Tommies lead Johnnies 20-7 at halftime

Running back Josh Parks dodges St. John's defense in the first half of the Tommie-Johnnies rivalry game. (Meghan Vosbeek/TommieMedia)
Running back Josh Parks dodges St. John’s defense in the first half of the Tommie-Johnnies rivalry game. (Meghan Vosbeek/TommieMedia)

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Fourth-ranked St. Thomas recovered three Johnnie fumbles prompting a 20-7 halftime lead over archrival St. John’s Saturday afternoon at Clemens Stadium.

Defensive lineman Ryan Winters recovered a Johnnie fumble at the St. John’s 26 yard line to generate a 5-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Alex Fenske for the inaugural touchdown to put the Tommies at a 7-0 lead.

But St. John’s wide receiver Evan Clark responded with a 67-yard rushing touchdown, tying the score at 7-7.

And the scoring continued.

The Tommies took a 13-7 lead after linebacker Steve Harrell sacked St. John’s quarterback Jackson Erdmann, resulting in a fumble. Defensive lineman Anthony King-Foreman recovered the fumble and rushed for a 57-yard touchdown with 13:29 left in the first half.

Both teams entered the game with a 3-0 record.

Carolyn Meyer can be reached at cameyer@stthomas.edu.