Duluth Was Fun, Carleton is For Real (UUN #10-22)
Dear Ever-Hopeful SJU Fans —
Rather than reinvent what has already been done so well by our Sports Staff up in Collegeville, read this brief recap as taken from the “Game Notes” prepared for this Saturday’s game against Carleton:
Saint John’s out-gained St. Scholastica by a 473-263 margin and seven different Johnnies scored a touchdown in a 56-6 win last Saturday (Oct. 29) in Duluth. SJU began four drives inside the Saints’ 40-yard line in the first two quarters of play. The Johnnies’ average starting-field position on the afternoon, across 12 possessions, was their own 47-yard line. Senior wide receiver Nick VanErp led the way with six catches for 105 yards, including two touchdowns in the first half.
Senior wide receiver #7 Nick VanErp celebrates with junior running back #26 Tony Underwood after the latter’s 27-yard touchdown run in the second quarter Oct. 29 at St. Scholastica (image courtesy of Libby Auger).
My word! The things offensive linemen do to #91 Michael Wozniak to protect their quarterbacks…and yet it looks like Woz is ready to tackle his prey despite nearly being strangled by an outmatched opponent. (Photo by Libby Auger).
Junior wide receiver #11Jimmy Buck runs for more yardage after catching one of four passes Saturday, leading to one touchdown (image courtesy of Libby Auger).
That sums it up pretty well, but I might add that after starting junior quarterback #6 Aaron Syverson left the game a little earlier than he might have with a small ding somewhere (I heard his hand, but who knows?), quarterbacks junior #18 Nick Peterson and sophomore #15 Cale Wolf came in and added more scoring damage to the Saints. Nick was 4-5 passing and collected two passing TDs, while Cale was 6-7 and scored one rushing TD. Even though against a bottom-dweller like the Saints, it sure makes one feel a little easier to see the quality of the back-ups.
Overall our scoring was balanced with four TDs each by passing and rushing, although our yardage was more lopsided as we passed about three times more than we rushed. Penalties continue to be a concern as we head into the postseason (and Bethel is “postseason”, believe me); we had five for 53 yards, while the Saints had eight for 60…but it seemed that St. Scholastica’s errs always were a drive/momentum killer. The Saints weren’t horrible, they made some plays on us, but their youth and uneven talent hindered them in many ways. I’m thinking they’ll continue to improve and maybe play their way out of the MIAC cellar next season.
Now let’s talk about SJU’s kicking game: Our columnist, Uncasual Fan, has mentioned these guys previously a number of times this season, but up in Duluth the lads had a chance to put on a pretty good display of their talent and they did not disappoint. Fortunately, junior punter #95 Spencer Ell didn’t need to punt all that much but he was 3 for 138 yards, or an average of 46 yards, while his poor opponent punted 8 times for 153 yards or an average of 19 yards per kick. Ouch! That sure added to our supremo field position most of the game.
Sophomore kicker #12 Conor Murphy was a very busy fellow last Saturday up in Duluth (image courtesy of Libby Auger)
Spencer’s kicking companion, sophomore #12 Conor Murphy, was, as he has been all season, just outstanding yet again. And the young man had to do a LOT of kicking: he had nine kickoffs averaging 57.4 yards a pop and three touchbacks, plus he was 8 for 8 in PATs. Those of us who remember not too long ago how weak that part of our game was just sigh in relief and gratitude that these two student/athletes are with us, especially as we enter what we hope will be the postseason, assuming we get by Carleton (yeah, we will) and Bethel (yeah, we most likely will).
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Scenes in Duluth —
Due in part to Lake Superior, the weather in Duluth is often cooler, rainier and more blustery than elsewhere in the state, but not last Saturday. It was a Top Ten weather day for watching football in the late Fall, with a high in the mid-60ºs, plenty of sunshine and mild breezes in one of the iconic cities of the Upper Midwest. Even some of the Duluthians told us that many of their summer days weren’t that nice. (Would that we might have similar weather extend for the next two home contests, but—alas—that is not to be…it’s supposed to be cold and colder for the Carleton and Bethel games.)
Adding to the warmth and charm of last Saturday was the outstanding tailgate arranged by the Duluth Chapter of the combined CSB-SJU Alumni/ae Association, who not only fed us but made us feel like some of their own. Once a Johnnie/Bennie, always a Johnnie/Bennie! What follows are some photos of the day — before, during and after the game:
Some Duluth Chapter members responsible for organizing and hosting the pregame tailgate are, left to right: Garrett Schoenfelder ’16; Mary Cherne Schoenfelder ’16; Paul Goossens ’83, Duluth Chapter Co-chair; Toni Roberts ‘06, Duluth Chapter Co-chair; Michael Henderson ’06, Duluth Chapter Co-chair; and Jodi Bartholomew Jorgenson ’87. We thank the committee for their extra effort in providing Benedictine hospitality “up north.” (Photo compliments of John Sipe ’61/’65)
Presenting a larger group photo of Duluth Chapter CSB/SJU Alumni/ae attendees. (Photo compliments of Toni Roberts ’06).
