ST. PETER, Minn.– Ball-hawking cornerback Michael Alada recovered a fumble late in the second quarter and picked off Gustavus Adolphus quarterback Christian Haffner twice for his eighth and ninth interceptions of the season to lead the fourth-ranked St. Thomas football team in a 40-6 victory over the Gusties on Saturday afternoon at Hollingsworth Field.
MIAC STANDINGS
| St. Thomas | 7-0 | 9-0 |
| St. John’s | 6-1 | 8-1 |
| Concordia | 6-1 | 7-2 |
| Bethel | 4-3 | 4-5 |
| Hamline | 3-4 | 5-4 |
| Gustavus | 2-5 | 4-5 |
| Augsburg | 2-6 | 2-8 |
| St. Olaf | 1-6 | 2-7 |
| Carleton | 1-6 | 1-8 |
MIAC SCOREBOARD
- St. Thomas 40, Gustavus 6
- Concordia 42, St. Olaf 13
- St. John’s 42, Hamline 6
- Bethel 62, Augsburg 27
NEXT WEEK
- St. Olaf at St. Thomas
- St. John’s at Concordia
- Bethel at Hamline
- Gustavus at Carleton
- END OF REGULAR SEASON
Coach Glenn Caruso said turnovers are momentum builders for the team and he has confidence in Alada’s ability to consistently make the plays.
“When the ball is in the air, and I’m standing on the sideline and he’s going up for it and their receiver is going up for it, I have peace in my heart knowing that Michael has great ball skills. He has done a great job,” Caruso said.
Alada said he enjoys executing plays that help the team build momentum and gives the offense more opportunities to score.
Quarterback Alex Fenske completed four touchdowns and finished with 289 yards on 19 completions in 33 attempts with one interception before being replaced by Jacques Perra in the third quarter. Jackson Hull was on the receiving end on two of those touchdowns.
Fenske said his success starts with the offensive line.
“They did a great job with their pass protection all game and our receivers run their routes consistently which we work a lot on in practice, and I think that showed here on Saturday.”
Tommie wide receiver Nick Waldvogel muffed a punt and the Gusties took over at the Tommie 40-yard line, but they were unable to capitalize on the receiving error. Gustavus’ only points came from 51-yard and 32-yard field goals by kicker Brendan Boche in the second quarter.
Gustavus’ best scoring opportunity came in the fourth quarter. They were inside the five-yard line but the Tommie defense locked down the end zone. St. Thomas’ defense had seven sacks on the game.
Caruso thought the defense did a great job of stopping the Gustie offense.
“I think our defense was the anchor, and for the second week in a row they were put in some really tough situations,” Caruso said. “Not just in terms of number of drives they had to defend, but also spots on the field where there wasn’t much field in the back of them before the end zone. And I think we did a great job.”
Running backs Josh Parks and Emitt Peisert, wide receiver Joe Reed and tight end Matt Christenson all scored touchdowns. The Tommies outgained the Gusties on offense 458-128.
Parks said the team puts an emphasis on setting the tempo, which in returns allows the Tommies to be more versatile and to some extent influence the other team’s actions.
St. Thomas (7-0 MIAC, 9-0 overall) will play its final regular season game against St. Olaf (1-5 MIAC, 2-6 overall) Saturday Nov. 12 at Palmer Field.
Carolyn Meyer can be reached at cameyer@stthomas.edu.