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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Senior Lars Prestemon threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third score as the St. Olaf College football team dropped its season opener to No. 14 Central College on Saturday afternoon at Klein Field at Manitou.
Prestemon threw touchdowns to tight ends Isaac Coutier and Derek Hansen and ran for a score of his own for St. Olaf (0-1), which was playing its first game in 658 days. Nationally-ranked Central (1-0) racked up 591 yards of offense in the win and out-rushed the Oles by a 183-62 margin in the win behind 156 yards and two scores on the ground from Jason Hopp.
Fifth-year senior Blaine Hawkins was 28-for-39 for 383 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Dutch, hitting Logan Mont 14 times for 170 yards and two scores.
After St. Olaf started the game with a three-and-out on offense, the Dutch struck quickly after starting in St. Olaf territory thanks to a Mont punt return. Central covered 45 yards in just four plays, culminating in the first touchdown connection of the game from Hawkins to Mont from 11 yards out.
A missed extra point left the Dutch ahead 6-0 until Hawkins found Mont for a 56-yard touchdown with 3:29 left in the second quarter to stretch the visitors' lead to 13-0. Early in the second quarter, the Oles put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive ending with a six-yard touchdown run by junior Jordan Embry to make it a 13-7 game.
Central answered just over two minutes later with a 15-yard touchdown run by Jason Hopp and scored the next 23 points to open up a 36-7 lead five minutes into the second half. After trailing by 29, St. Olaf compiled lengthy touchdown drives on its final three possessions of the game, starting with a six-play, 68-yard drive late in the third quarter that culminated in a six-yard touchdown from Prestemon to Coutier.
On the Dutch's next possession, Hopp plunged in from a yard out on a fourth-and-goal play to make it a 43-14 game. St. Olaf proceeded to march 73 yards in 13 plays for its second-straight touchdown drive with Prestemon sneaking in from one yard out on third down for the score.
After a Central field goal, Prestemon hit Hansen on the final play of the game for the first touchdown of Hansen's career. Earlier on the 14-play, 80-yard drive, Prestemon found first year Evan Hammonds and sophomore Theo Simmons for back-to-back gains of 12 and 19 to move the ball inside the 10-yard line.
Senior Gabe Alada and junior Payton Schott were Prestemon's favorite targets in the game. Alada hauled in seven receptions for 80 yards, while Schott had six grabs for a team-high 91 yards. Coutier added five catches for 63 yards.
Defensively, senior Brandon Foster and sophomore Ben Hestorff each had nine tackles, with Foster registering 1.5 tackles for a loss. Junior Kris Kurtz added seven tackles and a sack.
St. Olaf hits the road for the first time in 2021 on Saturday, Sept. 11 when the Oles visit Luther for a 2 p.m. kickoff.