St. Thomas players face off with Stout players to start the game. The Tommies beat the Blue Devils 57-17 Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The St. Thomas dance team performs to “Jump Around” during Saturday’s halftime show. The team claimed the national championship title in January 2016 for the third consecutive time. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Coach Glenn Caruso congratulates his players on a touchdown during a break in play. Caruso was named Division III National Coach of the Year in 2015. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas seminarians, called Caruso’s Crew, lift a seminarian after a touchdown in the third quarter. After each touchdown a seminarian is heaved up and down and the fans count each lift equal to the current score of the game. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Seniors Natalie Nelson (left) and Alex Mason (right) celebrate their senior year at a pregame tailgate. Nelson and Mason have been friends since freshman year when they lived next to each other. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Linebacker Jesse Addo (20) tackles quarterback Jay Alston. Addo led St. Thomas with seven tackles. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Jordan Roberts rushes for a touchdown in the second quarter. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Kicker Carter Schmitz prepares to tackle returner Noel Gonzales. Schmitz has been a special teams MVP twice. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Wide receiver Luke Iverson (17) battles a Stout defender for a pass that fell incomplete. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Long snapper Michael Blume prepares to hike the ball to line backer Dylan Andrew for the additional point kick. Andrew has had four solo tackles and two assists this season. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Defensive back Michael Alada (8) runs into the end zone for a touchdown on an interception return. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Senior wide receiver Nick Waldvogel (2) celebrates a touchdown by junior tight end Jackson Hull (87). (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Sophomore Maeve Dowdle plays corn hole at the CRU house off campus before the game. Doodle goes to each game to support her cousin Mark Dowdle, a defensive back on the football team. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas football players remove their helmets in honor of Jacob Wetterling. A tribute to the Wetterling family’s 11 characteristics in remembrance of Jacob occurred before Saturday’s game. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Quarterback Alex Fenske completed a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joe Reed in one of many offensive highlights to lead fourth-ranked St. Thomas over the University of Wisconsin-Stout 57-17 at the Tommie home opener Saturday at Palmer Field.
Fenske tossed a TD pass to Jackson Hull in the first quarter to open the scoring. Defensive back Michael Alada scored the second Tommie touchdown on a 24-yard interception return, the first of two picks for him, to bring the score to 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.
MIAC SCOREBOARD
- St. Thomas 57, Wisconsin-Stout 17
- Concordia-Moorhead 25, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 7
- Gustavus 24, Wisconsin-River Falls 21
- Hamline 21, Macalester 7
- Carthage 40, Bethel 34
- Lake Forest 42, Carleton 21
- Luther 40, St. Olaf 33
- St. John’s 40, Buena Vista 17
- Concordia (Wis.) 24, Augsburg 14
Fenske said he thought the offense started roughly, but powered through and returned after halftime to play at their top level.
“I thought we came out a little slow at first, with little mistakes on offense,” Fenske said. “From there we really played well. We just have to minimize the mistakes.”
Running back Tucker Trettle scored twice in the second quarter in the second game of the season for both teams. Running back Jordan Roberts ran three yards for a touchdown late in the half.
Stout’s first-half score came from a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jay Alston to wide receiver Jordan Dabney. The Blue Devils (1-1) scored in the second half on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Danny Farley to Dabney.
The second half was almost all St. Thomas (2-0), as coach Glenn Caruso played reserves in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Jacques Perra threw two touchdown passes to Tanner Vik in the final period.
Looking forward, Fenske said focus is key.
“We can’t focus on the opponent and play down to their level,” Fenske said. “We just gotta stay focused on us. Whether it’s Carleton or St. John’s, we just gotta play to the best of our abilities.”
The home opener was also the fifth annual Tackle Cancer Day at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. The event was extra special to the Tommies this year because of Luke Hermann, a senior defensive lineman who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in early July. Minnesota football coaches and KARE-11 anchor Randy Shaver started a fund to support research and cancer patients within the state. Fans were encouraged to donate.
The Tommies will take on the Carleton Knights next Saturday at home in their MIAC opener. Next week’s match-up is followed by the Tommies’ annual rivalry game against St. John’s in Collegeville.
Lauren Andrego can be reached at lauren.andrego@stthomas.edu.