St. Olaf-St. John's wasn't a sprint either
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I spent five hours on Sunday running an incredible race; my first Twin Cities Marathon.
As I sat back Sunday night to reminisce on the weekend, I couldn’t help but compare the two events.
St. Olaf vs. St. John’s has been circled on many calendars for a long time as both teams are favored to win the MIAC conference championship.
Sunday was circled on my calendar as an opportunity to reach a personal goal I set for myself by the time I was 30 -- to finish a marathon.
When preparing for an event such as the Johnnie/Ole showdown or a marathon, the “did I prepare enough” question permeates the brain.
St. Olaf coach Chris Meidt broke down each of the five games St. John’s played this year looking for anything that might give him a leg up. I opted to put my legs up, resting Friday and Saturday and mentally preparing for the race. Having never ran a marathon I entered with the goal of finishing. The Johnnies and Oles obviously both had victory on their minds.
Much like the game, I felt great at the start. Just as the Johnnies (Mike Patnode 8-yard touchdown catch) and the Oles (Horace Gant 41-yard touchdown catch) scored early, I felt like I scored early running smoothly through the streets of Minneapolis.
Then, as the Johnnies and Oles hit a 10- minute scoreless streak, I hit the 13-mile mark and started to slow a bit. The heat started to play a part. The difference here was it was me alone. Coach John Gagliardi and Meidt could substitute players to deal with the unseasonably warm afternoon. I was on my own, and the few bicyclists I jokingly asked to trade places with me turned down my offer.
Trailing 26-17, the Johnnies appeared on the ropes in the third quarter. However, the roar of the Johnnie faithful kept the team battling. Running through the 18th mile I began to ache, but it was the cheers, several of which echoed “Go OneArmedScot!!” (my post patterns moniker) that kept me focused on finishing.
As I reached the home stretch around mile 23, I felt better than I had earlier in the race and just as the Johnnies started to attack the end zone, I started to push for the finish line looking to break five hours.
The Johnnies reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter to take a 30-26 lead but with 11 minutes left, the game was still in reach for St. Olaf.
I hit the 24-mile marker and calculated the time on my watch and knew I had a chance to break five hours.
A late, 35-yard field goal put St. Olaf down one at 30-29 and a late push on my part brought me closer to the finish line.
As I crossed the finish line, legs cramping and drenched in water, sweat and Powerade I was a minute and 37 seconds over the five-hour mark. The Oles, one point shy of the biggest win of their season were left disappointed as well.
Whether the score was 30-29, or my time was 5:01:37, the memories made in these athletic endeavors will not be forgotten and that’s what sports are all about.
Carrying on a legacy
Defensive lineman Luke Stover usually wears No. 50 as an anchor on Simpson’s front line of defense. On Saturday he was in No. 55 trying to carry his team and the memory of a fallen football family member to victory. Beginning with Saturday’s Central game, Simpson head coach Jay Niemann will be selecting a player to wear No. 55 in honor of the late Brad Guill. Brad would have been one of the Simpson football captains in 2002 had he not passed away in an automobile accident in the spring prior to the 2002 season. The number is not officially retired at Simpson, but it is no longer issued, in his memory.
The Storm came up short 28-21 but Guill would have been proud of the performance his number put on. Stover had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and forced one fumble against the Dutch.
If found please return to McMinnville, Ore.
After stumbling to a 1-2 start with an abysmal running game, the Wildcats seem to have found some answers in their backfield. Wide receiver-turned-running back Travis Masters rushed for 149 yards and Dan Lever chipped in 12 yards and two touchdowns to lead Linfield to a 37-0 drubbing of Puget Sound. Linfield entered the game averaging a NWC worst 68 yards rushing per game. Have they really turned things around? We’ll know for sure this week when the Wildcats play Southern Oregon.
Still Kings of the SCIAC
While it wasn’t pretty and the box score might lead you to believe otherwise, the Occidental Tigers are still the kings of the SCIAC. Even though Oxy surrendered 539 total yards of offense and allowed two 100-yard receivers for Redlands, they still were able to hold off the pesky Bulldogs for the 28-21 victory. It pushed their regular season winning streak to 30 games and secured coach Dale Widolff’s 150th career victory.
“This is a big win for us,” Widolff said. “Our kids believe in themselves and their abilities. Tonight they went out and showed that.”
