Area college football roundup: St. John’s edges Concordia (Moorhead) on 76-yard TD pass

Aaron Syverson’s fifth touchdown pass went to Dylan Wheeler for the winner with 1:46 to play.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 13, 2024 at 4:44AM
St. John's quarterback Aaron Syverson. (Paul Middlestaedt, middlestaedt@)

Aaron Syverson threw for 399 yards and five touchdowns, the last a 76-yarder to Dylan Wheeler with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining, as unbeaten St. John’s, ranked No. 3 in Division III, rallied for a 38-31 victory at Concordia (Moorhead) on Saturday.

It was St. John’s second TD of the fourth quarter. The Cobbers led 31-24 after three quarters but the Johnnies tied it on a 23-yard TD pass from Syverson to Marselio Mendez.

Concordia drove to the Johnnies 20-yard line on its final possession before the drive ended on downs.

Syverson competed 29 of 39 passes. Wheeler had eight receptions for 159 yards and two TDs.

Cooper Mattern threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards for the Cobbers.

St. Olaf 19, Carleton 13: Derek Hansen caught two TD passes from Theo Doran and the host Oles remained unbeaten by outlasting the rival Knights. Carleton pulled within 17-13 on Tyler Dimond’s touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, but the ensuing PAT was blocked by Deonta Thomas and returned by Elijah Short 88 yards for two points for St. Olaf. The Knights got the ball back with 3:16 remaining and drove to the Oles 6-yard line before the drive stalled on downs.

Augsburg 37, Hamline 27: Ryan Harvey passed for 259 yards and three TDs as the host Auggies held off the Pipers. Harvey, who completed 24 of 28 passes, helped Augsburg build a 37-13 lead. Alejandro Villanueva passed for 293 yards and a touchdown and also caught a TD pass for Hamline.

Gustavus Adolphus 51, St. Scholastica 13: Jacob Ginskey passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns and River Wood rushed for 187 yards and two TDs and caught a 68-yard TD pass as the host Gusties beat the Saints.

Bethel 59, Macalester 0: Conner Drews passed for 288 yards and three TDs and the host Royals built a 35-0 lead in the first quarter against the Scots.

Northwestern (St. Paul) 34, Greenville 14: Sivert Klefsaas rushed for 128 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Eagles beat the host Panthers in Greenville, Ill. Caden Cantrell completed 20 of 24 passes for 260 yards for the Eagles.

Martin Luther 30, Crown 14: Brady Turriff threw for 335 yards and three TDs to lead the visiting Knights to the victory.

FCS

South Dakota State 63, Youngstown State 13: Chase Mason rushed for 161 yards in five carries as the host Jackrabbits, ranked No. 1 in FCS, raced past the Penguins. Mason scored on runs for 38 and 48 yards and also had a 69-yard run as the Jackrabbits won their fifth game in a row.

North Dakota State 24, Southern Illinois 3: Cam Miller passed for 197 yards and a TD as the second-ranked Bison defeated the host Salukis for their sixth consecutive victory.

South Dakota 42, Northern Iowa 17: Aidan Bouman passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns and Charles Pierre Jr. rushed for 105 yards and two TDs for the No. 4 Coyotes in Vermillion, S.D.

Division II

Minnesota State Mankato 24, Minnesota State Moorhead 19: Hayden Ekern rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a TD and Sam Backer rushed for 130 yads as the NSIC-leading Mavericks, ranked No. 9 in Division II, outlasted the host Dragons. Jack Strand passed for 331 yards and a TD for the Mavericks.

Northern State 24, Minnesota Duluth 21: Jeremy Caruso kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Wolves over the host Bulldogs. UMD trailed 21-7 after three quarters but tied the score with 2½ minutes remaining. Kyle Walljasper rushed for 145 yards and a TD and threw a TD pass for the Bulldogs.

Sioux Falls 35, Concordia (St. Paul) 21: Camden Dean passed for 225 yards and a TD and rushed for 74 yards and two scores and the host Cougars outscored the Golden Bears 28-14 in the second half. Jackson Compton threw for 267 yards and a TD and Jaylin Richardson rushed for 86 yards and two TDs for Concordia..

Wayne State (Neb.) 41, Southwest Minnesota State 7: Nick Bohn passed for 218 yards and four TDs for the Wildcats in Marshall, Minn.

Winona State 48, Mary 7: Jackson Flottmeyer threw three TDs passes as the Warriors defeated the visiting Marauders.

Augustana 20, Minot State 7: Jarod Epperson rushed for 151 yards and Jake Pecina kicked two field goals to help the Vikings hold the host Beavers.

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about the writer

Joel Rippel

News Assistant

Joel Rippel writes about sports for the Star Tribune.

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