Box Score

MOORHEAD, Minn. – Trey Feeney made the most of his homecoming and the Saint John's defense came up with a series of big plays.
 
That was more than enough to lift the Johnnies – ranked as high as No. 10 in the most recent D3football.com top 25 national poll – past Concordia 41-6 in MIAC action Saturday afternoon at Jake Christiansen Stadium.
 
Feeney, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior quarterback from nearby Moorhead High School, finished 34 of 45 passing for 374 yards and four touchdowns. 
 
Meanwhile, SJU (5-1, 4-1 MIAC) had a pair of interceptions and stopped the Cobbers three times on fourth down in Johnnie territory. 
 
That helped SJU come away with a convincing victory on an afternoon when the Cobbers (4-2, 3-2 MIAC) actually held a 30:38 to 29:22 edge in time of possession.
 
The Johnnies took a 7-0 lead early when Feeney, who earlier this week was named SJU's full-time starter, connected with sophomore wide receiver Carson Hegerle for a gain of 46 yards on his team's second offensive possession. One play later, Hegerle - who went to high school just across the Red River in West Fargo, N.D. - scored on a 1-yard push pass.
 
That margin grew to 14-0 when senior running back Caden Wheeler (Andover, Minn.) scored on a 5-yard run with a second left to play in the first quarter.
 
The stage for that touchdown was set when senior defensive lineman Landon Gallagher (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) and senior linebacker Adam Schavey (Winnebago, Minn./Blue Earth Area) stopped Concordia's Mason Hughes for a loss of 1 on 4th-and-1 at the SJU 28-yard-line. 
 
Hughes, a freshman who entered play averaging 94.8 yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry – finished with just 27 yards on 13 carries Saturday (an average of only 2.1 yards per carry).
 
The Johnnies then came up with a big play on special teams when sophomore defensive lineman Charlie King (Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy) blocked a punt midway through the second quarter to set up a 20-yard field goal by junior Matt Hansen (Longmont, Colo./Niwot). 
 
It marked the first blocked punt by an SJU player since 2023.
 
Hansen connected again from 47 yards as the first half ended to send SJU into the locker rooms leading 20-0. The kick - which tied for the seventh-longest in school history - came after sophomore safety Mark Rogalski (Eden Prairie, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) picked off a pass at the Johnnie 36. 
 
Feeney then connected with senior All-American wide receiver Dylan Wheeler (St. Paul, Minn./Mounds View) for a gain of 15 and a personal foul call on Concordia advanced the ball to the Cobbers' 30 - leaving just enough time for the field goal attempt.
 
Wheeler - who finished with 12 catches for 99 yards - continued to come up big in the second half, hauling in touchdown receptions of 15 and 8 yards. 
 
Those scores bookended a 2-yard touchdown pass from Feeney to All-American defensive lineman Zach Frank (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) on the drive after Concordia scored its only points on a 20-yard touchdown pass from junior Jersey Selzler to sophomore Alejandro Sanchez early in the fourth quarter.
 
Despite the Cobbers' edge in time of possession, the Johnnies held a 435-241 advantage in total offense.
 
Saint John's - which has outscored the opposition 282-6 in its five victories this season (and 292-23 total) - is back in action next Saturday (Oct. 25) when it plays host to surprising MIAC co-leader Carleton (5-1, 5-0 MIAC) at 1 p.m. on Family Weekend at Clemens Stadium.

41-6
Saturday's score of 41-6 was the third of its kind in SJU football program history. All three instances occurred with the Johnnies have been on the road. The two prior were wins at Carleton (Nov. 6, 1999) and Hamline (Oct. 2, 2004).

52-34-6
The Johnnies are now 52-34-6 all-time against the Cobbers, including a 22-18-1 record in Moorhead. SJU has now won seven-straight meetings at Jake Christiansen Stadium.