ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The Roosevelt Lakers came up just short in an offensive MSFA Midwest battle against Olivet Nazarene in the team's season finale Saturday at a chilly Morris Field in Arlington Heights by a score of 38-31.

Roosevelt's typically stout defense struggled in the first half to limit Olivet Nazarene's big plays, which allowed the Tigers to capture all of the momentum. Olivet Nazarene had seven passes of at least 20 yards, including three on its first touchdown drive. The Tigers also had a 65-yard touchdown toss and a 24-yard completion that set up Olivet Nazarene inside the Roosevelt 5-yard line.

A big reason the Lakers (7-3, 4-3 MSFA Midwest) were outgained by nearly 200 yards was the outstanding play of their special teams. Immediately after the Tigers opened the scoring, Ethan Cano returned the kickoff 55 yards deep into Olivet Nazarene territory to set up a Tyler Tenner score. The Lakers also blocked a punt for a touchdown as Zavier Barnes returned the loose ball and their pressure forced a mis-kick that set up Roosevelt deep in Tigers' territory.

The Lakers trailed at halftime for the first time since October 1 after Olivet Nazarene hit those explosive plays. Yet Roosevelt's defense came out with a renewed focus to begin the second half and pulled the Lakers right back into the game. Bennie Harris forced a fumble on the Tigers' first possession of the half then Roosevelt held for a three-and-out that led to the shanked punt. Harris forced a second fumble later in the third quarter, setting up an Andrew Bucaro 20-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 25-24.

However, that was as close as the Lakers would get with its passing game struggling. Luke Wilson completed just 16 of his 37 attempts and fired three interceptions, only one of which the Tigers were able to capitalize. Wilson did hit Jack Young Jr. for a seven-yard touchdown in the third quarter and he led the Lakers on an eight-play scoring drive in the middle of the fourth quarter to bring the game within one possession. That drive was finished off by a second Tenner touchdown on the only running play of the drive.  

Roosevelt had a chance to tie the game after Jalen Perkins reached up to snag an interception with 1:59 left in regulation. Wilson needed to lead the Lakers 91 yards without any timeouts and was able to quickly navigate to midfield. However, his fourth-down pass over the middle to Alex Tran was deflected and tumbled to the ground as the comeback fell short.

The Lakers finish the season 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the MSFA Midwest. The seven victories are the most for the program since 2016 when it won seven times as the Robert Morris Eagles.