1998 MIAC Fooball Players of the Week
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9/14/98

MIAC Football Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week

Scott Hvistendahl, WR, Augsburg (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) -- Hvistendahl set three school records and went over the 3,000-yard career receiving mark in leading Augsburg to a 45-13 season-opening victory over NAIA school Mayville State (N.D.) at Augsburg's Anderson-Nelson Field. Hvistendahl, already Augsburg's career leader in receptions and receiving yards, tied a single-game school record with four touchdowns (63, 21, 64 and 73 yards), and caught eight passes for a single-game school-record 271 yards. His four receiving touchdowns put his career total at 29, breaking Augsburg's career record. Hvistendahl now has 3,107 career receiving yards, moving him into 16th place on the NCAA Division III career record list.
 

Defensive Player of The Week

Carleton cornerback Josh Schroeder (So./Florence, Mont.) had five tackles (four solo, one assisted), and one Interception returned for a 10 yard touchdown in Carleton's 31-14 win Saturday at Northwestern-Roseville.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Kirk Midthun, Junior Safety, Dodge Center, MN (Triton HS).  Midthun led Bethel's special teams and defense in their 27-14 win on Saturday at . Trinity International (Ill.). Returning punts,  Midthun had five returns for 55 yards,  including a 46 yard return to get Bethel into scoring position. Defensively, he had 13 total tackles (3  solos, 10 assists), two tackles for loss for 2 yards, and a pass break up in holding the Trojans to 217 total yards.

Defensive Player of the Week
Bethel's  Ryan Carlson, Sr, Cornerback, Wadena, MN

In Bethel's 34-20 victory over Concordia, Carlson led the Royals in tackles with 10 (8 solo, 2 assists). He also had one pass break-up, and two interceptions. The interceptions were keys to Bethel's win. The first came late in the first half with the Cobbers on Bethel's 6 yard line, Carlson stepped in front of a pass in the end zone and returned it 15 yards. His second interception came in the 3rd quarter on a deep pass where he made a great catch. His second resulted in a Bethel touchdown drive. Bethel is now 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAC.

Offensive Player of the Week

Gustavus'  - Travis Prunty, JR, RB, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Paul Academy

Prunty carried 24 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the Gusties 40-14 win over Carleton in Northfield.  His touchdown runs were from 2 yards and 12 yards out.  Prunty also caught four passes for 23 yards and returned two kickoffs for 63 yards.  He opened the game with a 55-yard kickoff return which led to his two-yard touchdown run.  Gustavus is now
2-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAC.

Special Teams Player of the Week

St. John's sophomore punt returner Chris Moore (Edina, Minn./St. Thomas Academy HS) returned five punts for 114 yards in Saint John's University's 55-0 win over Macalester on Saturday, Sept. 19 in St. Paul.  Moore also carried the ball six times, rushing for 32 yards and one TD, along with catching one pass for 27 yards.  Moore's TD run with 58 seconds left capped the scoring for the Johnnies in first half and gave them a 42-0 halftime lead.  Moore's 114 punt return yards was the sixth most in SJU school history.  In Saturday's game, Moore also became
SJU's career punt return leader with 625 yards, breaking Matt Emmerich's school record of 598 yards from 1994 to 1997.

Defensive Player of the Week

Augsburg's Andy Howard,  linebacker (So., Waseca, Minn.)
Howard scored Augsburg's first defensive touchdown of the season, picking off a  St. Olaf pass and running 31 yards for the game-opening score in Augsburg's  31-24 win at St. Olaf on Saturday. Howard led the Auggies with 11 tackles  (six solo) and one pass break-up. So far this season, Howard leads the
Auggies with 20 tackles (14 solo), including two tackles for loss.
 

