DULUTH, Minn. – The Macalester College football team overcame a fourth-quarter deficit only to lose in the second overtime at St. Scholastica, 37-34 in a MIAC game Saturday afternoon at Public Schools Stadium. The Scots are now 1-2 overall and 0-2 in the conference, while the Saints improve to 2-1, 1-1 MIAC.

Macalester opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a six-play, 56-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Jack Scully (Menlo Park, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) to first year receiver Kelly Storms (San Anselmo, Calif./Marin Catholic) for a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, St. Scholastica kicked a pair of field goals to tie the score at 6-6. Later in the quarter, the Scots' offense stalled at the Saints' 44-yard line, forcing a punt. The St. Scholastica returner dropped the punt and first year David Frechette (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) pounced on the loose ball, giving Macalester the ball at the Saints' 19-yard line. On 4th-and-11 from the 20-yard line on the final play of the half, Scully found senior receiver Christian Jones (St. Paul, Minn./Johnson) in the end zone to put the Scots up, 13-6 at halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, Macalester drove 75 yards on 13 plays, all running plays, with Frechette scoring on a 2-yard run for a 20-6 lead. Senior running back Vasco Sierra (Chicago, Ill./DePaul College Prep) gained 46 yards on five carries and Frechette had 22 yards on four carries in the drive. St. Scholastica responded with a scoring drive of its own, going 75 yards on 10 plays and ending with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Donald West to Teagen Lubinski. Two more touchdown drives at the beginning of the fourth quarter put the Saints on top, 27-20 with 9:50 remaining. The second of those drives was aided by a Macalester fumble at its own 30-yard line.

On their next possession, the Scots needed just four plays, including a 36-yard pass from Scully to sophomore receiver Paxton Boyd (Newton, Mass./Newton South), to find the end zone on a 10-yard run by first year running back Brennan Litchford (Milwaukee, Wis./Ronald Reagan) to tie the score at 27-27 with 8:02 on the clock. Later in the fourth quarter, Scully and Boyd connected for a 42-yard touchdown pass that regained the lead for Macalester, 34-27 with less than two minutes remaining. But the Scots were unable to get the stop they needed, as West sprung free for a 64-yard touchdown run that tied the game again, 34-34 with less than a minute to play.

Looking to move the ball down the field, Scully threw a quick pass to the left to Boyd that slipped through his hands and into the arms of Quintrell Robinson for an interception at the Macalester 20-yard line. The Saints moved the ball to the 11-yard line with one second left and attempted a 28-yard field goal that was wide left, sending the game to overtime.

In the first overtime, first year defensive lineman Matt Hernandez (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy College Preparatory) sacked West after three incomplete passes to keep St. Scholastica off the scoreboard. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Saints gave the Scots the ball at the 13-yard line but they moved the ball to the 7-yard line before attempting a 25-yard field goal. The kick was blocked, and the teams moved to a second overtime.

Macalester started with possession and earned a first down on 4th-and-6 with a 10-yard pass to Frechette to the 11-yard line. Again the Scots stalled with four incomplete passes, handing possession back to the Saints. St. Scholastica gained seven yards to the Macalester 18, where Jacob Andrews kicked a 35-yard field goal to win the game. The kick marked the third straight game that the Saints defeated Macalester on a field goal by Andrews at the end of the game.

Scully was 17-of-31 for 222 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jones caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, while Boyd had three receptions for 86 yards and a score. Litchford rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, and Sierra rushed 10 times for 52 yards. On defense, junior linebacker Jason Weaver (Roselle Park, N.J./Pingry) led the Scots with nine tackles and a pass breakup, while Hernandez finished with five tackles and a sack.

West threw for 266 yards and rushed for 96 yards for St. Scholastica. Lubinski caught eight passes for 113 yards. The Scots held Jevon Williams, who rushed for 229 yards on 24 carries last week against Augsburg, to 47 yards on 16 carries.

Macalester hosts Hamline University in the first home game of the season. The MIAC contest begins at 7:00 p.m. at John Leaney Field at Macalester Stadium.

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