A bad day for the undefeated
The west region was shook up a tad on Saturday with several teams swallowing their first loss on the season. Coe, Redlands, Wartburg, St. Olaf, Pacific Lutheran all took one on the chin. Wartburg and St. Olaf each lost by a single point while Coe, PLU and Redlands lost by just a touchdown, 28-21. All five teams are still in the playoff hunt but will likely have to win out the rest of the season to make the post season. Even with the loss, St. Olaf moved up from 18 to 13 in the Top 25 poll.
I think I’m gonna be sick
"They had the big plays and we didn't," UW-Stout coach Duey Naatz told WMEQ radio after the game (a 23-13 loss to UW-Oshkosh). "That's why they won. We had our chances and we will be sick to our stomachs (while watching the game tape) when we see the opportunities that we had, but didn't get."
2,000 and counting
Concordia Cobber junior running back Cory Johnson had a game-high 172 rushing yards and rambled for a 67-yard touchdown in the third quarter of the Cobbers 34-14 victory. With the 172 rushing yards, Johnson becomes only the fifth player in school history to break the 2,000-yard mark in a career. Johnson now has 500 yards for the season and 2,045 for his career. He needs only 349 more rushing yards to become the school's all-time rushing leader. The 172 rushing yards is a career-best for Johnson, bettering his old mark of 168 vs. St. Thomas in 2005.
Busy like a Beaver
Buena Vista quarterback Chris Hawkins was a busy Beaver on Saturday passing for a school record six touchdowns in the Beavers 42-7 victory over Cornell. Hawkins threw three touchdowns in the first quarter including a 20-yarder to Trent Svendsen to go up 21-0. Randy Kaufman hauled in six catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns including Hawkins sixth of the game which went for 56 yards. Hawkins finished the afternoon 18-27 for 285 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions while etching his name in the school record books.
Batter up! Oh wait, wrong sport
Bethel and Gustavus put up a lot of points on Saturday but it was a play that happened before all the scoring that left some Gustavus fans scratching their heads. Bethel’s Logan Flannery mishandled a pitch from Dan Einerson, and when Gustavus chased it down, the ball got tipped back to a Gustie defender who ran it all the way back for an apparent touchdown. However, an illegal batting penalty - in favor of Bethel- brought the touchdown back, and moved Bethel half the distance to the goal line, giving them first down at the Gustavus 11-yard line. Flannery scored from 5-yards out two plays later, putting Bethel up 7-0 with the point after. It is illegal to bat a fumble ball.
Streaks intact
For the 12th straight regular season game, the Central Dutch won a football game while being outgained in overall offense. The Dutch dropped Simpson 28-21 but were outgained 425-375 in total offense. They have not been outgained and lost since October 30, 2004. It is also the 23rd straight regular season win for the Dutch and fourth straight over Simpson.
Mirage image
Pacific Lutheran and Whitworth matched up on Saturday battling for the inside track on the NWC championship. The teams are obviously very similar evidenced by the stat column. Both teams finished with 310 yards of total offense, 15 first downs and three sacks for 20 yards. However, it was the turnover column that pushed the game in favor of Whitworth. Pacific Lutheran committed three turnovers to none for the Pirates. Whitworth held on to win 28-21.
Notes, nuggets and things you might have missed …
• Whitewater has a 17- game WIAC win streak.
• Bethel and Gustavus Adolphus scored 28 points combined in a six and a half minute span of the first quarter.
• Whitewater’s Justin Beaver rushed 25 times for 233 yards for his school record seventh 200 yard game in his career.
• Eau Claire has blocked six kicks on the year
• Wartburg’s Marcus Hemesath scored both touchdowns for the Knights, on a three-yard pass reception and on a 48-yard interception return for a score
• UW-Stevens Point has won 17 straight against UW-Platteville.
Games to Watch
Coe at No. 6 Central, 1 p.m. CT, Pella, Iowa
This game would be even bigger if Coe had beat Dubuque this week but the Coe/Central matchup is always big. It just became a lot bigger for the Kohawks. Central has steadily climbed its way to No. 6 in the country but has rarely dominated its opponent. Coe had won four straight until its overtime loss last week. Look for this one to be close. It’s been decided by three points the last three years including a double overtime thriller last season.