Offensive Player of the Week

Saint John's junior quarterback Tom Linnemann (Melrose/Melrose HS)
Linnemann threw for 241 yards and  three touchdowns in Saint John's University's 31-13 win over St. Thomas on  Saturday, Sept. 26 in Collegeville.  Linnemann, starting the third game of his career, was 18-for-32 passing with one interception and also ran the ball 14  times for 40 yards and one touchdown.  Linnemann's one-yard touchdown run in the  third quarter capped the scoring for the Johnnies in the win.  Linnemann is  currently 29-for-49 on the season for 477 yards with nine touchdown passes and
one interception.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Bethel's Kirk Midthun, Junior Free Safety, Dodge Center, MN

Midthun returned 4 punts for 79 yards in Bethel's win over Hamline. His  punt returns repeatedly let Bethel win the battle for field position.  Midthun is averaging 17.8 yards per return for the season. Defensively, he  also had 3 total tackles and 2 pass break ups.

MIAC Football Players of the Week. Oct. 5, 1998

Special Teams Player of the Week

Concordia's Clayton Horgan, Jr., Fergus Falls, had 7 punts for a 41.6 yard average in Saturday's 38-0 win over Hamline. He had 2 punts of 54 yards. He also connected on a 37 yard field goal in the second quarter to give the Cobbers a 17-0 lead and was 5-5 on PAT kicks. He has a season average of 40.4 yards punting, with 7 inside the 20, and entered Saturday's game as the league's top punter.

Offensive Player of the Week

Gustavus' Ryan Britz, a junior fullback from St. Peter, Minnesota carried five times  for 48 yards and caught four passes for 55 yards and one touchdown as  Gustavus rallied from a 17-3 deficit to defeat St. Thomas 26-23 in St.  Paul.  Britz, who averaged 9.6 yards per carry on the ground and 14.3 yards per catch through the air, was involved in numerous big plays on the day.  Britz set up the Gusties first TD as he broke free on a 20-yard run to the  UST 13 and then caught a 13-yard pass for a touchdown on the next play.  Gustavus trailed 23-19 with 6:10 remaining and the ball their own 30-yard  line.  Britz made catches of 21 and 17 yards on the first two plays from  scrimmage to move the Gusties into St. Thomas territory.  Five plays later,  Gustavus scored the winning touchdown on a pass from Bob Southworth to  Chris Swansson.  Britz is averaging 7.2 yards per carry and 21.8 yards per  catch on the season.  He has also rushed for two touchdowns and caught  three touchdown passes.
 

Defensive Player of the Week

 Saint John's junior linebacker Brandon Novak (Becker/Becker HS) collected nine tackles,   including one sack for a loss of two yards in Saint John's University's 19-13   win over Augsburg on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Minneapolis.  Novak helped lead a   Johnnie defensive unit that held Augsburg to only 85 yards rushing.  The   Johnnie defense also shut down Augsburg wide receiver Scott Hvistendahl,   limiting him to 68 yards on seven receptions.  Through three games in 1998,   Novak leads the team with 40 total tackles.  Novak is a key member of a   defensive unit that is giving up 209.0 yards total offense per game and only  59.0 yards per game rushing.

Co-Defensive Players of the Week
Gustavus middle linebacker Dan Dauwalter and St. John's senior defensive back Bill Zacher.

Gustavus middle linebacker Dan Dauwalter, a senior from Carver, Minnesota (Chaska H.S.), recorded six tackles including two for loss, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass as the Gusties defeated Augsburg 21-7 in St. Peter. Dauwalter recorded a tackle for loss that forced Augsburg to settle for a field goal attempt (which they missed) in the second quarter. He stripped the ball from an Augsburg running back forcing a fumble which Gustavus recovered on the Auggie 28-yard line in the third quarter.  And he intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter as Augsburg was attempting to rally from their 21-7 deficit.  Five of Dauwalters six tackles were on running plays as the Gusties shut down the Augsburg rushing attack, limiting them to 76 yards on 28 carries for an average of 2.7 yards per carry.

St. John's senior defensive back Bill Zacher (Alexandria/Jefferson HS) had five tackles, a fumble recovery and a key pass interception in Saint John's University's 19-3 win over Bethel on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Collegeville.  Zacher intercepted a pass deep in SJU territory to keep the score 12-3 in the pivotal third quarter. Zacher, on the season, has 22 tackles and two fumble recoveries for a Johnnie defensive unit that is only surrendering 207.8 yards total offense and 56.0 yards rushing per game.  The SJU defense has not given up a touchdown in the last seven quarters.
 

