Monkey Stomp. Man it feels good to say that. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a monkey stomp is a victory by a margin of 21 points or more. Last year, 6 of the 12 games played by SJU were stomps. This year, well, the term hasn’t been used often in the Johnnie football lexicon.
The score was perhaps more lopsided than the actual game, as Hamline was able to consistently grind out yardage, move the chains and keep the Johnnie D on the field for long stretches. But the defense rose to the occasion as they always do, swarming the Piper offense like the asian beetles that were all over my ass all afternoon.
But in football, as in other sporting pursuits, it’s all about scoring. Led by quarterback Jordan Hansel, (who completed all 10 of his pass attempts, 9 to SJU and 1 to Hamline) the Johnnies put up numbers with big plays and long passes. Hansel hit the fleet Ben Vanderheyden twice for touchdowns and another bomb that set up a TD. Vandy put the icing on the stomp with a beauty of a pass from Joe Boyle for his 3rd TD of the day in the 4th quarter. The offensive line played better than they had in previous games, allowing the J’s to finally get a running game established, which opened up the Piper D for the air attack. Jeff Schnobrich led the J’s ground game, with nice performances by Billy Ryan and freshman Jimmy Loonan.
The Johnnie defense was again led by standout Ryan Wimmer, feared by both critters and ball carriers alike. As much as Hamline had possession, they were eventually stymied in their efforts to put up points. The defensive highlight of the game came late in the 2nd half as Hamline was marching downfield with less than a minute to play. On a 3 yard sideline pass in J’s territory, Dominic Haik knocked Piper receiver Alex House down to his foundation, but in bounds, so the clock was running. Seeing his scoring opportunity flash before his eyes, the Dominator clutched his gut and fell to his knees, stopping the clock with an injury timeout. Just two plays later on 3rd and 17, the Dominator stepped in front of another Leary sideline pass, made a clean pick and sprinted 66 yards untouched for a TD with one second to go in the half.
The Johnnies missed two extra points, one hitting the upright and one blocked. But special teams play was otherwise stellar, led by Geraldo Rivera look-alike Derek Stifter, and John “Hollywood” Stanton. Stanton was everywhere on return coverage, had a blocked punt and two unassisted tackles. (Closed circuit to SJU coaches: find a way to get Stanton in the game. I don’t think you’ve got another player to match his size, speed and ability).
All in all, it was a great day at St. John’s with the leaves at their peak, fabulous weather, and a 40 -7 Johnnie Monkey Stomp on Family Day.
