Johnnies Fall to Central in Second Round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs
PELLA, Iowa – No. 3 Central took a 17-0 lead into halftime and never looked back as the Dutch defeated Saint John’s 37-7 in the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday, Nov. 24 in Pella, Iowa. The loss ends the Johnnies’ 2007 season with a 10-2 record overall.
Central jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tim Connell to Cody Huisman with 8:30 left in the first quarter. On third-and-10, Connell connected with Huisman on an 89-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Dutch a 14-0 lead. After the Johnnies stopped Central on a first-and-goal from their own one-yard line, Jake Viggers kicked an 18-yard field goal to increase the Dutch lead to 17-0 with 7:31 left in the first half.
Central (12-0 overall) opened the second half with a 12-play, 59-yard drive capped off by a 28-yard field goal by Viggers to make the score 20-0. Huisman caught his third touchdown of the afternoon from seven yards out with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter. Connell connected with Josh Smith for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make the score 34-0 in favor of Central with 13:38 left in the fourth quarter. Viggers added a 32-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 5:45 remaining in the game.
SJU got on the board with a 20-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Alex Kofoed (Cold Spring, Minn./Rocori) to senior wide receiver Brian Weber (Glenwood, Minn./Minnewaska Area) with 2:19 left in the game, cutting the deficit to 37-7. Kofoed became the 14th player in NCAA Division III history to throw for 100 career touchdowns on the score.
Kofoed ended the day 27 of 57 for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Kofoed’s 57 attempts are a school record. Senior running back Mike Patnode (Princeton, Minn.) rushed for 34 yards on 10 carries and led all SJU receivers with 13 catches for 115 yards. Patnode’s 13 receptions are the most since Blake Elliott caught 13 passes at St. Olaf on Sept. 28, 2002.
Senior linebacker James Shockman (Berlin, N.D./Lamoure) and sophomore linebacker Ryan Wimmer (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) led the Johnnies with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. Junior defensive tackle Nick Gunderson (Woodbury, Minn.) collected five tackles (three solo), one tackle for loss, one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the game.
Connell was 19 of 33 passing for 309 yards and four touchdowns for the Dutch, while Huisman ended the day with seven receptions for 167 yards and three scores. Vance Schuring gained 84 yards on 20 carries.
SJU had the ball inside the Central 25-yard line on seven instances but failed to score only seven points in the game (1-for-5 in the red zone). Central was 5 of 5 in red zone opportunities. The Johnnies were 4 of 15 on third down and 2 of 7 on fourth down in the game. The last time the Johnnies lost by 30 or more points occurred Dec. 4, 1993 at Mount Union, Ohio (56-8), a span of 176 games.
Athletic Department
Saint John’s University
PO Box 7277
Collegeville, MN 56321
320-363-2757
Fax 320-363-3130
E-Mail Marilyn Koltes