Notables
-West totals three touchdowns in season finale
-Vo leads Saints with 10 tackles including one sack
-Schlender gains 130 yards and adds a touchdown
DULUTH, Minn.
(csssaints.com) – In its final game of the season, the St. Scholastica football team hosted the Pipers from Hamline University this afternoon at Public Schools Stadium. Hamline scored the first points in the contest, but CSS was able to build a lead and not look back, as the Saints defeated the Pipers in the MIAC Championship Week by a score of 26-24.
How it Happened
Hamline received the opening kickoff and promptly scored on its first drive of the afternoon on a 14-play drive to make it 7-0.
On the ensuing drive, the Saints went to work.
Donald West (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury HS (Iowa Central)) connected with
Wyatt Lahr (Bowlus, Minn./Royalton HS) for 11 yards on two passes.
Nick Schlender (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) then added 20 yards on a pair of rushing attempts to put the Saints on the Pipers side of the field. West then found
Benjamin Hunter (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) for a 20-yard touchdown pass and after a missed extra point attempt, CSS trailed Hamline 7-6.
CSS' defense forced a turnover on downs and Schlender led the first couple of rushing attempts for 22 yards. West then connected with
Ashton Hain (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis HS) for a gain of six yards and then West added 14 yards on his own for a Saints first down. After Schlender added 13 yards on a rush, West scored a rushing touchdown on an 18-yard rush to help give CSS a 13-7 lead.
Hamline added a field goal on its next drive to cut CSSs led to 13-10.
CSS responded with a quality drive, started by Schlender, who took four rushing attempts for 52 yards to give CSS a big boost. St. Scholastica caught a break as Hamline was tacked with a personal foul penalty that put CSS on the goal line. CSS went to Schlender to get them into the endzone, and he delivered, scoring on a one-yard gain to make it 19-13 in favor of CSS.
CSS took its lead heading into halftime and in the early moments of the third quarter, both teams' defenses held their own, as neither team was able to put anything together.
Towards the end of the quarter, Hamline added a field goal to make it 19-17 with the Saints leading the Pipers.
The Saints got the ball in the closing minutes of the third quarter and West connected with Lahr for a 42-yard gain, then got some help with Hain adding 10 yards on the ground. After building some ground on the Pipers, West scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, extending the Saints' lead to 26-17.
Hamline scored midway through the fourth quarter on a passing touchdown to make the score 26-24.
Hamline got the ball back trying to give itself a chance to defeat the Saints, but the defense of CSS was too great, as
Anthony Vo (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville HS) was able to sack the quarterback on the final play of the game to give CSS a 26-24 win over Hamline.
Top Performers
Donald West (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury HS (Iowa Central)) recorded 160 passing yards this afternoon, adding a passing touchdown as well. West was also able to add 38 yards rushing today, scoring two touchdowns in that department.
Nick Schlender (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) led CSS in rushing today, adding 150 yards on 30 carries while adding a rushing touchdown as well.
Ashton Hain (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis HS) was also able to manage 17 yards today rushing.
Ricky Weber (Roseville, Minn./Roseville HS) led the Saints in receiving, as he recorded five receptions for 68 yards.
Wyatt Lahr (Bowlus, Minn./Royalton HS) added 53 yards on three receptions and
Benjamin Hunter (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) 26 yards on two receptions, adding a touchdown catch as well.
Defensively, CSS was led by
Anthony Vo (St. Paul, Minn./Roseville HS), who recorded 10 tackles including a sack in today's victory.
Antonio Bugni (Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount HS) recorded eight tackles and
Austin Mundt (Deer River, Minn./Deer River HS) added seven tackles.
End of Season
The Saints end this season with a 3-7 record, including a 3-6 conference record in its second season in the MIAC. The Saints were able to record three wins after not recording a single victory last season. CSS will say goodbye to seniors
Wyatt Lahr (Bowlus, Minn./Royalton HS),
Jake Kukowski (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin HS), and
Travis Mogene (Hallandale, Fla./South Broward HS (Virginia Lynchburg))
For future news on the St. Scholastica football team, keep checking csssaints.com
