ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team used a stingy defense and an effective passing attack to defeat rival Hamline University, 23-14 in the annual Paint Bucket Game Saturday night at Macalester Stadium. The Scots open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2012, while the Pipers fall to 1-1.
The victory followed last week's 31-20 triumph at Carleton in the 20th annual game for the Book of Knowledge. Tonight's win marks the first time Macalester has won both trophies in the same season. This is also the first time since 1985 that the Scots have beaten both Hamline and Carleton.
The Scots took advantage of an early mistake to gain the upper hand shortly after kickoff. On the first play from scrimmage, Hamline fumbled deep in its own territory. Senior defensive back Cash McGregor (Wasilla, Alaska/Wasilla) recovered the fumble at the Pipers' 14-yard line. On third down, senior quarterback Christian Adams (Alexandria, La./Pineville) hit senior receiver Sam Bordo (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) with a 13-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 Macalester lead.
On Hamline's next possession, McGregor picked off Pipers' quarterback Justice Spriggs and returned it 42 yards to the Hamline 41 yard line. The Scots were unable to take advantage of the turnover, as the drive stalled on downs at the 14.
Near the end of the first quarter, Macalester started a drive from its own 20 and moved to the Hamline 8-yard line, with senior Matt Glasenapp (Lake City, Minn./Lake City) making a 22-yard field goal to make the score 10-0. The Scots racked up 245 yards of offense in the first half but only had 10 points to show for it at the half. Meanwhile the Macalester defense held Spriggs and the Pipers, who beat Crown 51-0 last week, in check, allowing 146 yards and no points through the first 30 minutes.
Hamline made up for lost time on its first possession after halftime, driving 81 yards in 10 plays for its first touchdown of the game, a 9-yard pass from Spriggs to Josiah Harris. A missed extra point made the score 10-6 Macalester.
Late in the third quarter, the Scots answered with a 60-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard plunge by junior running back Jeremy Stephan (Duluth, Minn./Marshall) for a 17-6 advantage. The Pipers responded with a 71-yard scoring drive that included a 51-yard pass to Harris, who eventually scored on a 5-yard pass from Spriggs. A two-point conversion brought Hamline to within three points, 17-14 with 12:47 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, junior receiver Jonathan Knee (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) reeled off a 73-yard return to the Hamline 22. A penalty moved the ball to the 11-yard line, and Adams connected with junior receiver Alec Beatty (Topeka, Kan./Topeka) on the next play for a 23-14 lead.
Hamline moved the ball to the Macalester 18-yard line on the next possession, but again the Scots held on fourth down to maintain the nine-point edge. Macalester's offense closed out the victory by eating up the final 9:13 of the game on a 71-yard drive.
Adams turned in another solid performance, completing 24 passes on 41 attempts for two touchdowns and 311 yards, his second straight game with 300+ yards passing. Beatty caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, while Knee had six catches for 71 yards. Senior running back Matthew Bonazzoli (Swampscott, Mass./Buckingham Browne & Nichols) ran seven times for 43 yards, with Stephan adding 41 yards on 11 attempts.
Senior linebacker Phil Wettersten (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) led the defense with eight tackles, while sophomore Ben Lewis (Bothell, Wash./Seattle Prep) and John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) each recorded a sack.
Macalester has a bye next Saturday before hosting Monmouth College on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.
Macalester Beats Hamline, 23-14 to Capture Paint Bucket Trophy
/seasons/2017/boxscores/20170909_0p0v.xml
2017
Hamline
14
Macalester
23
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamline (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Macalester (2-0) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
Sep 09, 2017