DULUTH, Minn. – The College of St. Scholastica football team opened its 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Public Schools Stadium, falling 37-14 to Wisconsin Lutheran College.
The Warriors struck first in unusual fashion, recording a safety on St. Scholastica's opening possession to take a 2-0 lead. The Saints' defense kept Wisconsin Lutheran out of the end zone for the remainder of the first quarter, including a turnover on downs at the CSS 17-yard line.
Wisconsin Lutheran broke through in the second quarter. Roman Morales connected with Jakota Hase for a 34-yard touchdown before finding Keith Johnson for a 42-yard score later in the period. Liam Heiges added a one-yard touchdown run as time expired to give the Warriors a 23-0 halftime advantage.
The Warriors extended the lead to 30-0 on their opening possession of the second half, but the Saints began to find their rhythm offensively as the third quarter progressed.
St. Scholastica put together its longest drive of the afternoon late in the third, moving 68 yards over 14 plays and taking more than eight minutes off the clock. Eddie Dossantos (Rockford, MN/Providence Academy) finished the possession by connecting with Brayden Dent (Green Isle, MN/Central HS) for a 42-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining in the quarter. Jack Schroeder's (Fall Creek, WI/Regis High School) extra point made it 30-7.
The Saints' defense provided another opportunity midway through the fourth quarter when Samuel Haug (Brooklyn Park, MN/Concordia Academy) intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback. Two plays later, Dossantos found Dent again, this time for a 59-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 30-14 with 7:49 remaining.
Dent was the big-play threat for the Saints throughout the afternoon, finishing with three receptions for 117 yards and both St. Scholastica touchdowns. Jeremiah Jackson (Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis North High School) added three catches for 31 yards, while Griffin Webb (Fort Frances, ON/Fort Frances HS) recorded three receptions for 26 yards.
Blake Fox (Somerset, WI/Somerset High School) led the Saints on the ground with 29 yards on four carries, including a long of 13 yards.
Defensively, Isaac Johnson (St. Paul, MN/St. Paul Highland Park HS) led St. Scholastica with 13 total tackles, including three solo stops and 10 assists. Haug and Maximilian Neaves (Waseca, MN/Waseca HS) each finished with eight tackles, while Ashton Gross (Osceola, WI/Osceola HS) recorded seven. Matthew Fenton (North Branch, MN/North Branch HS) registered a sack, and Haug added the Saints' interception.
Aiden Nelson (Cloquet, MN/Cloquet High School) also came up with a special teams highlight in the fourth quarter, blocking a 21-yard Wisconsin Lutheran field goal attempt.
Wisconsin Lutheran added a late touchdown to account for the final 37-14 margin. The Saints move to 0-1 on the season, and are off next week on bye.
