On this sun-drenched after-noon at old Norton, alongside the rail yards and switching stations, the number 6 left the dock.
The iron horse careened across the landscape, amidst the silver-capped bullets, it’s white-and-red striping gliding clear of any obstacles that dared cross its path.
Three times it would deliver its cargo to the end zone, racking up almost 8 scores of yardage in its wake.
At the end of the day, the witnesses would see the number 6 of the Collegeville Express ride back into its home base holding up a 46-7 victory of the Pipers of mighty Hamline.
The number 6 is known to friends as Patnode, the senior student-athlete from Princeton, whose skills as a rusher and receiver are well known to all now throughout the Minnesota league.
He was not alone. The Johnnies’ engineer, Kofoed of Richmond, made his mark in the all-time records, eclipsing the Minnesota IAC all-time career record for passing on his day with 203 yards passing and two touchdowns. He was assisted on the other side of the ball by his junior companion Mike Schumacher, who tackled the Piper ball-carrier 7 times, including one behind the line of scrimmage and one sack. His mate Ryan Wimmer had a critical interception for the fighting Jays.
The day started a bit worrisome, as the boys from Hewitt Avenue scored on their first possession after an 85-yard, 11-play drive. But the cardinal-striped boys from Collegeville bounced back for a 61-yard touchdown run on the first play by the number 6 express train. The Johnnies took the lead for good after a bad snap near the end zone caused Hamline to be assessed a safety.
The Johnnies’ defense stiffened and their offense got on the right track, rolling off successful drives that ended up in the end zone 4 more times, including another field-goal by Gliadon, the Jays’ kicking specialist.On the day, the Johnnies reigned supreme in the statistics category, racking up 453 yards and prevented the Pipers from gaining much more than 200—of which, 85 came from the first Hamline drive of the day.
The Johnnies now must return home and prepare for next week’s opponent, the feared purple warriors of St. Thomas. The Tommie footballers return to Collegeville after facing the Jays in St. Paul the past two years.
