The revolving door that has been installed at the Johnnies QB position may have, at least temporarily, been disabled Saturday by a breakout performance put on by Jordan Hansel. Hansel completed 19 of 36 passes for 3 TDs, while throwing no interceptions.
The first four weeks of the 2008 season reminded me of a real life scenario in which an employer has three very qualified candidates for a position, yet can hire only one. All the candidates know there is fierce competition for the position and they are very tight and tentative during the first interview. As we fast forward to yesterday’s game Joe Boyle received the start and was on the receiving end of some bad bounces. The Johnnies failed to score in the 1st Qtr. so the second candidate was called back in for what turned out to be his third interview in four weeks. It appeared to me that Hansel took the attitude that he would “be himself” and that includes throwing a wide variety of passes and stretching the field. Hansel appeared relaxed and genuinely having fun airing it out to the Johnnie receivers.
I have to applaud the Johnnie offensive coaches for not showing complacency. The coaching staff acknowledged that there are many talented players on this squad and sometimes players can fall through the cracks with a roster as large as the one compiled at SJU. What I am referring to is that the coaching staff used six different RBs. Jakob Reding tweaked his left ankle early in the game and did not return to action; so five RBs had rushing attempts. Kellen Blaser and Billy Ryan led the Johnnies ground attack. The ground game will need to produce more yardage in the weeks ahead, but the fact the coaching staff is willing to look at other players in game conditions is encouraging.
Hansel aired it out early and often finding Bryan Busack five times for 98 yards and 2 TDs. Ben Vanderheyden caught four passes for 49 yards and a TD. From his RB position, Jeff Schnobrich was Hansel’s favorite target catching six passes for 111 receiving yards. Schnobrich lead all receivers on the day, including Gustie All-American WR Chad Arlt.
The Johnnie defense played well which has been the case all season. The defense was led by Ryan Wimmer’s 14 tackles and Nick Kotsmith’s 10 tackles. Once again the Johnnie defense had a total team effort by getting many players, especially linemen into the game with 17 defensive players recording tackles. Also, Nate Anderson recorded an interception for the Johnnies.
The 31-17 victory over the Gusties may have been just what the doctor ordered for the Homecoming crowd of 11,907 Johnnie fans who packed into Clemens stadium on Saturday. For many of these fans, Homecoming is the only game they get to attend during the year or maybe the only game they attend once every five years. As these fans shuffled out of the stadium and who’s next stop on the weekend may have been to attend Mass and hear the angelic voices of the St. John’s Prep School Boy’s Choir or venture to the Party on the Tundra or just head on over to relive days gone by and performing a bar crawl at their favorite watering hole in St. Joe. This was a great way to celebrate what St. John’s means to everyone who has a connection with it. For a legendary coach named John Gagliardi the end of the game is just another thing to worry about. Things don’t get any easier next week as the Johnnies travel to Arden Hills to face the Bethel Royals. The Royals have had the Johnnies number in the past two seasons and the Johnnies can’t afford to fall behind Concordia in the race for the MIAC crown. The Johnnies will need some help from two teams in the MIAC to knock off the Cobbers but they also know they have to take care of the things they can control by winning their remaining games. Things don’t get any easier but by comparing the looks on the player’s faces this week compared to last week things are more enjoyable. It’s funny how winning has a way of doing that.