Here’s the majority of the group present on October 29 before the St. Scholastica game. Getting everyone gathered for this photo was like herding cats…but we did it, corralling about 3/4 of the gang. (Photo by Toni Roberts).
Enjoying a pregame lunch compliments of the Duluth Chapter are (from left) Kay Gerlach, Mark and Peg Kohler, Jenni and Rob Mohr, and Jon Gerlach ’89. Their Johnnie offspring include senior receiver #1 senior Matt Mohr; senior defensive back #2 John Kohler; and sophomore defensive back #5 Graham Gerlach. (Photo by John Sipe).
Some Duluth-area pals/classmates of the Lilly-Wozniak clan came to the tailgate to join in the fun. From left are Colleen Lilly ’81, Nancy Kendoza Rectenwald ’81 (Duluth), Mary Lilly Wozniak ’87, Joe Wozniak ’85, John Jorgenson, and Jodi Bartholomew Jorgenson ’87 (Cloquet) (Photo by John Sipe).
Reuniting in Duluth for the SJU-CSS game is the Norman family, with Duluthians son Casey (red cap) and daughter-in-law Paige (purple cap) greeting their parents Denise Wyttenbach ‘76 and Jeff Norman ’78 (photo by John Sipe).
As so often happens, the Johnnie fans outnumbered the locals. Although the attendance was not released by CSS, our estimate is that the Red-Clad Jay Followers had about a third more supporters than those for St. Scholastica, but it wasn’t that big a crowd anyway (Photo by Chris Scholl).
The Johnnie fans were treated to the energetic gyrations of the St. Scholastica Dance Team throughout the game at every time-out and before kickoffs…a lot of kickoffs. At the far end of the stands in front of the small number of CSS students, parents and fans were about six cheerleaders who seemed considerably less animated. Our fans lucked out and we continually showed our appreciation (Photo by Chris Scholl).
Presenting the SJU broadcasting team of WBHR 660 AM—The BEAR— making do with the open-air, sub-par facilities given them by managers of the Duluth Public Stadium, located at Denfield High School. St. Scholastica usually plays their games at UMD’s sleek new James Malosky Stadium when there is not a conflict; unfortunately for these guys, last Saturday was such a conflict time. Describing the game with the distractions of loud background blaring music, speaker announcements and crowd noise are (from left) Bryan Backes ’87, Mike Carr ’77 and Mark Lewandowski. Not pictured but present on the field with a broken mic was Charlie Carr ’03 (Photo by Chris Scholl).
Chuck Stoetzel ’55/’61 is a retired Math prof at St. Scholastica. He enjoyed the game with his wife Bobbi and daughter Annette, both of whom were St. Scholastica grads. Annette asked her mom which team she would be cheering for and she said St. John's “because it gave me the one thing that mattered the most.” Chuck’s unique shirt caught the attention of many at the tailgate. He said it’s from 1955, the year he graduated from St. John’s Prep School. Jeff Norman remarked that the shirt was made the year he was born. In other words, a loooong time ago. (Photo by Chris Scholl).
Duluthian Paul Goossens ’79/’83, is sitting in the foreground with his niece Sarah Goossens, a resident of Duluth herself, daughter of Ed Goossens ’74/’78, and a graduate of that never-to-be-mentioned-business school-located on-Summit Avenue. Paul hosted his brother Ed and sister-in-law Donna Goossens, standing behind him, at Bent Paddle Brewing after the game. Donna didn’t attend St. Ben’s, and has a T-shirt that reads, "I married a Johnnie and no, I'm not a Bennie." Unfortunately she didn't wear the shirt for Saturday's game and had to answer that question a few times (Photo by Chris Scholl).
Still at Bent Paddle, these four proudly-red-clad ex-Preps extol the glories of their Johnniness. From left, John Sipe ’61/’65, Ed Goossens ’74/’78, Paul Goossens ’79/’83, and Bob Wicker ’60/’64 (Photo by John Sipe’s phone.)
Later in the evening at Black Woods Grill & Bar we came across the Jaeger family up from Lakeville, Minnesota celebrating another Johnnie victory in which their son and brother senior offensive lineman #64 Joe Jaeger played. From left are Joe’s parents Ted and Jennalyn Jaeger, and sisters Allie and Lilly (Photo by Chris Scholl).
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Name Change, Carleton-Style —
The Carlton grad went into the Court House to change his name, and the clerk said, "Fine, what’s your name?"
The grad replied, "Jimmy Kysmiassky." (pronounced kiss-my-a$$-key).
The clerk responded, "Well, I can see why you want to change it. What would you like to change it to?"
The Knight announced, "Lester Kysmiassky."
(Contributed by Don Hall ’55/59, Minneapolis)
(Editor's Fond Memory: Fr. Roger Kasprick OSB once told me a similar story about changing his Benedictine name—Myron—back to Roger after the Vatican II changes. And who said that theologians aren't funny?)
