Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – On a sun-soaked Collegeville afternoon, a key fourth-down conversion for a touchdown and stout defense propelled No. 6/7 Saint John's to a 10-3 win over No. 18/19 Concordia.
SJU (9-1, 7-1 MIAC) finds out if it is one of the six at-large bids to the NCAA Division III playoffs when the selection show airs at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, on www.ncaa.com.
The Johnnies forced three key turnovers and held a Concordia (8-2, 6-2 MIAC) rushing attack, which entered the game sixth in the country at over 300 yards per contest, to 112 yards on 36 carries.
Sophomore quarterback
Jackson Erdmann (Rosemount, Minn.) connected with senior wide receiver
Dan Harrington (Frisco, Texas/Wakeland) for the game's only touchdown, a 24-yard strike on fourth-and-2, to break the scoreless tie on the opening drive of the second half.
SJU capitalized on a fumble at midfield on the ensuing possession with a 32-yard field goal from junior
Zach Barwick (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge).
Senior cornerback
Leonard Gutierrez (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy College Prep) ended the Cobbers' first offensive possession with an interception, his third of the season and eighth of his career, in the end zone. His counterpart, junior cornerback
Sam Westby (Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray), snagged his third interception of the season to seal the win with one minute remaining in the game.
Junior punter
Naufahu Anitoni (Fairfield, Calif./Justin-Siena) averaged 42.6 yards on five punts, three of which were downed inside the Cobbers' 6-yard line in the fourth quarter (at the 1-, 2- and 6-yard lines).
Senior running back
Dusty Krueger (Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray) tied a career high with 26 carries and totaled 93 yards.
Tony Kostelecky put Concordia on the scoreboard with a 35-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.
Senior wide receiver
Evan Clark (Phoenix, Ariz./Apollo) had a 49-yard, catch-and-run for a touchdown called back called back due to a penalty late in the first quarter.
Junior safety
Max Jackson (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) led SJU with 11 tackles (seven solo). Junior defensive lineman
Nathan Brinker (Avon, Minn./Holdingford) collected two tackles for loss and senior defensive lineman
Mat Hobby (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) accounted for 1.5 of the Johnnies' three sacks on the afternoon.
