The 2008 St. John’s Johnnies’ football season was a fair litmus test to separate the optimists from the pessimists.
The glass-half-full crowd is quick to point out that the Johnnies made the NCAA playoffs for the 4th straight season and won the MIAC title over some of the stiffest conference competition they have faced in recent memory. The regular season finale was capped by one of the most dramatic plays in program history, a last-minute touchdown pass from Joe Boyle to Jeff Schnobrich to beat Carleton in de facto MIAC title game. Dramatic wins over St. Olaf and St. Thomas compensated for a truncated playoff run that ended in a first round loss to eventual national runner-up UW-Whitewater.
Of course, the fact that the Johnnies’ playoff road ended in Whitewater, Wisconsin for the third time in four years is a source of pessimism for many fans. The Johnnies compiled an 8-3 record, only the second time in the last 11 seasons that they failed to garner at least 10 victories. The perennially strong defense was stout again, but not at the elite level of the 2000 or 2003 Stagg Bowl teams. More worrisome, the offense was inconsistent all season, averaging only 19.8 points per game after scoring 35.8 points per game in 2007. Last season’s highest point total was 40 points, against MIAC patsy Hamline, a total they matched or exceeded 7 times the season before.
When the Johnnies travel to UW-River Falls this Saturday to take on the Falcons, it will kick off what promises to be exciting season, filled with numerous questions: Is there reason to believe the offense can regain the potency it had shown in recent seasons? Will the defense be strong enough to win games if the offense does falter? If the Johnnies make the postseason, is there any chance they finally find their way past Whitewater? Here’s an educated guess at a few answers.
Offense
When four-year starter Alex Kofoed graduated following the 2007 season, he left his name all over the record books and a gaping hole at the quarterback position. The position remained one of uncertainty for the Johnnies for most of the 2008 season, but as they enter 2009 the quarterback position actually looks like one of relative stability.
Three quarterbacks, Jordan Hansel, Michael Crees, and Joe Boyle, split time pretty evenly early in the season before Boyle emerged as the starter over the final four games of the year. Boyle (Jr., Holy Angels) is the only one of the three back on the team for 2009 and enters the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback. He’s a mobile quarterback with a strong arm who should benefit from the experience he gained late in the 2008 season.
Among the notables competing for playing time at the position is John Ries (Fr., Wayzata), who led Wayzata to the 2008 Minnesota High School state championship. A couple of the storylines to follow early in the season are which backup quarterbacks travel River Falls for the season opener and who sees action if the Johnnies are fortunate enough to send out the second- (and, hopefully, third- and fourth-) strings in an early-season blowout.
The Johnnies’ passing attack may need to carry the offense early in the season as the team tries to sort out who will head a rushing attack long on options and short on experience. The Johnnies’ lose their leading rusher from 2008, Jeff Schnobrich, to graduation. Two part-time starters from last season return, Air Force transfer Jakob Reding (Jr., Eden Prairie) and bruising blocker Kellen Blaser (Sr., Pacelli), but the two backs combined for only 453 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, and less than 4 yards per carry.
That doesn’t mean the Johnnies backfield is without talent. Mark Waring (Jr., Creighton Prep, Omaha, NE) may be the fastest player on the team, while Jimmy Loonan (So., Waseca) and Harry Awe (Fr., Minnehaha Academy) were highly touted recruits entering the 2008 season.
Speaking of highly touted newcomers, two of the season’s most anticipated incoming freshmen are halfbacks: stout, power runner Nick Schneider (Fr., Rocori) and Steve Johnson (Fr., Mahtomedi), who rushed for over 2,000 yards in leading the Zephyrs to the high school state tournament last season. All four of the untested newcomers from the last two seasons have the talent to star at St. John’s—if the more experienced players on the depth chart don’t beat them to it.
At the wide receiver position, the focal point will be returning leading receiver Ben Vanderheyden (Sr., Wayzata). Another talented pass catcher, Josh Overman (Sr., Albany), is expected to be the primary tight end after splitting time at wide receiver and tight end last season. Beyond the top two targets, the roster is full of relatively unknown underclassmen at the wide receiver position, led by Sam Pederson (So., Lacrosse, WI, Aquinas). With an emerging quarterback in Joe Boyle, it will be interesting to see which receivers step into supporting roles alongside Vanderheyden.
Despite being known for their smaller, more agile lines in the past, the Johnnies’ five anticipated starters average nearly 300 pounds. The behemoths, from left to right along the line, are tackle Jeff Gilbertson (Jr., Winona Cotter), guard Blaine Anderson (Sr., Bertha-Hewitt), center Tim Juba (Jr., Park of Cottage Grove), guard Eric Dirkes (So., Albany), and tackle Drew Pecival (Sr., Blake). While Gilbertson, Anderson, Juba, and Percival all saw substantial time last season, Dirkes was one of the top recruits of the 2008 class.
