Fans pack the stands in the afternoon sunlight. More than 8,000 people poured into O’Shaughnessy Stadium Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
Two Tommies sport comical shirts. Quarterback John Gould was one of many athletes to win fans’ hearts Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
Tommie waves St. Thomas’ colors high in the sunlight. St. Thomas fans kept spirits bright Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
Undergraduate Student Government president Michael Gaytko blows on his purple horn while sporting a fur coat in the student section. Fans wore everything from fur coats to purple capes Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
A Tommie dancer waits to begin her routine between plays. The St. Thomas dance team pumped up the crowd Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
Members of Caruso’s Crew bellow their support for the Tommies. Caruso’s Crew was one of many student groups to make an appearance Saturday. (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
A 50-degree temperature difference, change of location and holiday weekend may have altered the elements of a typical Tommie-Johnnie matchup, but St. Thomas fans still relished their team’s 38-19 victory on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
After about 4,000 advance-ticket sales, the Division-III second-round playoff game drew 8,025 fans to campus for the first-ever postseason matchup in St. John’s and St. Thomas’ 114-year rivalry.
Dennis Gould, father of senior quarterback John Gould, thought the crowd was impressive, considering the holiday weekend.
“It’s great. Between the two schools, the fan base is always great,” Gould said. “It’s so much fun, and it’s even better as a parent over the holidays.”
Crowd size and the cold created a calmer atmosphere, according to Associate Director of Public Safety Mike Barrett.
“It’s 20 degrees in late November,” Barrett said. “Everyone is behaving, and it’s good playoff football, so I can’t complain.”
Members of Caruso’s Crew added hats and mittens to their usual ensemble to lead the packed student section. Sophomore and member of Caruso’s Crew Tim Gawarecki didn’t think the temperature stood in anybody’s way of cheering on the team.
“It’s a lot colder than our first matchup with St. John’s, but that hasn’t changed the dedication of our fans, which I think is great,” Gawarecki said.
St. Thomas alumnus and former Tommie running back Brenton Braddock, who was in attendance, said the importance of this Tommie-Johnnie matchup, the 85th in the rivalry’s history, should not be underestimated.
“The Tommies and the Johnnies have never seen each other in postseason. This game means just a little bit more than your regular Tommie-Johnnie game,” Braddock said.
On Thanksgiving weekend, St. Thomas players and fans are thankful for another Tommie win and quarterfinal spot in the playoffs, amongst other things.
“I’m thankful for family, J-Rob (running back Jordan Roberts) and St. Thomas football,” Gawarecki said about the seminarian running back.
Gould mentioned that coach Glenn Caruso does a good job of treating the St. Thomas football team as a family and added that there’s a lot to be thankful for this weekend.
“I’m thankful for how healthy we are, first of all,” Gould said. “But also for how well we play as a team and a family.”
Lauren Andrego can be reached at lauren.andrego@stthomas.edu.