Co-Offensive Players of the Week

Gustavus quarterback Bob Southworth and St. Thomas' runningback Ben Duffey.

Gustavus quarterback Bob Southworth, a senior from Gibbon, Minnesota, completed 23-of-31 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns as the Gusties defeated Augsburg 21-7 in St. Peter to remain unbeaten.  Southworth opened the scoring with a 37-yard TD strike to Chris Swansson on the Gusties first possession and then closed out the scoring with a 13-yard TD strike to Chris Barnick in the middle of the fourth quarter.  Southworth broke two long standing Gustavus career passing marks as he moved past Dean Kraus' career completions mark of 437 (he is now at 460) as well as Kraus' career passing yardage mark of 4760 (he is now at 4767). Southworth made nine third down conversions with pass completions to keep Gustie drives alive.  Southworth improved his passing efficiency mark to 150.15 through five games, which ranks 20th in the NCAA Division III statistics.
 

St. Thomas' runningback Ben Duffey (SR, Richfield, MN, 5-10, 175) rushed 30 times for 265 yards, just 14 short of the UST  single-game record, and scored three TDs in the Toms' 33-10 win over Macalester. The Toms, playing without their injured starting QB, Greg Kaiser, led only 12-10 at halftime. Duffey had 137 yards in the second half, including TD runs of 72 and 7 yards in the fourth period to brake open the game. It was the sixth 100-yard game of Duffey's career (he also ran for 98 yards last week vs. Gustavus). UST has four new starters from tight end to tackle, yet Duffey has rushed for 492 yards on 111 tries in five games. In three years as a top reserve or starter, Duffey has rushed for 1,681 yards and now has 2,027 career all-purpose yards. He moved from No. 10 to No. 4 in UST career rushing with Saturday's performance. He needs to average 64 yards a game over the final five outings to become the fourth player in UST history to rush for 2,000 career yards.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Hamline's kicker Steve Koehn  (JR, Paynesville) hit a 44-yard field goal with four seconds to play to give the Pipers a 27-24 win  over Carleton.  Koehn's  field goal capped  a ten-point  Piper rally in the final 25 seconds of the game.  Koehn, whose extra point tied the score after Hamline's final touchdown, also had  a school-record 79-yard punt earlier in the fourth  quarter.  On the day, Koehn punted four times for a 48.2-yard average.
 
 

1998 MIAC Fooball Players of the Week
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MIAC Football Players of the Week. Oct. 19, 1998

 Offense

Bethel's Joe Persuitti (Sophomore Quarterback, Arden Hills, MN). Persuitti completed 26-40 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns as Bethel (5-1) beat previously unbeaten Gustavus. Persuitti made big play after big play, including throwing a 25 yard scoring strike to Jeremy Belisle with 1:21 left to win the game. Persuitti also scored Bethel's first touchdown on a one yard run.

Defensive Player of the Week

Saint John's junior strong safety Eric Serbus (Bird Island/BOLD HS) had 10 tackles, one for a loss of two yards and a pass break-up in Saint John's University's 21-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Moorhead.  Serbus helped the SJU defensive unit hold Concordia to 82 yards total offense and 30 yards rushing. Concordia averaged 1.4 yards per play during the game that was played in very cold, windy and rainy conditions.  Serbus, on the season, is third on the team with 38 tackles, one sack and four tackles for loss for a Johnnie defensive unit that entered this weekend as the second ranked team in the nation against the run (51.7 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense (5.8 points per game). The 35 points given up by the SJU defense through the first six games is the least since the 1965 national championship Johnnie team only gave up 27 points all season.  The SJU defense has not given up a touchdown in the last 11 quarters.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Hamline's Dan Ogiba  (SR,  Defensive Tackle, Mosinee,WI). Ogiba's blocked extra point in overtime provided the winning margin as Hamline defeated St. Olaf 14-13.  The Oles had the first possession of the  overtime  session and scored a touchdown before Ogiba's block.  Hamline  then responded by scoring a touchdown and converting the extra point to secure the victory.  In addition to his overtime heroics, Ogiba spearheaded a Hamline defense that allowed just 53 yards rushing on 38 attempts.  He ended the day with eight tackles (five solo, three assists), one of which was for a loss, from his defensive tackle position.
 

