ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Scholastica football team broke into the win column in convincing fashion Saturday, scoring on its first three possessions and forcing three interceptions in a 48-14 victory over Hamline at Klas Field.
The Saints piled up 467 yards of total offense, including 242 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, to improve to 1-7 overall and 1-6 in MIAC play. Hamline dropped to 1-7 overall and 0-7 in the conference.
Elijah Adzimahe (Oakdale, MN/North St. Paul HS) completed 12 of 17 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns without an interception while adding 71 rushing yards. Brayden Dent (Green Isle, MN/Central HS) caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Stephan Jackson (Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis North HS) scored both through the air and on the ground.
The defense set the tone on Hamline's opening possession when Maximilian Neaves (Waseca, MN/Waseca HS) intercepted a pass at the St. Scholastica 4-yard line. The Saints turned that takeaway into a nine-play, 96-yard touchdown drive, capped by Adzimahe's 35-yard scoring pass to Dent with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, St. Scholastica moved 60 yards for another touchdown. A 43-yard connection between Adzimahe and Dent on third-and-12 helped set up Neaves' 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Saints a 14-0 lead.
Blake Fox (Somerset, WI/Somerset High School) extended the advantage early in the second quarter, breaking free for a 64-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 21-0.
Hamline answered with a touchdown late in the half, but the Saints needed just 41 seconds to respond. Adzimahe found Nathan Behrens (Watertown, MN/Watertown-Mayer HS) for gains of 32 and seven yards before connecting with Jackson for a 36-yard touchdown with 48 seconds remaining. Christopher Norgbean (Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong High School) then intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play of the half to preserve a 28-7 lead.
St. Scholastica continued to pull away after halftime. Following a defensive stop on fourth down, Jackson capped a three-play, 54-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown run at the 6:47 mark of the third quarter.
The Saints forced another turnover on downs on Hamline's next possession, with Neaves breaking up a fourth-down pass. Griffin Webb (Fort Frances, ON/Fort Frances HS) finished the ensuing drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 41-7, and Logan Hammel (Forest Lake, MN/North Branch High School) added St. Scholastica's third interception later in the quarter.
Christian Hoveland (Lake Elmo, MN/Stillwater HS) scored the Saints' final touchdown on a 2-yard run with 5:34 remaining, completing a 10-play, 66-yard drive. Hamline added a late touchdown to account for the final margin.
Fox led the Saints with 81 rushing yards on six carries. Jackson finished with 44 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards, while Webb added 35 yards on the ground. Behrens caught five passes for 62 yards.
Neaves and Isaac Johnson (St. Paul, MN/St. Paul Highland Park HS) shared the team lead with six tackles apiece, with all six of Johnson's stops coming solo. Samuel Haug (Brooklyn Park, MN/Concordia Academy) added five tackles, including one for loss. The Saints limited Hamline to 57 rushing yards and held the Pipers to one conversion in five fourth-down attempts.
Jack Schroeder (Fall Creek, WI/Regis High School) made all six of his extra-point attempts, while Neaves placed both of his punts inside the Hamline 20-yard line.
