester piled up 180 yards – including plays of 64 and 65 – and 25 points in the final 15 minutes of play. The Raiders were flagged six times for 55 yards and committed four turnovers. RCTC QB Derick Heitkamp rushed for 28 yard and threw for 17, setting up the game-winning, 32-yard field goal with :07 left. Late in the first quarter a holding call at the goal line nullified a Corder score. The league’s No. 1 QB, Indianapolis native Corder, threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards and one TD. Corder’s favorite target was Tyler Erickson, one of the MCAC’s best pass catchers, who caught TD passes of 27 and 17 yards and toteld eight catches for 97 yards. “This one will be hard to get over,” Head Coach Greg Medeck said. “We had a very successful season and you have to give them credit for what we’ve accomplished this year. We came up short in a big game, and hopefully that doesn’t override our entire season.” It won’t. This game was filled with the “never give up” spirit that is the trademark of Medeck teams, which now have won 27 of 34 games in three seasons. Watch for more excitement next season from returning game-breakers such as Stoney Burns (pictured on one of his big gainers as a defensive back and an offense threat), Jordan LaRoche, Barret Powell, Johnny Egan, Ryan Tri, Frank Mays, and a host of strong front line muscle men. CLC fans anticipate a host of talented recruits joining a prestigious football program that is the pride of Minnesota.