St. Thomas defensive back Chris Fondakowski tackles Oshkosh running back Devon Linzenmeyer. Saturday’s halftime score was 24-10 with Oshkosh in the lead. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Tight ends Matt Christenson and Grant Slavik celebrate after a touchdown. St. Thomas took on Oshkosh for the NCAA Division III Championship Quarterfinals on Saturday in St. Paul. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Oshkosh wide receiver Sam Mentkowski and running back Dylan Hecker celebrate after a successful play. Mentkowski scored three touchdowns for Oshkosh on Saturday. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Tight end Matt Christenson raises the ball after scoring a touchdown. After Saturday’s loss against Oshkosh, St. Thomas ends its season 12-1 overall. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Oshkosh offensive lineman Ty Summers pushes past St. Thomas linebacker Adam Kraft and defensive back Michael Alada. Despite Saturday’s loss, Caruso said he knows the players will use Saturday’s game as a way to grow. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Oshkosh offensive lineman Austin Haase blocks St. Thomas defensive lineman Anthony King-Foreman. St. Thomas committed eight turnovers — five interceptions and three fumbles — on Saturday. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
A referee signals a touchdown during Saturday’s game. Oshkosh will take on John Carroll University on Dec. 10 for the NCAA Division III Championship Semifinals. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
The Tommies huddle during the final timeout of Saturday’s game. St. Thomas fell 31-34 against Oshkosh on Saturday. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Wisconsin-Oshkosh held off a St. Thomas rally in the second half and got a 37-yard field goal from Eli Wettstein with 2:30 remaining in the game Saturday at Palmer Field to eliminate the Tommies from the NCAA Division III football playoffs.
NCAA DIII PLAYOFFS
Second Round
St. Thomas bracket
- No. 4 Wis.-Oshkosh 34, No. 3 St. Thomas 31
Wis.-Whitewater bracket
- No. 6 John Carroll 31, No. 2 Wis.-Whitewater 14
Mary Hardin-Baylor bracket
- No. 1 Mary Hardin-Baylor 38, No. 13 Wheaton 16
Alfred bracket
- No. 7 Mount Union 70, No. 14 Alfred 45
St. Thomas (12-1) committed eight turnovers — five interceptions and three fumbles — to contribute to the loss. Quarterback Alex Fenske accounted for six of the Tommies’ eight turnovers with all five interceptions and a first-half fumble. Running back Tucker Trettel and wide receiver Luke Iverson each fumbled once.
“You can’t have that and expect to win any game,” said head coach Glenn Caruso. “That for us is about three-months’ worth (of turnovers) and it happened in about three hours. That’s sad and unacceptable.”
The defense held Oshkosh (12-1) to 24 points in the first half, despite being on the field for eight drives and more than 15 minutes of play.
The Tommies cut into the Titans’ 24-10 lead on their third drive of the third quarter with a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Fenske to tight end Jackson Hull. On the next drive, defensive lineman Ryan Winter blocked a punt and returned for a touchdown, tying the score 24-24.
“They double-teamed the guy next to me, so I had free run at the punter,” Winter said of the play. “I got a fortunate bounce and I took it to the house.”
With 10:05 left to go in the fourth quarter, Oshkosh quarterback Brett Kasper thew to wide receiver Sam Mentkowski to break the tie. It was their third connection for a touchdown of the game. The extra point put Oshkosh ahead 31-24.
St. Thomas tied the game 31-31 when running back Josh Parks ran 14 yards for a touchdown, and kicker Bryan Steinsapir added the extra point.
“We never think that we’re out of a game. That’s the way the coaches have designed the program,” said wide receiver Nick Waldvogel. “We never thought we were out of this one.”
But with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter, Wettstein kicked a 36-yard field goal to break the tie. The Tommies couldn’t recover from Oshkosh’s 34-31 lead.
This was the Tommies’ first defeat of the season, and for the 26 seniors on this team it was their last game as a Tommie. Caruso believes that even though they fell short of the championship, this current squad is one that will be looked up to in the future.
“My hope is that future teams realize what a debt of gratitude they owe to this current team,” Caruso said. “I’m excited to see the growth in them as men and to see them use today as way to grow as a person. That’s probably the best lesson you can take out of today.”
Noah Brown can be reached at brow7736@stthomas.edu