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Two Outstanding Johnnies In The News —
Senior Linebacker #49 Eric Bjork
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Senior Tight End #8 Alex Larson
(Note: If you are unable to access this article from the STRIB, just let me know and I can email you a printed-out copy: theowick@aol.com)
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English Majors’ Corner, Class Participation Department —
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his English class one day. "In English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
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About Carleton —
Carleton College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it normally has about 2,200 undergraduate students and 260+ faculty members. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling Arboretum, which became part of the campus in the 1920s.
The school was founded when the Minnesota Conference of Congregational Churches unanimously accepted a resolution to locate a college in Northfield. In 1870, the first college president, James Strong, traveled to the East Coast to raise funds for the college. On his way from visiting a potential donor, William Carleton of Charlestown, MA, Strong was badly injured in a collision between his carriage and a train. Impressed by Strong's survival of the accident, Carleton donated $50,000 to the fledgling institution in 1871. As a result, the Board of Trustees renamed the school in his honor. Then, as now, it pays to have money.
At some point the college decided to become affiliated with the Baptist Church, but after a few years the Baptists left the affiliation because Carleton was just too liberal. Earlier the college’s board fired one of the first presidents for the same reason. Eventually Carleton just went the non-denominational route.
Admissions is highly selective with an acceptance rate of 16.5% in 2022, and Carleton is annually ranked near the top in most rankings of liberal arts schools. Carleton is particularly renowned for its teaching prowess, having been ranked #1 in “Undergraduate Teaching,” as well as “Most Selective” by U.S. News & Report for over a decade. It certainly is the most selective college in Minnesota. (Eat your heart out, Macalester.) It also has an endowment of $1.2 billion (yes, that’s “B” as in billion!), so they don’t have to sweat the small stuff, like paying professors and diminished class sizes. Carleton has a strong history of enrolling students who are in the National Merit Scholarship Program, often enrolling more than any other liberal arts college in the nation. Usually around 16% of the incoming class, the Class of 2021 included 51 National Merit Scholars.
The Carleton athletic teams are called the Knights. The college is a member of the Division III level of the NCAA, primarily competing in the MIAC since the 1983–84 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1920–21 to 1924–25. The Knights previously competed in the Midwest Conference (MWC) from 1925–26 to 1982–83; although Carleton had dual conference membership with the MWC and the MIAC between 1921–22 and 1924–25. All students must participate in physical education or athletic activities to fulfill graduation requirements.
Carleton competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports (10 for men and 10 for women): Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Carleton's biggest athletic rival is St. Olaf College, located on the other side of Northfield. The Knights and the Oles contest six trophies in yearly matchups. The first trophy, The Goat, was created in 1913 and goes to the winning men's football team. Carleton won the “coveted” Goat Trophy this season. Carleton is also known for its Division I Ultimate Frisbee teams, which have won multiple national championships.
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What About Saturday? —
The Carleton College football team — aka the Knights — is vastly improved this year. It’s a veteran team starting a lot of juniors and especially seniors. Until two games ago the Knights were undefeated, going 6-0 for the first time in a long while. Then they met up with, first, Concordia and narrowly lost 13-20 in overtime, and second with Gustavus where they lost 9-28 but the final seven points came with seconds left in the game by a pick-six, and earlier a blocked punt allowed the Gusties an easy score, so it also was fairly close.
Now they are bringing their 6-2 record up to St. John’s and are still trying to make a statement. Perhaps hoping to catch us playing inattentively with over-confidence from the shellacking of St. Scholastica last week and/or looking ahead to a probable MIAC championship game the following week with Bethel and not taking the challenge at hand very seriously. You can bet your sweet bippy [https://www.facebook.com/TimeLifeUS/videos/you-bet-your-sweet-bippy/10155418883272845/] that Coach Gary Fasching and his assistants are emphasizing these points right now. However, still being kids, the team may have a hard time really getting up for this game.
For a bit of real-life sobering assessment, Carleton beat St. Scholastica by a near equivalent score to ours: their 56-20 to our 56-6. In other words, the Knights, too, can muster a credible offense; that is to say, we cannot take them lightly…we all remember too well when we had River Falls on the ropes and let them nearly come back in the fourth quarter, and then allowing the same thing to happen by Gustavus in the final quarter. Sure hope the boys learned their lessons on those teachable moments. From now on, it’s pedal to the metal all game long.
So how good are the Knights really? In looking at our two teams in the “Statistical Comparisons” in the Game Notes [https://gojohnnies.com/news/2022/11/2/sju-footballs-week-10-game-notes-vs-carleton.aspx] you’ll see that they are ranked higher than us in several categories and it’s obvious they can move the ball in different ways. On the other hand, Carleton gained their heady statistics on the backs of some of the have-not teams in preseason and lower level MIAC. Basically we should beat them and perhaps beat them soundly, like maybe 44-13. Why? Because if we play up to our standards, there is nobody in the MIAC and most likely Division III that we can’t beat. The problem has been we don’t always play up to our abilities, especially for full games. Penalties, goofs and mistakes in tackling or receiving punts have taken their toll, and we can’t afford those at this stage of the season.
