SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus football team treated its Homecoming crowd to a decisive 77-7 win over St. Scholastica on Saturday at Hollingsworth Field, setting the program record for largest margin of victory. The Gusties outgained the Saints 667-201 in total yards, improving to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in the MIAC, and 1-0 in the Northwoods Division.
The rout started from the get-go as the Gusties scored on their first possession and went on to score a touchdown on all eight drives of the first half. Dalton Thelen (Sr., Cold Spring) caught first quarter touchdown passes of 10 and 71 yards, while Rohee Konde (Jr., Hopkins) had a four-yard touchdown rush, making the score 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Gusties exploded for 40 points in the second quarter. Tanner Rennie (Fy., Cape Coral, Fla.) and David Peal (Sr., Worcester, Mass.) had rushing touchdowns, while Jake Breitbach (Jr., Golden Valley) and Matthew Kipper (Sr., Bloomington) added receiving touchdowns. Will Hawkins (So., New Orleans, La.) made a 30-yard interception return for a score as well and the Gusties led 61-0 at halftime.
Jack Boyle (Fy., Chaska) made it a 67-0 advantage in the third quarter with a five-yard touchdown run before the Saints ended the shutout with a six-play, 76-yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter. Gustavus finished the scoring in the fourth quarter as Andrew Abegglen (Sr., Mound) made a 20-yard field goal and Caden Kleinschmidt (Fy., Morgan) caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Gotziaman (So., Minneapolis).
George Sandven (So., Edina) played the first half at quarterback and completed 16-of-20 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns. Ethan Hufendick (Sr., Edina) started the second half under center and completed 6-of-9 passes for 96 yards. Ten different Gusties caught a pass, led by Thelen with five receptions for 109 yards and two scores. Kipper added five catches for 77 yards and a score. River Wood (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla.) led the ground game with 14 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Wood also had 75 kick return yards for and team-high 137 all-purpose yards. Rennie had six carries for 68 yards and a score. Gustavus had nine different ball carriers that amassed 268 yards.
The Gustie defense was dominant all game, more so in the first half by limiting the Saints to just 21 yards in the first 30 minutes. Darius Howard (So., Houston, Texas) led the team with six tackles, including a tackle for loss. Jack Klug (So., Maple Lake) added five stops and a TFL.
Gustavus travels to Hamline next Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.