ST. PAUL, Minn. – No.4 Saint John’s University (SJU) dominated Hamline University 59-0 on Saturday, continuing a trend of success fueled by a dynamic quarterback rotation adn a stifling defense. The victory marks the Johnnies‘ third shutout in a row against Hamline and their largest margin of victory in the series since 1990.
SJU’s offensive versatility, featuring both senior quarterback Jackson bohmert and sophomore Kristopher Harvey, proved too much for the Pipers. Bohmert connected with junior receiver Joey Gendreau for multiple touchdowns, while the Johnnie defense consistently pressured Hamline’s offense, resulting in three interceptions – one returned 31 yards for a touchdown by sophomore cornerback westin Hoyt. This win underscores SJU’s ongoing commitment to utilizing a dual-quarterback system, allowing them to exploit defensive weaknesses and maintain offensive momentum.
The Johnnies’ offensive firepower was on full display, with Gendreau exceeding 100 receiving yards for the second consecutive week, finishing with 124 yards. Senior wide receiver Dylan Wheeler also had a standout performance,scoring three touchdowns and moving into the top 10 among Johnnie wide receivers with 2,115 career receiving yards.
Defensively,SJU was relentless. Interceptions by sophomores Mark Rogalski and Nolan Dumonceaux halted Hamline scoring threats in the third quarter. The 59-0 final score represents the third time in program history SJU has reached that margin, the first instance as a Homecoming win over carleton in 2018.
“We’re going along really nicely right now,” said head coach Gary Gilmore. “We’re putting things together, finding the areas we need to get better at and improving on them.”
SJU will return home to host Augsburg for Homecoming at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, at clemens Stadium. Head coach Gilmore added, “For where we’re at in the season, I’m really happy with how we’re playing. This was a nice win. Now we’ll start focusing on getting ready for next week and making sure we keep building momentum.”
The johnnies now hold a 71-25-7 record in their MIAC openers and have outscored hamline 294-12 in their last five meetings. A total of 23 of the 89 meetings between the teams have resulted in shutouts in favor of SJU.
