The game had been over for more than 45 minutes, but the seniors on the Muhlenberg football team refused to leave the field.

The Mules had just wrapped up their season with a dominating 28-0 win over their Lehigh Valley rival Moravian, and the seniors were not quite ready for their careers to be over.

So instead of heading to the locker room, they exchanged hugs, posed for pictures and shared some laughs after moving to 2-2 against the Greyhounds.

For some, like defensive end Kenneth Cobb, it marked the end of impressive and decorated careers.

“It feels great to win my last game like this,” he said. “They gave us two really tough losses, so this kind of makes up for them. I can’t think of a better way to finish my career.”

For others, the strong finish was a fitting reward for four years of hard work and effort during game week.

Wide receiver Jesse Long had been a practice player for most of his career, but in the fourth quarter all of those hours of running drills and sprints finally paid off when he took the field for the first time in a varsity game.

“It felt amazing being out there,” he said. “I’ve been waiting four years to get on the field. I’ve been working hard, and it was well worth it. That was the greatest feeling in the world.”

Tight end Sean Mulligan has seen some spot duty this season, but the game with Moravian was extra special, he said, because it offered him one last chance to play the game he has loved since he was a kid.

“It was very rewarding,” Mulligan said. “It’s been a lot of hard work, and I’m glad we could go out this way.”

Quarterback Justin Myers has a much different story. He saw significant time in four games in 2009, starting two. But after missing all of last season because of injury, he had not seen the field again until Saturday.

So when he stepped under center against the Greyhounds, he said he felt right at home.

“Being injured last year was rough, but today felt great,” he said. “And I can’t believe how good it actually felt to get hit a little bit because it meant I was back on the field. I never thought I’d say I enjoyed getting hit.

“After having them end our perfect season three years ago and making us share the conference title last year, this win was very satisfying. It was just awesome.”

And as they walked off the field, smiles stretched across each of their faces. While they all described the moment as “bittersweet,” it was obvious at that moment the sweetness definitely outweighed the bitter.

photos by Lisa Youngentob (a senior shooting her last Muhlenberg football game) and Bill Johnson