Statesman

Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Tyler Sweeney Senior quarterback Ted Schlafke prepares in the weight room for this weekend's first round of play-offs against North Dakota.

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. After an 11-0 regular season finish, an outright Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) title and a first-ever home playoff game; it seems that greatness is nearing an end in the case of the seniors on UMD's perfect football team.

This year's team features 13 seniors. Among these elderly Dogs are eight NSIC All-North first team performers, a second teamer and a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II's player of the year, according to the UMD Web site. Perhaps most important to the group's runaway success; however, is the new presence of a family.

"Last season left a bitter taste in our mouths and we decided, as a team, not to allow that to happen again," said all-conference linebacker Ben Loth. "We worked extremely hard in the offseason, came together and became like a real family, pushing each other to make ourselves better and better."

Bitterness over last season's failures is a fairly common thread among the holdovers on this year's squad. However, that does not mean lessons were not learned or that positives were not taken from the disappointment of a year ago.

"We finished 4-6 last season in the toughest Division II conference in the country [the now defunct NCC]," said defensive coordinator John Steger. "With the quality of our returning seniors and starters, it's no shock that we've had an outstanding season."

This sentiment is echoed by senior safety and captain Tyler Yelk.

"Playing three years in a league like the NCC with great teams week-in and week-out really groomed us for the success we're having this year," he said.

Perhaps most fascinating among this group of outgoing Bulldogs is how little surprise is expressed over their dominance this year. Despite no one on the team having ever won more than eight games in a season collegiately, it seems that nearly every Dog expected at least to win a conference championship.

Continued...

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