MIAC Football Players of the Week. Oct. 26, 1998
Weekend games
Saturday, October 24
Augsburg 28 at St. Thomas 29 2 OT
Bethel 48 at Macalester 3
Carleton 7 at St. Olaf 21
Concordia-Moorhead 17 at Gustavus 49
Hamline 13 at St. John's 49
 

Defensive Player of the Week

St. Olaf's Steve Ryan (CB Fr., S. St. Paul, Minn.).  In the battle for the Goat Trophy between Carleton and St. Olaf, Steve racked up 6 solo tackles from his cornerback position, and a total of 7 in the game.  Steve also had two interceptions, which he returned for a total of 43 yards.  Both interception returns put the Ole offense in scoring position.  Steve also had a touchdown saving tackle on a kick return, in which he chased the ball carrier down from across the field.  The defense held in four straight plays and Carleton did not score from that long kick return. Steve Ryan now has 3 interceptions on the year.
 

Offensive Player of the Week

St. Thomas' Mark Warder, (SR Wide Receiver, Burnsville, Minn.)  Warder caught nine passes for 187 yards and two TDs to help the Toms score a 29-28 double-overtime win over Augsburg. Warder caught a 99-yard TD pass in the second period -- breaking the MIAC record and tying an NCAA record. In his last six quarters, Warder has 17 receptions for 298 yards and four TDs. In three seasons as a starter, Warder has 92 catches for 1,499 yards (sixth in UST career charts). In 1998 he has 33 receptions for 545 yards and six TDs.
 

Special Teams Player of the Week

St. Olaf's Dan Hildebrandt, (Punter So., Medford, Ore.).  In the St. Olaf victory over Carleton, Dan had 7 punts in the game for 263 yards, averaging 37.6 yards per punt, woth one of 55 yards. More importantly, he repeatedly pinned the Carleton offense deep in their own territory, dropping punts inside their own 10 three times, twice inside the five.  Hildebrandt is averaging 39.4 yards per punt on the season and was second in the league in punting heading into last weeken'd games.
 

Other top performances this past week, Oct. 24:

Defense

Bethel's Ryan Carlson (Sr. Cornerback, Wadena, MN) led Bethel's defense in their 48-3 win over Macalester on Saturday. Carlson returned a fumble 100 yards for Bethel's second touchdown and also had a pass break up that led to Kirk Midthun's interception. Carlson added one tackle. Going into the weekend, he was leading the MIAC in interceptions, with three.
 
 

St. John's sophomore linebacker Beau LaBore (South St. Paul/ South St. Paul HS) had 13 tackles, and an interception that set up a touchdown in Saint John's University's 49-13 win over Hamline on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Collegeville. LaBore's interception was one of three by the SJU defensive unit that also held Hamline to 88 yards rushing.  LaBore, on the season, is second on the team with 56 tackles for a Johnnie defensive unit that entered this weekend as the second ranked team in the nation against the run (51.7 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense (5.8 points per game).  The Hamline first quarter touchdown was the first touchdown given up by the SJU defense in the last 11 quarters.
 

Gustavus' Dan Dauwalter, a senior from Carver, Minnesota, recorded nine tackles (3 solo), one sack and two tackles for loss, and forced a fumble as the Gusties limited Concordia to 302 yards of total offense in a 49-17 victory in St. Peter.  Dauwalter recorded six tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and forced a fumble in the second half as Gustavus limited the Cobbers to seven points and 125 yards of total offense.  Dauwalter is the second leading tackler on the squad with 39 (16 solo, 23 assists).  Gustavus ranks third in the MIAC in total defense allowing 298 yards per game.

