ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team erased a 12-point deficit, only to eventually come up short to Hamline, 31-27 in the annual Paint Bucket game Saturday evening at Macalester Stadium. The Scots (0-2) had beaten the Pipers (1-1) in each of the past two meetings.

With the score 24-12 following Hamline touchdowns by Tristan Thomas and Tanner Lunceford, senior quarterback Johnny Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) engineered a 7-play, 73-yard drive that ended in a 30-yard pass to sophomore receiver Rex Desso (Evergreen, Colo./Lakewood) to make the score 24-19 with 5:31 left in the third quarter. On the next possession, junior linebacker Sam Jakshtis (Hardwick, Mass./Worcester Academy) picked off Hamline quarterback Connor Leavens, giving the Scots the ball at the Piper 21-yard line. But the Scots gained only four yards, and a missed field goal from 35 yards out kept Macalester from scoring.

That didn't last for long, as the Scots stopped Hamline on 4th-and-3 from the Macalester 48, with junior defensive lineman John Newton (Highland Village, Texas/Coram Deo Academy) sacking Leavens at the Hamline 45. Bice hit sophomore receiver Peter Vitalis (Shafer, Minn./Chisago Lakes) for a 12-yard gain, then found Desso with a 33-yard touchdown pass. Bice also connected with senior receiver Reese Bresson (Homosassel, Fla./Crystal River) on the two-point conversion, giving the Scots a 27-24 lead just before the end of the third quarter.

On the first possession of the fourth quarter, Hamline marched down the field on an 8-play, 65-yard drive. Leavens hit Tyler Dobbs on a 21-yard TD pass for a 31-27 Hamline edge with 10:29 remaining. Macalester started its next possession on the 50 following a 29-yard return from Bresson and a penalty for a late hit. The Scots rushed four times for 24 yards, and a pass interference penalty helped to move the ball to the Hamline 11-yard line. But Bice fumbled and the Pipers recovered to end the drive.

After the Macalester defense stopped Hamline, a poor punt gave the Scots the ball at the Hamline 41. This time an interception halted the Macalester offense and gave the ball back to the Pipers with 3:31 on the clock. Again the Scots' defense held, but this time Cole Cummings' punt was a good one, putting Macalester back at their own 20 with 1:14 to play.

With time running down, Bice completed passes to Vitalis, Desso and sophomore receiver Brody Fuller (Groveland, Mass./St. Mark's School), and a defensive holding penalty put the ball at the Hamline 30. On the next play, Bice nearly connected on a touchdown pass to Desso, but the ball was deflected away at the last second. Three more incomplete passes ended the drive, as the Pipers held on to win.

Earlier in the game, Hamline scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to lead 12-0. The Pipers missed both extra points, with senior defensive back Dean Smith (Carpinteria, Calif./Cate School) blocking the first attempt. In the second quarter, the Scots reeled off a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a one-yard plunge by sophomore running back Kai Akimoto (Tamuning, Guam/Father Duenas Memorial School). After a muffed punt gave Macalester the ball at the Hamline 15, Akimoto did the honors with a 6-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 12-12.  

For the game, Bice completed 15-of-24 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Desso caught four passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while Vitalis caught four passes for 62 yards. Akimoto led the ground attack with 61 yards and two TDs on 14 carries, and sophomore running back Kian Sohrabi (Dubai, UAE/American School of Dubai) had eight carries for 60 yards. Defensively, Smith, Newton, senior linebacker Dane Ku Blake (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) and junior linebacker Steven Immel (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East) each had nine tackles.

For Hamline, Leavens was 25-of-35 for 287 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Thomas caught nine passes for 116 yards and one touchdown, while Dobbs had two touchdown receptions.

Macalester returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 28 with a Midwest Conference cross-divisional game at Grinnell. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. in Grinnell, Iowa.