Matthew Olson – Staff Writer
Homecoming football has once again befallen Hollingsworth Field and the Gusties presented their fans with a resounding 77-7 win over St. Scholastica. The Gusties exceeded the Saints 667-201 in total yards, moving up to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in the MIAC, and 1-0 in the Northwoods Division, all while setting a new program record for the largest margin of victory.
The Gusties scored right off the bat on their first possession, with Senior Dalton Thelen catching a 10-yard pass from Sophomore quarterback George Sandven. The Gusties subsequently crossed into the endzone on all eight other drives of the first half, a perfect half in every sense of the word.
The second score came from a four-yard rush from Junior Rohee Konde. The third was a result of the longest play of the game, where Sandven again found Thelen and connected for a 71-yard touchdown. The first quarter ended shortly after with a score of 21-0.
The Gusties erupted in the second quarter, beginning with a rushing touchdown from First-year Tanner Rennie, followed by 12-yard and 35-yard touchdown receptions by Junior Jake Breitbach and Senior Matthew Kipper, respectively.
Sandven completed 16-of-20 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns in just the first quarter and half of the second quarter of play.
“It probably was the best start I’ve had to a game. Offensively we operated really well – receivers got open, the line was super solid and gave me a lot of time, running backs ran hard and found holes. It was definitely my best start to a game but also the best one the team’s had all year… Every game we’re getting more confident offensively and defensively and we’re working hard at practices to be able to execute on Saturdays. Every game is just a building block for the foundation and it’s getting to be pretty strong,” Sandven said.
With the Gustie offense having such a prolific first half, the Gustie defense was just as effective. Holding the Saints scoreless through the first half, Sophomore Will Hawkins made a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“I think since last year our biggest strength was stopping up the run game on defense and by doing that and making other offenses more one-handed we can start to pressure and capitalize on some mistakes. Our offense keeps putting more stuff together every week so we’re just always looking to get them back on the field,” Junior and linebacker Braden Black said.
As if the Gustie defense outscoring the Saints offense was not enough, Senior David Peal and Junior River Wood each added their own rushing touchdowns for the Gusties, making the halftime score 61-0.
Senior Ethan Hufendick started the second half under center and completed 6-of-9 passes for 96 yards in his time of play. First-year Jack Boyle started the second half scoring with a five-yard touchdown run before the Saints ended the shutout with a 76-yard touchdown drive in six plays.
The Gusties would score twice in the fourth quarter, first off a 20-yard field goal by Senior Andrew Abegglen and again when First-year Caden Kleinschmidt caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Sophomore Andrew Gotziaman.
Ten different Gusties receivers were targeted, piloted by Thelen with five receptions on five targets for 109 yards and two scores. Kipper added his own five-for-five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Wood led the Gustie ground game with 14 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Wood also had two kick returns totalling 75 yards, leading the team in all-purpose yards with 137 total. Gustavus had nine different ball carriers that combined for 268 yards.
As the Gustie offense averaged nine yards – nearly a full first down – per play, the Saints offense averaged just three. Third-down conversion rate is another spot the Gusties shined, converting 6-11 third downs while the Saints struggled with 3-16.
“I look up to a lot of the guys, you know? We got a ton of good leaders on the team, offense and defense. They know what they’re doing so it’s easy to follow them and learn from them, plus they’re just really good guys as well. I think it’s stuff like that that’s gonna make the team strong for a while,” First-year and linebacker Will White said.
The Gusties will attempt to keep their Homecoming strength untamed as they head to Hamline on Saturday.