Notables
- Dahlman recorded his first collegiate touchdown in the second quarter
- Mensing started for the first time in his career and threw three first half TDs
- The Saints have now outscored their opponents 82-0 in the first halves of their last two games
- Mangan tied his career high in tackles with 13
-Former CSS Assistant Coach Tom Parkevich is the head coach of Iowa Wesleyan
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica football team gave its fans another great performance at Public Schools Stadium on Saturday afternoon, taking down Iowa Wesleyan University by a score of 41-7.
The Action
St. Scholastica came out strong yet again in the first half, piling up points and shutting down Iowa Wesleyan quite similar to how CSS trampled Martin Luther the week before.
Mike Mensing got his first start of the season and led the Saints quickly down the field on their first drive of the game, setting up kicker Donovan Blatz for the first three points of the day. It would be Blatz's only field goal attempt of the game.
After the quick score, the Saints defense stood their ground and didn't allow the Tigers on the board in the first quarter, while the CSS offense tacked on another touchdown late in the first thanks to a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mensing to Mitch O'Neil, who went through two defenders before crossing the goal line. O'Neil would finish with a team-high 75 receiving yards on four receptions and a touchdown.
The second quarter got underway and the Tigers were marching down the field, until John Mike intercepted a pass at the CSS 46-yard line. The interception seemed to take the life out of the Tigers, as the Saints started to pile on the points during the remainder of the quarter.
Two of St. Scholastica's four touchdowns in the second quarter came from Mensing's arm, as he hit Zach Dahlman for a 19-yard touchdown and then proceeded to connect with Nick Murphy for a touchdown from 26 yards out a minute later after a Tigers turnover. It was Dahlman's first collegiate touchdown.
After the 22-0 start, the offense got to take a much deserving break as the special teams decided to get in the scoring affair when Mason Bloomquist blocked a Tiger punt and Alex Mangan scooped it up and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. Preston Robinson would then run into the end zone on a 3-yard scamper before the half expired to give the Saints a 35-0 lead at the break.
Mensing would be done for the day, throwing for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Kyle Stepka came in at quarterback for the Saints to start the second half, who was the starting quarterback a week ago in the homecoming win against Martin Luther.
The scoring halted for much of the third quarter, as the only scoring play was an eight-yard run by Stepka. The Saints were content with holding the ball and taking time off the clock, as that would be the last score for CSS.
The Tigers answered with a touchdown of their own in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout on an 8-yard pass from Alex Payne to Tylor Hoyle to make the final score 41-7.
The Saints ground attack was led by Preston Robinson, who accumulated 44 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. The defense was led by Alex Mangan, who had a total of 13 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery. Brady Fish, John Mike and Nick Jerhoff recorded interceptions. The Iowa Wesleyan offense was held to only 2.5 yards per play.
Up Next
Next Saturday, St. Scholastica will take on conference rival University of Northwestern at Reynolds Field in St. Paul. Both teams are undefeated in conference play. The game is slated to start at 6 p.m.