A look at their team shows that they hardly have any Minnesotans on it — just six. Their players are literally from all over the nation. And unlike many of the teams we’ve faced, they are evenly divided with players between all four years…but with lots of seniors starting.
They seem to be primarily a passing team but they can run the ball, too, especially from their quarterback, senior #14 Jonathan Singleton who has set passing records for Carleton. The main running back is another senior #22 Aiden Chang whom we’ve seen previously. Singleton’s receiving corps is younger, and has been effective throughout the season: sophomore wide receiver #11 Nathan Streiff and frosh WR #80 Tyler Dimond. Sophomore tight end #0 Ntense Obono has been a quality TD scorer. One problem with the team offensively is that they have tended to be mistake prone with bad snaps, fumbles, allowing blocked punts and the like.
Defensively we can expect to hear often the names of two senior linebackers, #55 Isaac Simons and #50 Noah Eckersley-Ray. The defensive line is anchored by senior #99 Skyler Kessenich and junior #66 Michael Carey. As a team Carleton hasn’t given up too many points, even in their two losses, but they haven’t faced a team as explosive as SJU. We’ll see what happens…and it could be in the rain too, so I hope our running game gets working.
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Knight Work Ethic —
As a Carleton grad strolled into his workplace the other morning, his boss stormed up to him and said accusingly, “You missed work yesterday, didn’t you?”
The Knight said, “No, not particularly."
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AROUND THE MIAC —
Last Week’s Results —
9th Week, Saturday, October 29
St. Olaf at Bethel — Being charitable I predict the Oles will score a little on the Royals, but with Bethel winning big 45 to 10. Actually, the Royals won but not quite as “big” — 38-17.
Macalester at Hamline — This could be called the “Who Cares Bowl?”, but since it’s at Hamline let’s go with the Pipers holding on to win 34 to 27. Actually, close to right score but wrong team: I sold Mac short as they came up with the “W” 33-20.
Concordia at Augsburg — A possibly good, exciting game with two evenly matched teams. Normally I’d give the home team the advantage but my heart says the Cobbers will prevail 27-21. Actually, most of my wrong predictions this season have to do with Concordia, which lost 38-35. Should have trusted my head instead of my heart.
Carleton at Gustavus — Unfortunately for the Knights, the air went out of their undefeated balloon last week at Concordia and it gets flatter this week when the Gusties roll over them 36-12. Actually, that’s pretty much what happened, with the Gusties winning 28-9.
St. John’s at St. Scholastica — Let’s hope the Jays work on their running game with the second and third stringers most of the entire second half to show our hosts a little mercy. Even trying to keep the score manageable, it’s SJU 54 - CSS 0. Actually, the Saints did manage a score but otherwise it was as expected, Jays 56-6.
Other Games of Interest:
San Diego at St. Thomas — After the 6-1 Tommies knocked off Davidson earlier in the year, San Diego was thought to be U$T’s next strongest opponent, but at 3-3 coming into this game I’m thinking that the Toreros will be toast, about 32-10. And with the weather being mild this weekend, the Toms may get around 4,500-5,000 fans…because they’re Div. I, you know. Actually, the now 7-1 Tommies were fortunate to escape with a win on their home turf, 48-42, in a wide-open, mistake-laden game before 4,849 fans.
UW-River Falls at UW-Whitewater — Whitewater will be really ticked from its loss and will take it out on River Falls, 36-17. Actually, WOW!, it took a last second 49-yard field goal that hit the cross bar and bounced through to save a victory for Whitewater over River Falls 30-27. See it here:
https://twitter.com/FerrisCorey/status/1586469352403976192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586469352403976192%7Ctwgr%5E1e58f49eb22f1a0a29e168ff4b0d66378f1dae92%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.d3football.com%2Fnotables%2F2022%2F10%2Fweek9-wrapup-top25
UW-Platteville at UW-Stout— Platteville came out of nowhere to knock off two higher ranked teams in successive weeks so I’m betting they’ll do it again, 31- 24. Actually, Platteville narrowly lost to host Stout 24-22 in three overtimes!
UW-La Crosse at UW-Oshkosh— La Crosse is tough, tougher than Oshkosh, so I’m going with them to beat the Titans 38-22. Actually, it was another breath-taking win by La Crosse 38-35 with yet another last-minute field goal.
(Ed’s Comment: The WIAC has got to be the toughest, most equal conference in Div. III. Six out of the eight teams are or have been ranked in the Top 25 and, at least this year, are capable of beating each other on any given Saturday. It’s not just UW-Whitewater any more.)
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Games This Week—
10th Week, Saturday, November 5
Hamline at Concordia — This game, otherwise known as the Slaughter in Moorhead, should see the Cobbers run wild over hapless Hamline 42-13.
Gustavus at St. Olaf — The Oles may put up a little fight, but the Gusties will rule 36-25.
Bethel at Augsburg — The Royals will mess up the Auggies, 39-19.
St. Scholastica at Macalester — For these two bottom dwellers (sorry Hamline, I forgot you) it might be a surprisingly high score with Mac finally winning 45-38.