St. Thomas' Steve Nolander, SS, JR, Albert Lea, Minn.  Nolander intercepted two passes and had eight tackles. His first pickoff was  returned to the Auggie 49 and set up the Toms' second TD and a 14-0 lead. His  second pickoff came early in the fourth and was returned 15 yards to the Auggie  37. Nolander has four interceptions on the season and 12 in three seasons.
 
 
 

Offense:

Scott Hvistendahl, Augsburg wide receiver (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) -- In a 29-28, two-overtime loss at the University of St. Thomas on Saturday, Hvistendahl caught 15 passes for 252 yards, pushing him over the 4,000-yard career receiving mark. Hvistendahl became just the third player in Division III history to break the 4,000-yard barrier. He now has 4,037 career receiving yards (third all-time) on 241 catches (sixth all-time) and 35 receiving touchdownws with three games remaining in his career. The Division III record, 4,311 yards, was set by Kurt Barth of Eureka (Ill.) last year. The 15 receptions ties an Augsburg single-game record (set by Hvistendahl last year). Hvistendahl, who holds every Augsburg single-season and career receiving record, now has 1,201 yards on 68 receptions with 10 TDs this season.  The yardage and reception marks are both third-best in a single-season in school history (the top two marks in those categories are both Hvistendahl marks from his junior and sophomore seasons). Last week, Hvistendahl passed Carleton's Jim Bradford (1988-91) as the MIAC's all-time leading receiver. He now has 3,609 yards on 207 receptions in MIAC games, both conference records.

St. Thomas' Greg Kaiser, JR, Quarterback, Mora, Minn. Kaiser, celebrating his 21st birthday, completed 26-of-42 passes (several dropped) for 327 yards and three TD with no interceptions. On 3rd-and-3 in overtime and UST trailing 28-21, Kaiser hit Chris Chappuis on an 18-yard TD pass. Kaiser the threw a two-point conversion pass thrpough traffic to Chappuis for the game-winning points. His 99-yard TD pass to Mark Warder in the second period set an MIAC record and tied an NCAA mark. In six games in 1998, Kaiser is 112-of-198 for 1,446 yards 11 TD and just four interceptions. On his career in 16 games he's 298-of-500 for 3,776 yards, 33 TD and 11 INT.

St. John's senior wide receiver Adam Herbst (Sartell/Sartell HS) caught seven passes for  152 yards and two touchdowns in Saint John's University's 49-13 win over  Hamline on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Collegeville.  The two touchdown receptions  in the game gives Herbst 37 for his career, which surpasses the career record  set by Chris Palmer (36 touchdown receptions from 1992 to 1995).  Herbst's  season stats through the first seven games include 37 receptions for 569 yards  and seven touchdowns.  Herbst's career stats through 39 games are 176  receptions for 2,707 yards and 37 touchdown receptions.

St. Olaf's Peter Schultz, QB (Sr., S. St. Paul, Minn.) In St. Olaf's first win of the season, over cross-town rivals Carleton, Peter completed 14 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.  Peter also rushed for 29 yards in the victory.  On both touchdown strikes, Peter found his reciever and had to either drop the ball over the defenders or put it low and away where only his reciever could get to the ball.  Peter now has passed for 952 yards on the year with a 58.3 completion percentage, with 9 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions.

Gustavus' Chris Swansson, a senior wide receiver from Woodbury, made nine catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns as Gustavus compiled 650 yards of total offense and defeated Concordia 49-17.  Swansson's TD catches included a 21-yard grab early in the second quarter, a five-yard catch late in the second quarter and a 19-yard grab early in the third quarter.  Chris has now made 37 catches on the season for 516 yards and eight touchdowns. Gustavus is now 6-1-0 overall and 5-1-0 in the MIAC.
 
 

Special Teams:

Bethel's Seth Olson (Sophomore Kicker, Bloomington, MN) kicked two field goals (37 yards and 28 yards) in Bethel's 48-3 win over Macalester. He was also 4 for 5 on PAT's. For the season, he is 4-7 for field goals and 19-21 in PAT's.
 

