DULUTH, Minn. – In a game that saw the teams combine for 32 points in the final seven minutes of the game, the Macalester College football team lost in a heartbreaker at the College of St. Scholastica, 30-28 Saturday afternoon at Public Schools Stadium. The Scots are now 0-4 on the season, while the Saints improve to 2-2.

The cross-division game started with each team scoring a touchdown in each of the first two quarters. Nick Schlender completed a 12-play, 75-yard drive on the first possession of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run. Senior defensive back Cameron Latvis (West St. Paul, Minn./Two Rivers) blocked the extra point, leaving the score at 6-0. Macalester responded with a 66-yard touchdown pass from first year quarterback Deijon Feliciano (Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park) to first year receiver Paxton Boyd (Newton, Mass./Newton South) for a 7-6 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Feliciano ran for a 17-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 65-yard drive and give the Scots a 13-6 edge. On St. Scholastica's next possession, Schlender ran for a 50-yard touchdown to tie the score at 13-13.

After a scoreless third quarter, Donald West's 16-yard touchdown run with 7:03 remaining marked the beginning of a wild finish. The Scots moved the ball to the Saints' 23-yard line before Feliciano was picked off by Maximilian Neaves. The turnover led to a 94-yard touchdown drive for St. Scholastica, punctuated by a 30-yard run by Jevon Williams. After a 25-yard kickoff return by sophomore receiver Brian Maddox (Alexandria, Va./Georgetown Preparatory School) put the ball on the Macalester 46-yard line, a 45-yard pass from Feliciano to senior running back Josh Bulski (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) set up a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Mac Mullen (Menlo Park, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) that made the score 27-20 Saints with 1:06 left.

An onside kick was the Scots' only chance, and it paid off, as the kick by senior Theo Crosby (Edina, Minn./The Blake School) was recovered by junior defensive back Jake Degnan (Kansas City, Mo./The Pembroke Hill School) at midfield. A 31-yard pass from Feliciano to senior receiver Gabe Kasper (Shoreview, Minn./Irondale) led to an 8-yard touchdown pass to Maddox to make the score 27-26 St. Scholastica. Crosby kicked the extra point, but a penalty was called against the Saints, and the Scots decided to go for two. Bulski powered into the end zone on the left side to give Macalester a 28-27 lead with 45 seconds left.

Crosby sent the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, putting the ball at the 25-yard line. West completed four consecutive passes, the last one a 36-yard completion to Alec Ralph that put the ball at the Macalester 4-yard line with two seconds remaining. Jacob Andrews came on and kicked a 21-yard field goal for the win, crushing the Scots' hopes for their first win of the season.

Feliciano completed 16-of-23 for 277 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 25 yards and a score. Kasper caught seven passes for 94 yards, while Maddox had five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Bulski rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, junior linebacker Issam Rafidi (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) and first year defensive lineman Jake Ray (Houston, Texas/Tompkins) each had eight tackles, with Latvis adding seven tackles before leaving the game with an injury. Senior defensive lineman Xavier Pittman (Spring, Texas/Spring) had a sack, while Mullen and first year defensive back DeShawn Gilliam (Albany, Ore./South Albany) each had an interception.

Schlender ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, Williams rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown, and West threw for 275 yards and ran for 45 more.

Macalester plays at Bethel next Saturday in the first Skyline Division game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Arden Hills, Minn.