Carleton at St. John’s — After having their dreams of an undefeated season ruined the last two games, the Knights probably know what’s forthcoming…let’s say Jays 44-13.
Other Games of Interest:
St. Thomas at Valparaiso (IN)— The Tommies better get their act together because the 4-4 Beacons are 3-2 in the conference and beat San Diego 28-21, meaning they are primed to give the Tommies all they can handle…so look for a score of about 38-32, St.Thomas. Attendance about 3,300, because they’re Div. I, you know.
UW-River Falls at UW-La Crosse — After almost beating Whitewater at home the Falcons of UWRF must face another, bigger raptor, the UWLC Eagles at their aerie. Eagles are bigger than Falcons, ergo LaCrosse wins 33-28.
UW-Whitewater at UW-Stout— Obviously parity has come to the WIAC and it’s not an automatic win for Whitewater; in fact, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Stout sinks the visiting Warhawks (another raptor team) 24-19.
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D3Football Top 25 —
Schools ranked #1 through #6 (including #4 Saint John’s) remained the same, while former #8 UW-La Crosse bumped up one spot to #7 and our nearest competitor, Bethel, jumped up two places—go figure—to #9 after beating that great MIAC power St. Olaf, while former #7 Johns Hopkins fell all the way down to #17 after narrowly losing 26-24 to former #19 Susquehanna who hopped up to #13.
And talking about strict, Platteville and Oshkosh dropped out of the Top 25 after their narrowest losses, but did receive votes along with Stout. That leaves #7 La Crosse, #10 Whitewater and #23 River Falls still representing the WIAC in the national rankings.
https://www.d3football.com/top25/2022/week9
Bonus: As we near the playoffs, here is a preliminary discussion on d3football.com about regional rankings:
https://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-nation/2022/giving-order-to-regional-rankings
A lot is riding on SJU defeating Bethel, but it also looks like Linfield will remain home for all their playoff games whereas neither St. John’s nor Bethel will.
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Battle Between The Sexes, Jealousy Division —
A jealous husband hired a private detective to check on the movements of his wife. The husband wanted more than a written report; he wanted video of his wife's activities.
A week later, the detective returned with a video. They sat down together to watch it. Although the quality was less than professional, the man saw his wife meeting another man. He saw the two of them laughing in the park. He saw them enjoying themselves at an outdoor cafe. He saw them dancing in a dimly lit nightclub. He saw the man and his wife participate in a dozen activities with utter glee.
"I just can't believe this," the distraught husband said.
The detective said, "What's not to believe? It's right up there on the screen!"
The husband replied, "I can't believe that my wife could be so much fun!"
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SJU 2022 Football Schedule
(All games are played on Saturdays, beginning at 1 pm)
Date Opponent Location
Sep. 3 UW-Whitewater Collegeville W—24-10
Sep. 10 UW-River Falls Collegeville W—37-34
Sep. 17 Bye —
Sep. 24 Bethel Arden Hills L—28-24
Oct. 1 Concordia (HC) Collegeville W—35-28
Oct. 8 Augsburg Minneapolis W—45-0
Oct. 15 St. Olaf* Northfield W—49-10
Oct. 23 Gustavus* (FW) Collegeville W—41-28
Oct. 29 St. Scholastica* Duluth, MN W—56-6
Nov. 5 Carleton* Collegeville
Nov. 12 MIAC Champ. Wk. Collegeville
HC = Homecoming
FW = Family Weekend
* = Northwoods Division
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Johnnie Radio Network —
Saturday’s game can be heard live on WBHR-660 AM across central Minnesota, KDIZ-1570 AM in the Twin Cities and KOWZ-1170 AM in Waseca, which covers most of southern Minnesota and into western Wisconsin. Mark Lewandowski, Bryan Backes ’87, Mike Carr ’77 and Charlie Carr ’03 will call all the action, beginning with Johnnies Magazine at 11 a.m. and the pre-game show at 11:30 a.m. The game will also be broadcast on the SJU football website via Stretch Internet. This is the 24th season SJU football can be heard worldwide over the internet.
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Listening via the Internet: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csbsju/
Viewing via live streaming: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csbsju/
(Note: It’s gonna cost ya ten smackeroos to watch, just sayin’…)
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MIAC Standings —
(As of October 29)
Division MIAC Overall
Northwoods Division
St. John’s 3-0 5-1 7-1
Carleton 2-1 4-2 6-2
Gustavus 2-1 4-2 5-3
St. Olaf 1-2 3-3 4-4
St. Scholastica 0-4 1-5 2-6
Skyline Division
Bethel 3-0 6-0 7-1
Augsburg 3-0 4-2 6-2
Concordia 1-2 2-4 4-4
Macalester 1-3 1-5 3-5
Hamline 0-3 0-6 2-6
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Quote of the Week —
“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow just as well.” — Mark Twain
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View From The Field —
(By Ron Tomczik ’65, Medicine Lake, MN)
It was a wonderful Fall weather game day in Duluth with a sizable Johnnie fan attendance. Thanks to the Duluth area Johnnie/Bennie Alumni for sponsoring a nice Tail Gate reception!
