ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College football team lost a MIAC Skyline Division game on the road to Hamline University, 38-27 on Saturday at Klas Field. The game was also the 57th annual battle for the Paint Bucket and the 121st meeting between the two teams in one of college football's oldest rivalries. The Scots, who had won the past two meetings with Hamline, are now 2-6 overall and 0-3 in the division. The Pipers improve to 3-5, 1-2 Skyline.
On its first possession, Macalester drove 72 yards on nine plays, capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback
Michael Nadeau (Garden Grove, Calif./La Quinta) to senior receiver
Michael Poker (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East). The duo also connected on the two-point conversion to give the Scots an 8-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore linebacker
Issam Rafidi (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) pounced on a loose ball at the Hamline 40-yard line to give Macalester the ball. Despite the advantageous field position the Scots were unable to capitalize, as an apparent touchdown pass from Nadeau to Poker was negated by a penalty, and an interception at the goal line ended the drive.
Hamline kicked a 20-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter, then scored a touchdown on its first possession of the second quarter to lead 10-8. Macalester answered with a 59-yard scoring drive, with senior running back
Logan Pampel (Johnson Creek, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran School) taking it in from two yards out for a 14-10 Scots lead. A 22-yard touchdown run by Pipers' quarterback Alejandro Villanueva put the Pipers back on top, 17-14. Again Macalester responded, moving the ball to the Hamline 10-yard line before senior
Shomrik Mondal (Saratoga, Calif./The Harker School) kicked a 27-yard field goal to tie the score at 17-17. With time winding down in the first half, junior defensive back
Justin Potts (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) intercepted Villanueva at the Macalester 45-yard line with 15 seconds left. However, it was not enough time for the Scots to capitalize, and the teams went into halftime tied at 17-17.
Macalester opened the second half with a 64-yard touchdown drive that included a 31-yard pass from Nadeau to senior receiver
Nick Bice (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) and ended with a 1-yard plunge from Pampel for a 24-17 advantage. Again the Pipers responded with a touchdown drive of their own to restore the tie, 24-24. After a good kick return from sophomore
Jacob Degnan (Kansas City, MO./The Pembroke Hill School) gave the Scots the ball at their own 42-yard line, Macalester moved the ball to the 3-yard line before stalling. Another Mondal field goal put the Scots ahead, 27-24 with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter.
After the teams each went three-and-out at the end of the third quarter, Hamline opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown drive that ended with a trick play. Receiver Peter Coleman hit Charlie Wilson with a 38-yard touchdown pass for a 31-27 edge. On the Scots' next possession, Nadeau was intercepted for the second time today. The Pipers drove 75 yards in 5:35 to score a touchdown and take a 38-27 advantage. Macalester moved the ball to the Hamline 14 but turned the ball over on downs, and the Pipers ran out the clock to close out the win.
Nadeau completed 26-of-49 for 347 yards and a touchdown, with Poker catching eight passes for 94 yards and a score. Pampel rushed six times for 42 yards and two touchdowns while catching four passes for 68 yards. Bice finished with six receptions for 84 yards. Defensively, senior linebacker
Noah Bresson (Homosassa, Fla./Crystal River) had eight tackles, and senior defensive back
Joshua Strickler (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) and junior defensive lineman
Max Menache (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) each tallied seven tackles. Villanueva rushed for 75 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 211 yards and a score for the Pipers.
Macalester closes out Skyline Division play with a home game against Augsburg on Saturday, Nov. 4. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Macalester Stadium.