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Mount Union 35    St. John's 14

                                                                     by Dick Ross

     Proving that not everyone in Minnesota is Lutheran, Saint John's University enrolls about 2,000 men over in Collegeville, on a peninsula which extends into Lake Sagatagan.  Unlike the racier Jesuits, who have co-educationalized most of their schools, the monastic Benedictine order, which established Saint John's Abbey and then the College in 1857, maintains the University as a single gender school.  The Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, conveniently, run an all girls school, of almost exactly the same
number, just across the lake in Saint Joseph.

     The two schools have separate campuses, distinct enrollments and programs but bill themselves as a "one of a kind coordinate colleges" and a "two for the price of one" educational experience.  Thrifty Minnesotians love that kind of a deal.

     The Benedictine order was established by Benedict of Nursia, in Italy, about the year 500.  His first community was established at Subiaco, Italy and then came the famous foundation of the Monte Cassino Monastery.  The order spread rapidly through Western Europe and was so prevalent that the Church,
at times, was perceived as a monastic based institution.  In their monasteries, the Benedictines were active in all of the arts and sciences of the day and were a major factor in preserving the enlightenment of Western Civilization, through the Middle Ages.  Most of the books handed down through the era before the invention of the printing press were painstakingly produced in monasteries.
   
TALK OF THE CHATTERBOX CAFE

     Over the past four weeks, as the nights got colder, the St. John's football team was the talk over coffee at the Chatterbox Cafe.  Those Collegeville boys play some pretty good football - they were the NAIA national champions in 1963 & 1965 and are making their thirteenth trip to the NCAA playoffs and seventh appearance in semifinals of the small college tournament, since 1976.  St. John's is also the location of the first "road trip" of that NPR radio show, in 1975.  They have a coach who has been there almost forever, 53 years, and has the largest number of wins by any active college coach, second overall, and even has a trophy named after him - an honor normally reserved for the dead.  Because of the heavy snow, the week after Thanksgiving, last week's game against Pacific Lutheran University of Tacoma, Washington got moved to the Fargo Dome, up in North Dakota.

     "Winter is not a personal thing in Minnesota - everyone's just as cold as you are and we'd prefer that you didn't talk about it" and, I guess, if you think it's cold in Minnesota, try North Dakota.  Word on the NPR site was that many central Minnesotians were quietly rooting for the Lutheran boys from the Pacific Northwest. Many must have had family lore such as Keillor's who said:

     "Our people aimed for Oregon,"
     "Great Grandma Ruth, her husband John"
     "They pulled up in Wobegon"
     "Two thousand miles short"

     The St. John's team defeated Pacific Lutheran by a count of 31-6 and earned a trip to meet the Methodists, down in Ohio, for the semifinal game.  Their school is called Mount Union, men who win frequently, but don't smile a lot, at least until the job is done.  They have appeared in the playoffs
fourteen times since 1985 and are playing their seventh consecutive semifinal game.

LEAVING HOME

     Northern Ohio, in December, is not generally thought of as a vacation destination, but after the snow and ice of Minnesota, the 70 degree temperature when the team arrived on Thursday must have seemed like Palm Springs to the Minnesotians.  The weather was still in the upper 40's or lower fifties when they worked out and visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, as most visiting teams do.

     On Saturday the skies, in Cleveland, were clear and bright leaving hope for a clear day, but the internet weather service predicted 36 degrees and "Mist."

     Sure enough, the windshield began to moisten as we crossed over the Sawburg Viaduct, heading into Alliance, and I thought of the old bridge, wide enough for only a single modern car, with a traffic light on top.   Mom remembered it, before the signal, as being just barely wide enough for two prewar cars to pass.

     The pre-game buffet was well attended, I made a special note to "bulk up" as it would be the last one of the year, regardless of the outcome of the game.  There was quite a bit of St. John's crimson in the crowd.  They got the room with the purple carpet.  I thought that they might have a fairly large crowd at the game but, I think, most of those who came down ate with us, a planeload or two, and there were not that many more.

     By kickoff time, the mist had become a bit thicker.  St. John's colors are cardinal red and blue.  At one time their teams must have featured the blue of their colors, as older alumni recall teams called the Blue "J's," but these days they dress in red and white with a broad red stripe down the trouser leg and the centerline of the helmets, and are known as the "Johnnies."  They looked a lot like last week's opponent, except that Wittenberg's stripes were doubled and they had their "W" on the helmets, whereas St. John's had their jersey numbers repeated on the helmet sides and their names spelled out across the brows.