From players after the game:
• This week’s game practice included a lot of preparation for Bethel.
• Quarterback Aaron Syverson and TE Alex Larson were taken out of the game early because of minor injuries. They and running backs Henry Trost and Troy Feddema are expected to be okay for Carleton and Bethel.
• Expressing my concern for getting the starters out of the game early in order to minimize injuries, wide receiverNick VanErpsaid he was ready to come out of the game early but was told we didn’t have another punt returner (approx. 58 player travel limit) and so “get back on the field” in the 4th quarter. Note: the Johnnies actually had three travel buses for the team, coaches and extras.
Photo vanerp
Senior wide receiver #7 Nick VanErp caught six passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over St. Scholastica (image courtesy of Libby Auger).
• When St. Scholastica scored their long yardage touchdown, our coach was very upset, resulting in assistant coach Brandon Novak actually calming him down and some starters were put back into the game.
• Per our O-Line guys, our previously-injured center started the game and with other changes, our offensive line played a good game—albeit against a weak opponent.
From Students:
Why many students do not attend home football games or leave early:
• Many games are blowouts, many times we win by large margins.
• A lot of “socializing” is occurring in the Tail Gating area during the games.
• Students gather in dorm rooms for “good times “and livestream the game.
• Some students are just not interested in football games.
• Some guys prefer some of the important D1 football games on TV during our games.
• With colder weather, Bennies especially, will not come or stay for the entire game.
Miscellaneous:
After home games, the ROTC Cadets clean up some or all of the tailgate area and the stadium. Kudos to them! Go Johnnies! — Ron
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
A Short History of Medicine
"Doctor, I have an ear ache."
2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."
1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."
1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."
2004 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!”
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(Compliments of the earthy Suzie Gooding, Durham, NC)
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Bob Sullivan ‘59 Honored By Carleton College —
October 15 was named "Bob Sullivan Day" by the city of Northfield, MN, home of Carleton College. Bob "Sully" Sullivan '59 was honored by the college for his 22 years of coaching and record number of wins by having the football field named after him: Bob Sullivan Field at Laird Stadium.
After a long and celebrated career coaching 60 seasons, 22 as head football coach at Carleton College, the 86-year old retiree is still in love with the gridiron. When Sullivan retired in 2000, his record of 102 total wins still stands as the most of any Knights football coach. Sullivan took over a struggling Knights football program in 1979 and went on to lead the team to the Midwest Conference title game in his first season. In 1983, Carleton moved to the more competitive MIAC. From 1986-1990, Sullivan retooled the program and led the Knights to five straight upper division finishes… however he never managed to beat his former coach, friend and mentor at St. John's, John Gagliardi.
Former player Jeff Applequist, Carleton Class of 1980, said he played only one season for Sully, his first at Carleton and my last, when I was a senior in the fall of 1979. “But I have never forgotten the lessons he taught me, and I continue to be in close communication with him today, 43 years later,” said Applequist. “We see each other regularly. I believe his most important legacy is not just as the winningest coach in Carleton football history, but as a teacher, mentor, father-figure and friend to a generation of young men, 600 players in all.” (See the story linked below.)
Coach Bob “Sully” Sullivan stands beside the plaque dedicated to him inside Laird Stadium at Carleton College. On October 15, the football field was renamed “Bob Sullivan Field” to honor his 22 years as the Knights head football coach. (Pamela Thompson/southernminn.com)
(Editor’s Note: We are thankful to the UUN’s southern Minnesota at-large reporter, Patrick Tomczik, for bringing this story to our attention.)
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The Competitive Tommie —
Always looking for something new and challenging, a graduate of the University of St. Thomas wanted to learn how to sky dive. He got an instructor and started lessons. The instructor told the St. Thomas alum to jump out of the plane and pull his rip cord. The instructor then explained that he himself would jump out right behind him so that they would go down together. The Tommie understood and was ready.
The time came to have the St. Thomas grad jump from the airplane. The instructor reminded the purple-clad fellow that he would be right behind him. The Tommie proceeded to jump from the plane and after being in the air for a few seconds pulled the rip cord. The instructor followed by jumping from the plane. The instructor pulled his rip cord but the parachute did not open. The instructor, frantically trying to get his parachute open, darted past the UST alum.
The Tommie, seeing this, yelled as he undid the straps to his parachute, "So you wanna race, eh?"
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From Our Readers —
From Terry Fruth ’60, Minneapolis —
Wick, I am happy to hear SJU is welcoming transfers. I hope this practice has come before our new board as it is clearly their responsibility to participate in important policy matters — giving direction after consultation. We have to compete for transfers in an era of declining enrollment and the Board has to set standards after consultation with administrators and faculty. Failure to accept credits can easily add a semester to the transferring student’s degree. This practice should have come to the Board years ago. I just learned of it when a relative transferred and could not get all his major credits transferred, though they were from a very highly regarded school. As always —Terry
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From Conrad Macina, Landing, NJ —
I think Tom Troskey has the germ of a great idea:
You know what, Mr. Wicker? There are various awards, such as Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys but I do not know of one for UUNs. However, there should be and you would get it with unanimous consent. You do a terrific job week in and week out. Thank you — Tom
I agree that you do an outstanding job and the UUN deserves an award. But I’d take it one step further: the UUNnies! You should be awarding outstanding fandom:
Best Tailgate Food; Best Tailgate Beverages; Best Johnny Clothing (Adult); Best Johnny Clothing (Kid); Most Beers Consumed at La Playette; Etc.
