Quarterback John Gould tallied one passing touchdown and 161 passing yards to lead St. Thomas to a 17-0 halftime lead over Wabash in the quarterfinals of the national playoffs Saturday afternoon at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

Deep in their own territory, the No. 7-ranked Little Giants (12-0 overall) punted the ball away to waiting returner Nick Waldvogel, who snagged it at Wabash’s 47-yard line. He maneuvered through multiple defenders before crossing the goal line to give the No. 4-ranked Tommies (12-0 overall) a 7-0 lead with 10:08 left in the first quarter.

After chewing up nearly eight minutes of clock and converting on two fourth downs, St. Thomas’ second offensive possession concluded with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback John Gould to tight end Charlie Dowdle. Gould threw an interception on the Tommies’ first possession of the game, but it resulted in zero points for the Little Giants.

The Tommies held the Little Giants to only 85 total yards in the half, and both run defenses held their own against some of the nation’s best running backs. Wabash’s Mason Zurek rushed for 42 yards on 12 attempts, while Jordan Roberts rolled up just 35 yards on 10 carries.

Little Giants quarterback Connor Rice completed six passes for 51 yards. Wide receivers Drake Christian and Oliver page are the only Wabash players to haul in passes. Christian has 27 yards on four catches, while Page has two catches for 24 yards.

Kicker Paul Graupner connected on a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to widen St. Thomas’ lead.

Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.