     Mount's men wore the standard playoff black, with the purple trousers.  This time of the year, many of Mount's purple helmets are almost white, with football shaped performance awards, applied in various patterns of the wearer's design.  I remembered how Jim Ballard always put his on the front, where his opponents could see and think about them.  This time of year, the helmets also begin to sprout multiple numbers, on the back, as the players "bring along" friends who did not make the final roster.

SIREN CALL

     I can't tell you whose clock is off, but Mount had won the coin toss, #10, Sr. RB Chuck Moore of Mogadore had returned the opening kick off to the 38 and the Purple Raiders were well into their opening drive, before the long noon siren sounded, out beyond Chapman Hall.  The distance from Central Minnesota and the drizzle combined to keep the crowd to 4,654, but the covered stands and the student bleachers in the south end were full.

     # 9 Sr. WR Jason Candle of Salem/West Branch kept the drive going with a leaping third down "possession" catch for 12 yards.  # 31 Jr. RB Dan Pugh of Norwalk/St. Paul went limping off, not to return, after a three-yard gainer on the fourth play of the game.  # 42 Jr. RB Vince Ilacqua of Willoughby/Lake
Catholic went in at the blocking back slot and lead the way for Mr. Moore, for the rest of the afternoon.  Except for the two plays mentioned, Chuck carried the ball for the rest of the 62-yard drive.  To say that the
drive was all Chuck's would not be correct, and the young man himself would never say that.  On the final play Moore brought the ball around the right side, while the blocking, lead by Ilacqua and # 75 So. RT big Larry Kinnard, of Alliance, scattered the red and white Johnnies like Brunswick bowling pins on the PBA tour.

     Earlier in the week, it was announced that Chuck had won the other coach's trophy, not just the best player in his division, but also as the student athlete best epitomizing the spirit of D3 football.  The 64 # trophy is awarded each year in ceremonies in Salem Va., prior to the Stagg Bowl.  The "Hogs" of the offensive line played like they were hungry for an invitation to the presentation luncheon.  Chuck himself was bounced out of bounds and never made it into the end zone, this trip, but he made certain that the ball
passed inside the pylon closest to Hartshorn & McKinley, before coming over to check on Dan Pugh, who was on the trainer's table with an ice bag on his ankle.

     St. John's was able to hold the ball for only three plays, a firm stop and a quarterback "hurry" by # 89 Jr. DE Matt Campbell of Massillon/Perry and a virtual defense clinic by # 13 Jr. CB Mike Miller of Cuyahoga Falls, who broke up a long pass attempt in front of the visitors bench, playing much taller than his 5' 8" program height.

     # 7 Jr. QB  Rob Adamson, put a bit of variety into the next series by passing to Chuck Moore.  # 5 Jr. TE Josh Liddell of Bemus Point, NY made the third down possession catch, Moore broke a 22 yarder down the near sideline to the long jump pit and then bulled the final five up the middle behind # 74 Sr. OL Adam Indorf, of Dalton.  President Emeritus Harold Kohlenbrander joined President Ewing and the cheerleaders in the celebratory push-ups following the conversion.

     # 1 Sr. PK Rodney Chenos made the conversion and kicked off.  The Johnnies got only a play and a half before the second down pass was picked off by # 20 Sr. Safety Alex Grinch of Grove City, Ohio.

     With just over three minutes left in the opening quarter, Adamson and Moore headed south like Sherman, this time with the third down catch by # 80 Sr. WR Jason Richards of Columbia Station and the touchdown on a "dink" pass to Ilacqua in the right flat, as he went into the McKinley corner, untouched, for his first touchdown of the season.

FIRST QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 21, SAINT JOHN'S 0

     The mist turned to rain as the teams switched ends, the change of scenery did not help the visitor's offense, but their defense did stiffen as Mount failed to score on their next two turns, but Adamson always seems to get better as the clock winds down.

     There was a standing "O" for the "D" when they put the ball back in our quarterback's hands, following a negative yardage series and a punt, with three minutes left in the half.  This time the Raiders featured Jason Candle who made 50 of the 60 yards required on three catches, including the touchdown deep in
the scoreboard end, hanging onto the ball after a jarring hit by the St. John's defender.  Not quite like last year, but also in the flagpole end, Chenos caromed the extra point off the left upright, but through for the
point, and kicked the ball back to our guests with only five seconds left.