(Editor’s Quick Interjections: There’s no way I’d ever judge “best food and drink at the tailgate”…I could make too many enemies and they might cut me off. As far as the clothing, best that we just admire them publicly without any kind of a ranking. And regarding “most beers consumed,” that’s a non-starter for a guy who’s for moderation in all things.)
Re: Quote of the Week —
I hate it when people act all intellectual and talk about Mozart while they’ve never even seen one of his paintings.
Well, I hate it when people act all intellectual and talk about Mozart but never even mention Curly’s art or Larry’s art.
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I accidentally left two tickets to the San Diego-St. Thomas game on my dashboard yesterday. Somebody smashed the window and left two more.
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From Ron Youso ’64, Foley, MN —
Rob, I agree 100% with Wayne Hergott. No where else in the conference is the volume that loud. It is actually ear piercing, especially for this old man. Overall the volume could easily be turned down with no ill effects, and certainly as you stated Rob, at least 5-6 seconds before a play. I too think that is just being courteous and respectful. Just an opinion from an old duffer. — Ron
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From John Chromy ’64, Washington, DC —
Bob —I think of you and the UUN every day as I eat my Wicketables, gnaw on my Theoapples, and down my Robitamins. Stay cheerful & "Beat Back Carleton.” —John
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From Cary Musech ‘80, Deephaven, MN —
Hi Wick: I eagerly await arrival of the UUN in my in-box every week during the season! I read your comment from Jim Conn wishing he had taken a photo of the field after the Gustavus game showing the great sportsmanship between the two teams. My daughter Rene and son-in-law Inigo Gordobil joined me for the Gustavus game and Inigo took the picture below. His caption was “We have them outnumbered!”
Inigo grew up in village near Bilboa, Spain. Rene met Inigo when they both attended Franklin University Switzerland. After stints in London and San Francisco, Rene & Inigo built a house down the street from us in Cottagewood. They are expecting their first child (and our first grandchild!) in February. Thanks again for the UUN and hope to see you soon. All the best. — Cary
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From John Taylor ’58, Sartell, MN —
Saint John’s annually holds a Veterans Day Salute during the football game closest to Veterans Day/Armistice Day. This year, Saint John’s honors Brigadier General John W. Weidner '91, who will present his salute via the videoboard during the game with Carleton.
Gen. Weidner was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1991 after his graduation from Saint John’s Fighting Saints Battalion. He currently serves as Deputy Director, Plans and Policy, U.S. Strategic Command. Prior to that assignment, he was Director of the U.S. Army Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction agency.
Gen. Weidner is married to Michella (Nentwig) Weidner, CSB Class of 1991.
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Battle Between The Sexes, Spicing Up the Relationship —
Three friends met up for lunch. One is engaged, one is a mistress, and one has been married for fifteen years. The were chatting about their relationships and decided to amaze their men by greeting them at the door wearing a black lingerie, stiletto heels and a mask over their eyes.
They met in three days for lunch and talked about how it went.
The engaged one started saying, “The other night when my boyfriend came over, he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, ‘You are the woman of my dreams…I love you.’ Then we made passionate love all night long.”
The mistress went next. “Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn’t say a word, but he started to tremble and we had wild sex all night.”
Finally, the married one shared her story. “When my husband came home I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. He came in the door, saw me and said, ‘Hi Zorro...What’s for dinner?'”
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Building the Saint John's Abbey Church —
Here is a short video telling the story of the design and building of the Abbey Church. It features, among others, the late Fr. Hilary Thimmesh, who then was a young monk on the building committee, recounting some of the background for decision-making of this legendary edifice. (How good it was to see him and hear his voice again.)
The video was directed and produced by Mike Gelb ’12 and contains music by George Maurer ‘88. Historical photos were provided by Saint John's Abbey Archives. Part of the subject matter is an explanation of the stained glass north wall of the church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsoliVGxC_E (9:24 minutes)
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Obituaries to Read —
William C. Hunt ’57
(Bill attended St. John’s for two years before opting for the priesthood and transferring to the St. Paul Seminary. He was a brilliant man, a kind, calm, learned, loyal leader, husband and friend. Throughout the many changes in his life he continued to carry deep affection and respect for St. John’s. His brother is Vincent “Bob” Hunt ’56; Bob’s wife is Mary Kay Braus Hunt ‘56. Other than Bob and myself, and celebrant of the funeral Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary, Fr. Michael Joncas who has been affiliated at times with the School of Theology at SJU, I don’t know if any other Johnnies were present. I did meet one woman who said she was dating Bill when he called her up at St. Ben’s and broke the news to her he was going to study for the priesthood. She said they remained friends for the rest of his life, even after he eventually left the priesthood and married.)
