COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Going into Saturday's spring scrimmage at Clemens Stadium, Saint John's football coach Gary Fasching '81 had one goal that superseded all else.

"No. 1, we didn't want anybody to get hurt," said Fasching, whose team has been depleted by injuries this spring, especially on the offensive line where only seven players suited up.

"That was my main worry coming into this and nobody did. So that was good. Beyond that, we were just looking to see guys make plays. We tell our guys that all the time. We're looking for people to make a great catch, break a tackle, make an interception, sack the quarterback. Football is all about making plays and I thought we saw that today."

Especially on the defensive end. The scrimmage pitted the offense against the defense on seven offensive possessions, and the defense did not allow a touchdown, ending three drives via interception. 

"The first drive was a little shaky," said defensive lineman Charlie King, who saw action in all 12 games last fall after transferring from Division II Minnesota State-Mankato. "They advanced pretty deep (to the 10 before turning the ball over on downs). That probably would have ended up being a field goal in a regular game. Other than that, though, I thought we looked pretty strong."

Still, the offense - which was depleted by the injuries up front and without All-American wide receiver Dylan Wheeler and standout running back Caden Wheeler (both of whom just returned from studying abroad) - did have its moments. 

The Johnnies must replace four-year starting quarterback Aaron Syverson, an All-American who finished his career in possession of 15 of the school's single-game, season or career passing records – including establishing new MIAC marks for career passing yardage (12,888) and touchdown passes (147).

Four players saw action under center Saturday led by senior-to-be Zander Dittbenner, a Mankato West High School graduate who has been Syverson's top backup the past two years, and transfer Trey Feeney, a Moorhead High School graduate who played three seasons at FCS North Dakota before leaving the team in late August of last year (leaving him with two years of eligibility remaining). 

Dittbenner played the first two series and Feeney played the next three.

"I thought they all had some good moments," said senior-to-be Joey Gendreau, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end who earned All-America honors as a junior in 2024 and hauled in a 29-yard catch from Feeney Saturday. 

"I always like it when you have a bunch of guys competing against each other. It was awesome having Aaron the last few seasons. He was a stud and everybody knew that. But competition tends to bring out the best in everybody."

The head coach also saw positives at the position Saturday.

"I thought each of them did some good things," said Fasching, whose team now heads north-of-the-border to close its extended spring practice period with an exhibition matchup against the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Junior Football League, scheduled for noon next Saturday (May 17) at Winnipeg's Maple Grove Rugby Park.

"We didn't put the ball in the end zone, which is obviously our ultimate goal. But they all drove the ball down the field. We had a few turnovers, which I didn't like. But some of that is due to still working out timing with the receivers, and we didn't have all our receivers here. We were really working with just four guys because of injuries and players studying abroad. 

"We'll go up to Canada and play there," he continued. "Then after that, we'll sit down as a staff and see where we're at."

Fasching was also pleased with the way his team moved the ball on the ground. He credited the work Will Blakey has been doing with the running back corps this spring. Blakey, who rushed for 10 touchdowns as a 26-year-old sophomore last season, has decided to step away from playing and is now working with the coaching staff.

"He's done a great job with those guys," Fasching said.

"I thought our running game looked really good. Quite frankly, I don't care who our quarterback is. They're probably not going to be Aaron Syverson. He was a special talent. So we're going to need to be able to run the football more, and I was pleased with the way we did that today."

But while the offense was able to move the ball, the defense consistently kept them out of the end zone.

"Everybody is stepping up," said Jack St. Fleur, who had 39 tackles and an interception as a junior last fall. "We have some holes to fill. But we always say we don't rebuild, we reload. Everybody is stepping up and capitalizing on the opportunities they're getting. 

"We still have some work to do. We're adding guys and people are moving around. But overall, we feel really good about where things are at."

Fasching - whose team finished 11-1 last season, won the MIAC title and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III playoffs before falling to Susquehanna (Pa.) - shares that opinion.

"We know we have to be better defensively than we were last year," he said. "When you look at the end of the year, especially, I thought we gave up some points that we can't give up when we're facing playoff teams. That's been our focus all spring and I think we've improved a lot there. We've put in a few new wrinkles. We're going with more of a four-man line. I think we're sitting in a good spot."