Notables
-Olson broke program record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 18
-CSS honored 10 Senior Football Players on the day
-Total Offensive yards: CSS - 333, GC - 321
-CSS went 5-for-6 on scoring when in the red zone
-Blatz went 7-for-7 on extra point kicks
-Both teams combined for 25 penalties, totaling 213 yards

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) - The St. Scholastica football team took on Greenville College (Ill.) on Saturday in what was its final game of the season on an incredibly warm, 60+ degree day at Public Schools Stadium. The Saints scored in each of the first three quarters, including 28 points in the second, earning a 49-21 victory.

Five Score First Half 
After a 3-and-out drive from both teams to start the game, CSS took the ball to the end zone when Kyle Stepka (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) completed a 47 yard pass to Aaron Olson (Esko, Minn./Esko HS), followed by a good extra point kick by Donovan Blatz (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) to put the score at 7-0. The Saints would only extend their lead for the rest of the game. With five minutes left in the first quarter, the Panthers had a shot at putting points on the board with a 31 yard field goal. The kick was good, but an illegal formation penalty on the Panthers pushed them back five yards and forced a replay. On the second kick attempt, Jordan Kittelson (Avon, Minn./Albany HS) broke through the line and blocked the kick. 

On the Saints' first possession of the second quarter, they drove for 65 yards and finished it off with another completed pass to Olson from Stepka, this time for seven yards to make the score 14-0. The TD completion was Olson's 17th of the season, which set a program record for St. Scholastica for most touchdown receptions in one season by one player. The score remained the same until a Panther fumble, forced and recovered by Jack Peru (Phoenix, Ariz./Trevor G. Browne HS (Phoenix College)), got the ball back in the hands of CSS. Two plays later, Stepka rushed for 11 yards for the touchdown to extend the Saints' lead to three scores. 

Two minutes later, Ben Buthe (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) returned a Panthers punt for 69 yards, making it all the way to the 9-yard-line before being taken down. Peru finished the job on the next play with a nine yard rush to make the score 28-0 with two minutes left until half time. But the Saints were not finished pushing and after a pass interception by Kenneth Jinkins (Eagan, Minn./Henry Sibley HS), the CSS offense returned to the field. Stepka pitched the ball to Dakota Paulson (Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie HS), who then connected with Clay Redd II (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center HS (Presentation)) on a 17 yard pass to the end zone for the fourth touchdown of the quarter and the fifth of the half, making the score 35-0.

Steady Second Half
Greenville opened up the half with a successful 83 yard drive ending in a touchdown on a one-yard Jonny Pruiett rush to make the score 35-7. St. Scholastica answered on the next drive on the third Stepka-Olson TD completion of the game. The 33 yard pass, along with an extra point kick from Blatz, put the score at 42-7 with 10 minutes left in the quarter. On the kickoff return, Jacob Johnson (Osceola, Wis./Osceola HS) forced a fumble, which was recovered by Matthew Hinaus (Superior, Wis./Superior HS), giving CSS another scoring opportunity, which they capitalized on when Buthe rushed for two yards to make the score 49-7. The scoring drive lasted seven minutes, which left time for one more possession by each team before the end of the quarter. 

The fourth quarter was the strongest one for the Panthers and the weakest for the Saints, but the deficit was too large to be overcome despite two touchdown completions by Greenville on back-to-back possessions. This made the score 49-21, but that would be as close as the Panthers could get before the final seconds expired.

Notable Performances
Stepka had seven completions with three touchdowns for 122 yards. Paulson went 2-for-2 on completions with a touchdown. Buthe was the lead rusher, with 103 yards on 21 carries. Olson had three receptions, all for touchdowns, for 87 yards. August Marleau (Deer River, Minn./Deer River HS) led the defense with nine tackles, followed by Jonathan Senger (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo HS) who had eight and Chico Ortiz (La Puente, Calif./Los Altos HS) who had seven. Blatz went 7-for-7 on extra points, and kicked for 476 yards with a touchback. 

For the Panthers, George Harris had 12 completions for 119 yards with two touchdowns. Hamid Camara had 78 rushing yards on 17 attempts, and John Dudley had four receptions for 75 yards. Angel Manzano had 14 tackles, followed by Isaiah Coleman who collected 10.

Thank You Seniors
The Saints recognized 10 senior football players today one student-assistant coach. Offensive lineman Harry Griffin (Elba, Ala./Elba HS) got to throw a pass, but it does not show up in the box score because of a Greenville penalty on the play. Fellow offensive lineman Tyler Winkelman (Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS) had five carries. Defensive lineman Jason Kazlauskas (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) had a sack and also was targeted a couple of times as a receiver. Paulson had a touchdown pass and recorded nine rushing attempts.

The Saints finish with an overall record of 7-3, including 7-2 in UMAC play. The Saints finished tied for second in the league with two other teams and record their seventh straight season with at least seven victories. For future information on the St. Scholastica football program, keep checking csssaints.com.