https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000438963/
John Hein ’64
(John, originally from Grand Rapids, MN, attended St. John’s for only one year but maintained friendships with SJU classmates for 60 years. He was warm, understated but witty, and a welcome dispenser of solid, thoughtful financial advice. At his funeral some of those who appreciated and supported him through years of various illnesses were Leon Grahn, Jerry Sovell, Jim Senden, Fred Senn, Dick Schugel and Bob Wicker, all of the Class of 1964.)
https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000440047/
Kathleen Koppy Ziegler, wife of Frank Ziegler ’62
(Kathleen’s funeral in her packed parish church was held earlier yesterday [Thursday]. An extraordinary wife, mother, grandmother, sister, teacher and friend to so many whose lives she touched. A St. Kate’s alumna, she nevertheless loved St. John’s and will be interred at the Abbey Cemetery this coming Saturday. Attending her funeral Mass to honor Kathleen and support Frank, Frank, Jr. ’03, and family were John ’58/’62 and Julie Ditzler; Bob ’62 and Nancy Christensen; Mike ’61 and Jane Murphy; Frank ’58/’62 and Margo Knoll; Phil ’62 and Rosemary Murphy; Jim Randall ’58/’62; Jim Conway ’58/’62; John Hoffman ‘SJP ’58; Wayne Thein ’62; Fr. Don Talafous ’48 and Leila Utsch from St. John’s; Tom Christian ’59; Chris Scholl and Bob Wicker ’60/’64.)
https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000440270/
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Save the Date: Give SJU Day!
Wednesday, November 16
On Nov. 16, your Student Fund gift is matched by generous Saint John’s alumni from your class. You can set up your own match as well! Consider a per-donor match for your class year.
Powered by the SJU Alumni Association, Give SJU Day is the biggest day of giving in support of today’s Johnnies.
For more information on establishing a match or on Give SJU Day in general, please contact Ted Kain ’12, Director of Annual Giving, at tkain@csbsju.edu.
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Free Reads From Saint John’s Monks —
Subscribe here:
Daily Reflection, by Fr. Don Talafous OSB
https://saintjohnsabbey.org/reflection
A Monk’s Chronicle, by Fr. Eric Hollas OSB
https://monkschronicle.wordpress.com/
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English Majors’ Corner, The “Why We’re Hard To Live With” Department —
(Compliments of Terry Kotnour ’64, our man in New Yawk City)
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The Big Investment —
The lawyer says to the wealthy art collector tycoon, “I have some good news and, I have some bad news.”
The tycoon replies: “I’ve had an awful day, let’s hear the good news first."
The lawyer says, “Well, your wife invested $5,000 in two pictures this week that she figures are worth a minimum of $2 to $3 million.”
The tycoon replies enthusiastically, “Well done. Very good news indeed! You’ve just made my day. Now what’s the bad news?”
The lawyer answers, “The pictures are of you with your secretary.”
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THE FINAL WORD
A duck walks into a bar and orders a beer and a sandwich.
The bartender looks at him and says, "But you're a duck."
"I see your eyes are working," replies the duck.
"And you talk!" exclaims the bartender.
"I see your ears are working," says the duck, "Now can I have my beer and my sandwich, please?"
"Certainly," says the bartender, "Sorry about that, it's just we don't get many ducks in this pub. What are you doing round this way?"
"I'm working on the building site across the road," explains the duck.
So the duck drinks his beer, eats his sandwich, pays and leaves. This continues for two weeks. Then one day the circus comes to town. The ringleader of the circus comes into the pub and the bartender tells him about the incredible talking duck.
"Marvelous!" says the ringleader, "get him to come see me."
So the next day, the duck comes into the pub. The bartender says, "Hey, Mr. Duck, I lined you up with a top job paying really good money!"
"Yeah?" says the duck, "Sounds great, where is it?"
"At the circus" says the bartender.
"The circus?" the duck enquires.
"That's right," replies the bartender.
"The circus? That place with the big tent? With all the animals? With the big canvas roof with the hole in the middle?" asks the duck.
"That's right!" says the bartender.
The duck looks confused and asks: "What the heck do they want with a plasterer?"
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Ciao for now. Just so our boys don’t forget we’re pulling for them not to let up and take Carleton for granted, be sure they can here you yelling:
GO JOHNNIES ! !
De-Lance the Knights (or something like that)
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P.S. For those that want to subscribe or resubscribe, please go to the website listed at bottom in red. Yes, thanks to my daughter Caitlin we have an in-progress website.
Sincerely submitted,
R.L. Wicker SJP ’60/SJU ’64,
You can call me Rob, you can call me Bob, you can call me Theo or Wick…and my personal pronouns are “he a Johnny” and “him a Johnny.”
St. Paul, MN; 651-699-4697
theowick@aol.com
https://www.unofficialundergroundnews.com
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