College football: despite losing to Auggies, Saints make history in first-ever MIAC football game
The Sainte-Scholastique faithful, dressed in royal blue and gold, erupted into a chorus of cheers despite CSS being down 33-0 before the score. Cue the ticker tape.
âI thought they won the Super Bowl,â one watcher joked.
No sure was not the Super Bowl, but the fact that the Saints showed flashes in their very first football game as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference gives cause for optimism, something that will resonate across campus.
âThat touchdown meant we’re here to compete,â Bishop said.
Sophomore Cade Sheehan looked like a quarterback the world over as he led Augsburg to a 54-14 victory over St. Scholastica in front of 713 fans at the public schools stadium who enjoyed some sort of comeback. normal after 2020 was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sheehan, 5-foot-9 and very athletic, had 22 passes on 28 for 279 yards, with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 14 in 16 passes for 201 yards and four first-half touchdowns for the Auggies (1-2 overall, 1-0 MIAC), failing to fail until early in the second quarter.
“We won’t crown him yet,” Augsburg coach Derrin Lamker said of Sheehan. âHe needs to do better reads where he got the ball, but I love his effort and I love his leadership. If he maintains those two things, he will be a great player. I wish he was 6ft 4in tall, but he’s a badass.
Lamker was right. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here folks. The Saints were clearly outclassed, especially after quarterback Giuliano Villalpando suffered an injury in the game’s opening game while leading a QB keeper. He was replaced by Bishop, a freshman from Sublimity, Oregon, who is one of 51 freshmen on this year’s Saints squad, down from just five seniors.
There isn’t a football coach who doesn’t preach the next player mentality, but lose your starting QB in the first game of the Saints’ first game in a new league – you can’t even get there at the top.
âIt was very unlucky,â Bishop said. âIt was a little scary, but my nerves kind of calmed down as the game progressed.
âAt the start the game was very fast, it was my first varsity game, but it slowed down when I took a deep breath and everyone was supporting me. I have very good teammates. They are always there for me, every step of the way, no matter what happens, good or bad.
According to St. Scholastica coach Mike Heffernan, Villalpando’s knee injury appears to be ending the season.
Villalpando showed leadership and character by strongly applauding his teammates, trying to want them, sending a message that it was not over, just before he was helped off the pitch. He is a player who has suffered injuries throughout his playing career.
âHe’s upset, but he’s got his head on his shoulders and is going to do whatever he can to help the next guy,â Heffernan said. âIt’s crazy, but you have to be ready for anything. I told them after the game you are going to be judged on how you react to adversity. We had some adversity today, but our guys kept playing. They continued to bring it and bring it.
One player who continues to bring it and bring it for the Saints was 6-foot, 222-pound senior Bryceton Butkiewicz of Kettle River, who ran for a career-high 136 yards and a touchdown. Butkiewicz’s relentless run won the opponent’s respect, with Auggie defenders helping him after his bulldozing.
âHe’s a monster,â Bishop said.
Bishop finished just 9 of 24 passes for 58 yards and got an interception for a touchdown, but showed good athleticism as he rushed for 31 yards.
Bishop also displayed tenacity, improving as the game progressed and coming just before a touchdown in a hard-fought scrum where it was not easy.
âOne man can’t do it all,â Bishop said.
Apparently this also includes slippage.
With CSS previously playing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, this was the first meeting between the programs.
One day Bishop could be the question of who threw the first touchdown pass during an episode of Saints Jeopardy.
There will be plenty of firsts this year, so even though Saturday wasn’t the Super Bowl, it was a great start to a new era of Saints football and Saints athletics in general.
“We’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” here Bishop. âWe’re here to compete with the best, and with the support of the fans, the support of our team, we’re going to go as far as we want. I think this is a big step forward.
Augsburg 20-13-7-14â54
Saint Scholasticus 0-7-7-0â14
A – Isaiah Thompson 2 run (missed kick)
A – Braden Tretter 12 assist from Cade Sheehan (Durham Welch kick)
A – Josiah Ferguson 24 pass from Sheehan (Welsh kick)
A – Dominic Smith 22 pass from Sheehan (blocked kick)
A – Smith 27 pass from Sheehan (Welsh kick)
CSS – Ty Givance 6 pass from Byron Bishop (kick from Kyle Oswald)
CSS – Bryceton Butkiewicz 2 run (Oswald stroke)
A – Smith 27 pass from Sheehan (Welsh kick)
A – Steven Hentosh 20 interception return (Welsh kick)
A – Drew Dean 1 run (Welsh kick)