HALFTIME SCORE: MOUNT UNION 28, SAINT JOHN'S 0

     As I've said before, not much happens at halftime in the playoffs.  I had suggested a midfield "mud match" between Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura and Mount Alumni "BJ" Payne.  A claymation match with real clay, but the Governor has drastically reduced his personal appearances following the terrorist attacks and the failure of the XFL, not necessarily related.

     Actually, not much happened during the third quarter either, except for the appearance, on the sidelines, of # 58 Sr. LB Rocky Coniglio of Coraopolis, Pa., with a heavily taped left ankle and crutches.  Dan Pugh came back, showered and in street clothes but without a serious limp or crutches.  From a dozen rows up, I can't tell you their medical conditions, but I believe that both will be on the bus, after their exams, and that at least one will suit up.

     The most interesting play of the period was a pass that the Johnny's quarterback managed to complete to himself for a 13-yard loss, that's legal, but when he threw it again he drew a 10-yard penalty, from the spot, and loss of down, which took him from first and ten to second and 33.

THIRD QUARTER SCORE: MOUNT UNION 28, SAINT JOHN'S 0

CALL FOR MR. MOORE!

     The fourth quarter opened with a 49-yard Adamson to Candle completion, out of bounds, on the four-yard line, at the northwest end.  With first and goal, the call went to Chuck Moore who put the ball into the north end zone, the conversion by Chenos upping the score to 35.

     Looking like a team that could still come back, St. John's drove down into Mount's "red zone," but a big hit by # 45 Sr. LB Stan Watson pretty much snuffed their last candle, when they came up short on a fourth and three at the Mount six.

     Chuck Moore rushed twice, to get the ball out of the shadow of the south end goal post and came out to a major demonstration of appreciation from the home side fans, as Ilacqua soldiered on.  We thought we had seen Moore's final appearance, but he came back for a pair of curtain calls, making the tackle after Mount was forced to punt and handling the kickoff when the Johnnies scored with their second string quarterback and, did I mention, that Chuck was taking ticket orders, working the phones in the Athletic Dept. offices during the week?

WHERE THE POLKA IS REGARDED AS A MARTIAL ART

     With five minutes left, St. John's ruined the shut out, when their # 2 Blake Elliott, put the ball in good field position, on a punt return, and they scored, quickly, on three running plays.  Mount's second team tried to run the clock, but came up short and punted.

     St. John's had another play and a half drive with the interception by our other Minnesota man, # 15 So. Tom Underdahl, listed as a wide receiver, also from Fairbault Mn., activated for today's game and playing defense as an understudy to Chris Kern.  Alex Grinch bagged a second interception in the quarter and # 91, So. DT Antoine Dillard of Cleveland/Benedictine High School got himself a "standing sack" - a 13-yard loss for SJU, when he wrapped his arms around the quarterback and just immobilized him.

     St. John's got the ball one more time and managed to score a second touchdown, against a defense comprised of everybody who hadn't played yet.  A totally unnecessary act, but the first time in three tries that they'd scored more than once on the "Men in Black."  The rain ended as the game wound down.  On
the way home, we found that it had not rained at all, anywhere north of Atwater, go figure.

FINAL SCORE: MOUNT UNION 35, SAINT JOHN'S 14

ON TO VIRGINIA

     Next week: Academic finals at Mount Union and finals in football, Division III National Championship, at the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem/Roanoke, Virginia.  The opponent will be Bridgewater College, from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, in Virginia.  We don't know much about them as they have burst onto the scene as, somewhat, of a "Cinderella" team, defeating Rowan in a last second thriller.  The good news is that we won't have to play Rowan again, but the bad news is that this will be almost a home game for them, less than two hours from their campus, and that many of their Alums live in the Roanoke/Salem area.

     This year, for the first time, the game will be at 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening and will be telecast, nationally, on ESPN2.  The starting time was decided by the TV people and will "skew" a number of the things that we "usually" do.

     I've been told that there will be three different buses going from Alliance: one Friday morning - returning Sunday, one departing Saturday morning and returning Sunday morning and a third leaving Alliance Saturday morning and returning immediately after the game.  Contact the Office of Alumni and College Affairs for details, and check www.muc.edu or www.mtunionfootball.com for details, as they become available.

     I believe that we will, technically, be the home team, but all that means is choice of uniforms and which side of the field we will occupy (Be sure to ask, when you call for tickets).  The telephone number for game tickets is 1-540-375-3004, the Salem Civic Center Box Office.  Bridgewater should bring a big crowd; our team deserves all the support you can give it.  I hope to be there by Friday night.  See you there!

Dick Ross
Class of '66