The offensive line took a hit when Erik Kottom, who was expected to start at one of the guard spots, injured a knee in preseason practice and will be lost for the year. Greg Sowden (Sr., Park Center), who saw substantial playing time last season, should be a key reserve.
Defense
Entering the 2008 season, the Johnnies’ defensive star was expected to be senior tackle Nick Gunderson. Entering the 2009 season, the Johnnies’ defensive star is expected to be… senior tackle Nick Gunderson (Sr., Woodbury). A D3Football.com First-Team All-American prior to the 2007 and 2008 campaigns, Gunderson’s first senior year ended in the fourth quarter of the first game when he suffered a serious knee injury against East Texas Baptist. He enters 2009 as a D3Football.com Second-Team All-American and expects to anchor an experienced defensive line.
He’ll be joined on the defensive line by three Division I transfers, former North Dakota State Bison David Burns (Senior, Fargo, ND) and Jimmy Sharpe (Sr., Wayzata) and former Air Force Falcon Jeff Bohlman (Sr., Sartell-St. Stephen). Also expected to see time on the defensive line are a trio of seniors, Noel Meyer (Sr., Melrose), Andrew Pierskalla (Sr., Farmington), and Kyle Schroeder (Sr., Rocori).
Linebacker Ryan Wimmer (Sr., St. Cloud Cathedral) did his best to fill the hole left by Gunderson’s injury. Wimmer recorded an MIAC-leading 110 tackles last season and was named to the D3Football.com All-West Region third team. After seeing substantial playing time in the his freshman season, he has started at middle linebacker for the past two years.
Joining Wimmer in the linebacking corps are fellow 2008 starter Ethan Eid (Sr., Cretin-Derham Hall) and hard-hitting John Stanton (Jr., Marin Catholic, San Rafael, CA), who saw time at linebacker, defensive end and safety last season. Also keep an eye on Stephen Foertsch (Sr., Eagan), who missed all of 2008 with a foot injury, and Billy Lawrence (Jr., St. Thomas Academy). If John Gans (Fr., Sauk Rapids-Rice) is anything like his brother Paul, who was the Johnnies’ leading tackler in the 2003 national championship game win over Mount Union, he will move up the depth chart in a hurry.
The defensive backfield is an intriguing mix of returning starters and promising youngsters—one with a familiar name to Johnnie fans. Free safety Bobby Klint (Sr., Totino-Grace) and strong safety Nate Anderson (Sr., Wayzata) return as starters from last season. Anderson took the scenic route to route to his starting spot, transferring from Texas State to Concordia-St. Paul to St. John’s, then converting from running back to the defensive side of the ball. Starting at one cornerback spot will be Klint’s high school teammate, Dominic Haik (Sr., Totino-Grace), who will be starting for the third straight season. Headlining the list of underclassmen that will be fighting for playing time in 2009 are Adam Weber (So., Minnewaska Area), whose brothers receiver Brian and running back Corey starred in Collegeville earlier this decade, and two highly touted newcomers, Ian Goldsmith (Fr., Mounds View) and Brandon Meath (Fr., Totino-Grace).
Special Teams
Russell Gliadon (Sr., Fridley) will be back for his third season as the Johnnies starting kicker and punter. He was named to the All-MIAC first team following the 2008 season after making 3 of 4 field goals and 21 or 23 extra points.
The Johnnies anticipate relying a pair of speedy sophomore receivers in the return game, Sam Pederson and Mike Bonynge (So., New London-Spicer). While since-graduated Derek Stifter handled the majority of kicks for the Johnnies last season, running backs Bryan Virnig and Jakob Reding also have some returning experience.
Outlook
Since the Johnnies followed the 2003 National Championship with a disappointing 2004 season, they have assembled a string of teams that were strong enough to make the playoffs but too flawed to do much damage when they got there. I predict that this team, too, will likely have to be content with whatever they are able to accomplish in the MIAC—the West Region, top to bottom, remains the toughest in Division III football, and UW-Whitewater (rated #2 nationally by D3Football.com) remains a daunting in-region obstacle.
In fact, winning the MIAC could be seen as quite an accomplishment in 2009. While the Johnnies are the conference’s highest ranked team, checking in at #13 in the D3Football.com preseason poll, they can expect stiff competition from archrival St. Thomas (ranked #22, and coming off a pair of impressive recruiting classes), always tough Concordia and Bethel, and non-conference foe UW-Eau Claire. Even historical also-rans Augsburg and Carleton are coming off of wildly successful seasons and could give the Johnnies a tough game if they are able to build off of their success from 2008.
The biggest thing holding the Johnnies back the past few seasons has been the lack of an elite playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. With the talented offensive recruits that they have brought in over the past couple seasons, it’s possible that that player is on the 2009 roster. If the offense regains the explosiveness of the great Johnnies’ teams of the past, the defense—especially if Nick Gunderson returns to his pre-injury level of play—is good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Regardless, it should be an exciting season at, with all due respect to our Golden friends, the best place in the state to watch college football.
