Teddy Kaste-
The Gustavus Football Team defeated St. Scholastica last Saturday in the Homecoming game 51-13. The win moved Gustavus to 3-2 on the season. Fifth-year Jake Brietbach became the all-time leader in receiving yards in the game; surpassing the record of Matthew Boyce ‘16. Brietbach now has 3,310 career receiving yards, which ranks him 6th in MIAC history.
The atmosphere for the homecoming game is a bit different from that of a regular game. The game saw an attendance of 2,649 – a massive increase from the 762 from their previous home game against Bethel. Gustavus alumni, faculty, and students came out in droves to support the Gusties for Homecoming.
Although the football game was the main focal point of the day, Gusties also enjoyed a petting zoo, a mini golf course, and an alcohol-serving tent. There were also multiple bouncy castles and a slide to play on throughout the day, which were likely intended for children but a few Gusties were seen bouncing around.
Junior Cole Paulson stated, “Each of the off-the-field activities that Gustavus provides on homecoming allows for [the] inclusion of all ages, personalities, and backgrounds; I think they should provide these activities for every home game.”
The game itself was a complete one-sided beatdown where the Gusties walloped the Saints from start to finish. This matchup marks the fourth year in a row in which the teams played each other, and also the fourth year in a row that Gustavus defeated St. Scholastica by a margin of 35 or more points.
Gustavus started the game off with a bang on only the second play from scrimmage as Fifth-year River Wood took a screen pass from First-year QB Jacob Ginskey 68 yards for a touchdown. St. Scholastica came out looking to dominate but was shut down. To add insult to injury, the Saints had their punt blocked by Junior Colton Loeschke to give Gustavus the ball back in the red zone.
Gustavus was able to kick a field goal and shut down Scholastica’s offense for the rest of the quarter. Following another touchdown from Wood towards the end of the quarter, the score sat at Gustavus: 17 and St. Scholastica: 0.
The Gustie football team continued to make their lives count in the second quarter, as Ginskey threw a touchdown pass to Breitbach to make the score 24-0. Scholastica, however, showed some fight as they were able to score a touchdown of their own late in the second quarter to make it 24-7. Gustavus came right back with a touchdown of their own, and going into halftime the score sat Gustavus: 31 Scholastica: 7
Halftime offered a great opportunity for Gusties to check out all of the previously mentioned festivities. The petting zoo became one of the main attractions, as they had ducks, goats, and llamas. “I never really cared about ducks, but after holding one I thought maybe they do have souls. I think I have to reevaluate a lot of my beliefs.” An anonymous Gustie commented. Another anonymous Gustie stated, “You know, maybe it’s not ethical to treat animals like this, they are meant to be in nature, not in a cage existing solely for human entertainment.” Before the Gusties could truly dive into these philosophical and ethical questions, Gustavus kicked off for the second half, and the action resumed.
Gustavus continued to dominate the game, thanks in large part to Sophomore tight end, Jordan Wold, catching a touchdown pass about midway through the 3rd quarter. St. Scholastica held it together and even scored a touchdown of their own before the end of the quarter. Through 3 quarters, the score sat at Gustavus: 38, and St. Scholastica: 13
Gustavus kept control in the fourth quarter. Wood scored another touchdown, and First-year running back Walker Hennen scored a touchdown to make the score 51-13. Gustavus’ defense continued to play well shutting out Scholastica in the fourth quarter. The Gusties defeated the Saints 51-13 on homecoming, and the fans went home happy.
The Gustavus Football Team will travel to St. Paul next weekend to take on Macalester, and then to Collegeville to play St. Johns. The Gusties will then return home to play St. Olaf on November 2nd; their final home game of the season. Keep up the good work and good luck Gusties!