Area football: St. Thomas stays perfect; St. Olaf, Bethel stay in hunt

The competition for second-fiddle in the MIAC followed a familiar tune Saturday.

St. Thomas (9-0, 7-0 MIAC) kept its perfect record intact while clinching a share of the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, while St. Olaf (7-1, 5-1) and Bethel (6-2, 4-2) won to keep their playoff chances alive.

No. 3 St. Thomas 20, Gustavus 7: Senior quarterback Dakota Tracy passed for 188 yards and two touchdowns for the Tommies in St. Paul, including a 27-yard strike to senior Fritz Waldvogel. St. Thomas senior running back Colin Tobin rushed for 64 yards and a score.

No. 19 St. Olaf 40, Hamline 0: The Oles racked up 456 yards of offense while surrendering only 124 to the Pipers in Northfield. Senior running back Leon Clark totaled 174 yards rushing on 26 carries and two touchdowns for the Oles.

No. 20 Bethel 27, Concordia (Moorhead) 13: Bethel senior quarterback Josh Aakre passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more to carry the Royals on the road. Bethel sophomore running back Jesse Phenow rushed 24 times for 161 yards.

Sophomore running back Matt Peterson scored both Concordia touchdowns -- the first on a 29-yard reception in the first quarter, and then a 58-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

St. John's 47, Carleton 14: Sophomore quarterback Connor Bruns completed 10 of 16 passes for a staggering 242 yards and two touchdowns for the Johnnies in Collegeville. Senior wide receiver Brent Graboski was Bruns' favorite target with 216 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five receptions.

NSICNorthern State 14, Bemidji State 0: The Beavers committed four turnovers while dropping consecutive games for the first time since 2008. Placekicker Evan Nolte connected on field goals of 34 and 31 yards for the Wolves.

Winona State 47, Southwest Minn. State 20: Warriors running backs Rayon Simmons (200 yards rushing) and Curtis Dewberry (154 yards rushing, three touchdowns) provided more than enough firepower in Winona.

Concordia (St. Paul) 38, Minnesota-Crookston 20: Senior quarterback Spencer Ohm passed for 247 yards and five touchdowns -- including three to junior tight end Nate Thienes -- as the Golden Bears dominated in St. Paul.

Wayne State 44, Upper Iowa 41 (OT): The Wildcats prevailed in an offensive onslaught as both teams combined for 1,155 yards of offense. Wayne State senior Bryce Hawthorne ran for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries.

Mary 52, Minnesota State Moorhead 13: Receiver Tyler Steffan caught nine passes for 123 yards and four touchdowns for the Marauders in Moorhead.

Wisconsin-Whitewater 31, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 16: Levell Coppage ran wild for the Division III, No. 1-ranked Warhawks, totalling 245 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

Wisconsin-La Crosse 30, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 24 (OT): Ben Hertrampf's 12-yard run in overtime completed the road upset of No. 15-ranked Oshkosh.

Wisconsin-Platteville 31, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 21: Quarterback Austin Neu passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns as the Blugolds fell short in Platteville.

UMACGreenville (Ill.) 59, Minnesota-Morris 14: Greenville's Brendan Chambers rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns during the UMAC's Dome Day weekend in Minneapolis.

Northwestern 53, Eureka (Ill.) 14: Junior quarterback Josh Balzer completed for 271 yards and five touchdowns, and Josh Young finished with 176 yards rushing and two touchdowns.