Box Score

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The St. Scholastica football team made its first game one to remember, falling just short to the Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors by a score of 36-29 today at Raabe Stadium.

The Saints trailed 36-15 at the end of the third quarter, but then scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, recovered an onside kick and got into Wisconsin Lutheran territory late, but an interception ended the unthinkable.

CSS was playing a team that had already played two games this season and was a varsity program for nine years. However, the Saints gave the Warriors the best effort they had and gave the over 100 St. Scholastica fans, who made the trip, an exciting show.

The Saints had to play defense first and the game didn't start out as planned. On the first play from scrimmage the Warriors connected on a 57-yard pass play down to the Saints 10-yard line. Wisconsin Lutheran capitalized on the drive when Larry Hairl scored on a screen pass from 10 yards out to make the score 7-0 Warriors.

After the Saints went three-and-out on their first possession, #Keegan O'Neill# (Fr.-Superior, Wis.) struck a 51-yard punt down to the Warriors seven yard line. On the first play of the drive for Wisconsin Lutheran, the snap went over the quarterback's head and out of the end zone for a safety, the first points in St. Scholastica football history.

The Warriors made the score 14-2 on their third possession when on fourth-and-goal Josh McCormick connected with Nate Rosenberg for a three-yard touchdown. Wisconsin Lutheran made the score 21-2 at the start of the second quarter when Jesse Muldrow ran for a 19-yard touchdown.

The Saints scored their first touchdown halfway through the second quarter when #Matthew Johnson# (Fr.-Superior, Wis.) got the option pitch from quarterback #Jake Olson# (Fr.-Esko, Minn.) and Johnson dove into the end zone to make the score 21-9. #Kyle Hoffman# (Jr.-St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) added the extra point.

The Warriors added to their lead scored with 57 seconds left in the first half to make the score 28-9. However it didn't take long for the Saints to respond as Jake Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS) ran the two-minute offense to perfection and hit #Mike VanMassenhove# (So.-Superior, Wis.) for a six-yard touchdown pass to make the score 28-15. It only took CSS 34 seconds to score.

Both offenses slowed down in the third quarter, but the Warriors had a 14-play, 92-yard drive, which included a fourth-and-one conversion on its own end of the field to put them up 36-15 with six minutes left in the quarter. The score remained that way until early in the fourth quarter when Olson connected with Keegan O'Neill (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) for seven-yard touchdown strike to make the score 36-22.

The Warriors fumbled on the following possession and it was recovered by #Phil DesMarais# (So.-Duluth, Minn./Denfeld). The Saints got into Wisconsin Lutheran territory, but would be forced to punt. The CSS defense then came up big and forced the Warriors to punt.

The Saints proceeded to march the ball down the field and Olson threw his third touchdown pass of the afternoon, hitting VanMassenhove again from 12 yards out to make the score 36-29 with 2:14 left in the game.

CSS then performed an onside kick and Kyle Hoffman (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) executed it perfectly as the Saints recovered and had a chance. The Saints got into Warrior territory, but threw an interception on third-and-long. CSS had one last opportunity with 25 seconds left, but back-to-back sacks ran out the clock as Wisconsin Lutheran hung on 36-29.

Jake Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS), in his first collegiate game, threw for 320 yards on 25-of-50 passing and had three touchdowns. Mike VanMassenhove (Superior, Wis./Superior HS (Minn.-Duluth)) had eight receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, #Christopher Henagin# (Jr.-Cloquet, Minn.) had 12 carries for 44 yards. #James Leary# (Fr.-Inver Grove Heights, Minn./South St. Paul) had nine tackles to lead the CSS defense.

Wisconsin Lutheran out-gained the Saints 525-372. The Warriors had 235 yards rushing on the day and got their first win of the season on homecoming.

The Saints will be on the road again next weekend when they face the University of Minnesota-Morris in a conference matchup. The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.