Last weekend, the Gustie football team began its 100th season with a seven and a half hour roadtrip to Fulton, Missouri. The trip was well worth it as the Gusties delivered on a decisive 35-6 victory over Westminster College.

Great performances from Sophomore quarterback Michael Veldman and Senior running back Luke Martinez set the tone for the Gusties.

“We’re a young team and continuing to find our identity. Certainly Saturday was a great start. ” — Head Coach Haugen

This was a big game for both players as it was Veldman’s first start for the Gusties, and Martinez’s first game after missing last season with an injury.

Veldman led the way, connecting on 21-25 passes and a touchdown, while adding a 6-yard rushing touchdown before fellow sophomore Sam Archer took over in the fourth quarter.

“He was efficient and made good decisions with the ball,” Head Coach Peter Haugen said regarding Veldman’s debut.

Veldman’s good decisions proved to be a highlight in the game.
“That’s the big thing. He passed well in terms of his accuracy and our receivers went out and made some big plays behind him,” Haugen said.

Veldman is a transfer student from Division 1 North Dakota State University and is stepping right into the role of starting quarterback for the Gusties. There is no doubt that he is the right man for the job after a strong first appearance under center.

Senior running back Luke Martinez also had himself a game, rushing for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries.

Martinez missed all of last season with a broken collarbone, and was eager to hit the field again for his senior season.

Coach Haugen had nothing but good things to say about Martinez’ play in his first game back.

“It looked like he was his old self. He’s a physical runner at the point of attack and he got better as the game went along. He’s a physical, punishing runner and did a nice job today,” Haugen said.

Strong performances from Senior Safety Sergio De Pablos Velez and Senior Linebacker Iker Ortiz-Hidalgo anchored the defense for the Gusties. De Pablos Velez recorded a key interception in the redzone, and Ortiz-Hidalgo recorded 4 solo tackles, two of them for loss.

The Gusties are coming off a strong season last year, finishing with an overall record of 7-3 (5-3 MIAC) and a 3rd place finish in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. That was the most wins in a season for Gustavus football since 2001, and third place was their best finish in the MIAC since 2002.

They’ll be looking for continued production on offense from Veldman and Martinez, while relying on a solid defense and leadership from senior captains linebacker Zack Martinez, linebacker Tyler Jakes, guard Joe Theiler, and offensive tackle Jake Schmitz.

The 100th season is a big milestone for the program and Coach Haugen seems to be optimistic about the season ahead.

“We’re a young team and continuing to find our identity. We just need to keep improving from week to week. Certainly [Saturday] was a great start, but we’re going to have to clean things up for sure,” Coach Haugen said.

This Saturday, the Gusties have a chance to do just that; they take on UW-River Falls in their home opener at Hollingsworth Field at 1 pm.