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Oles keep the Goat Trophy

Matt Johnson
November 5, 2001

The St. Olaf football team extended their winning streak to three games while maintaining their possession of the fabled "Goat Trophy" this past Saturday as they beat Carleton 28-6 at Manitou Field. In addition to their current seasonal winning streak, the Oles (6-3, 5-3 MIAC) also extended their winning streak against the Knights (0-8, 0-9 MIAC) to 5 games.

The scoring started early as the Oles marched down the field on their first possession of the game, capped by Joe Hammond?s (Sr., Neilsville, Wis.) 8-yard touchdown pass to Steve Ryan (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.). Sean Koomen (So., Mankato, Minn.) booted the point after as the Oles went up 7-0. On the very next series, Hammond hooked up with Ryan again for a 62-yard touchdown strike. Koomen converted the point after to give the Oles a 14-0 lead.

The score remained 14-0 into the half, as both teams showed great defensive tenacity. Finally, the Oles lit up the scoreboard again five minutes into the third quarter, when tailback Manuel Spreigl (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) muscled his way across the goal line from 5-yards out. Koomen?s kick split the uprights, sending the Oles on to a 21-0 lead. After a few more exchanges of possession, Spreigl again found the end zone, hauling in an 18-yard pass from Hammond. Carleton rounded out the scoring when receiver Jesse Anderson caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jon Groteboer (Sr. Rochester, Minn.) with 9:05 left to play in the fourth quarter. Groteboer set Carleton?s career completion record with 392.

St. Olaf offense continued to show that it was back on track after struggling to find consistency during their recent losing streak, putting up 28 points with the aid of 443 yards. Joe Hammond set the tempo by completing 10 of 16 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Spreigl rushed 27 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 67 yards and another score, establishing himself as a multi-dimensional offensive threat, and was not tackled behind the line of scrimmage even once. Steve Ryan led all receivers with six catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while Sean Koomen was a perfect 4-4 on extra point attempts. Koomen has converted his last10 P.A.T. attempts.

The Ole defense also seems to have found its rhythm after showing flashes of domination on Saturday following a stellar performance at Macalester a week earlier. Although Carleton did manage 270 total yards, most of those came late in the game. Free safety Chad Thomas (Jr., Menomenie, Wis.) paced the Oles with nine tackles. Defensive end Jim Struble (Sr., Sparta, Wis.) chipped in with yet another sack and a tackle for a loss.

The Ole football team will travel to St. Peter on Saturday, November 10th to take on the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties. Retribution will be a hot commodity in this game: last year the Gustie quarterback Joe Thorvig threw for 350 yards and five touchdowns, while the Oles fell 42-28 at the Metrodome.

Contact Judy Stromayer at 507-786-3315 or stromaye@stolaf.edu.