Martin Hlinka, Augsburg kicker (Sr., Bratislava, Slovakia/Farmington HS) -- Hlinka now holds all of Augsburg's kicking records, following his two-for-three field-goal effort in the Auggies' 29-28 overtime loss at St. Thomas on Saturday. Hlinka nailed a first-quarter 25-yard field goal and a third-quarter 27-yarder, but missed a 39-yarder in the first overtime that would have won the game for the Auggies. His two field goals pushed him past Dave Warnke's (1980-82) school record for career field goals of 17. Hlinka now has 19 on his career. Hlinka also holds the school's career record for kicking points (117) and extra-point kicks (60). Hlinka is now one field goal shy of tying his single-season school record for field goals (8), set last season. This season, Hlinka is a perfect 21-for-21 on extra points and 7-for-9 on field goals for 42 kicking points.

St. John's sophomore running back/returner Chris Moore (Edina/St. Thomas Academy HS) had six punt returns for 110 yards and a touchdown, one kick return for 40 yards and five carries for 10 yards in Saint John's University's 49-13 win over Hamline on Saturday, Oct. 24, in Collegeville.  Moore's 71-yard return for a touchdown is his first on the season and second of his career.   On the season, Moore is the leading rusher for the Johnnie offense with 72 attempts for 355 yards and five touchdowns.  He also has 32 punt returns for 353 yards and a touchdown, along with seven kick returns for 194 yards.  Moore holds the single season and career SJU record for punt return yardage with 464 and 817, respectively.

Defensive Player of the Week

St. Thomas' Steve Nolander (Jr., Strong Safety, Albert Lea) Nolander interceptd 2 passes, forced a fumble and had 4 tackles in the Toms' 33-10 win at Bethel.  The Toms have had 9 interceptions in the last two weeks--4 by Nolander.  He leads the MIAC with 6 interceptions and has 12 in 3 seasons on his career, No. 3 in UST career charts.

Co-Offensive Players of the Week

St. Thomas' Ben Duffey (Sr., RB, Richfield).  After sitting out Oct. 24 Augsburg game with injury, Duffey came back Oct. 31 to rush 32 times for 202 yards and TD runs of 2 and 1 yards in
Toms' 33-10 win at Bethel.  Toms gained 492 yards of offense.  It was Duffey's second 200 yard rushing game of season.  Duffey now has 729 yards in 7 games in 1998.  On his career, he has 1,918 yards on 416 carries.  St. Thomas won its fourth in a row and clinched a .500 season overall and winning MIAC season.

Gustavus' Bob Southworth ( SR, Quarterback, Gibbon, Minnesota,  6' 3"  210) completed 24-of-38 passes for 284 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions as Gustavus defeated Hamline 53-14.  Southworth completed passes to 10 different receivers in the game.  His TD passes were for 6, 7, 7, 10, 11 and 25 yards to four different receivers.  After starting the game 1-for-5, Southworth went on to complete 23 of his next 33 passes including 13 consecutive completions in the second quarter. Three of Southworth's six TD passes came in a three minute stretch late in the first quarter.  Southworth has now thrown 13 TD passes in his last three games including 11 in the past two games.  He ranks in the top 20 in Div. III in pass efficiency at 152.73 and he also ranks among the top five in pass completions with 162.  On the season he has completed 162-of-263 for 1951 yards and 26 TDs with five interceptions.  Gustavus is currently 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the MIAC.

Special Teams Player of the Week Nomination

Gustavus' Brent Schultze (JR, Punt Returner, Ceylon, Minnesota - Fairmont High School 5' 11", 195) Schultz returned four punts for 108 yards and one TD as Gustavus defeated Hamline 53-14 in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Schultze returned Hamline's first punt 72 yards for a touchdown and then returned the next punt 24 yards to the Hamline 36 which led to a Gustavus TD eight plays later.  Schultze also started at free safety for the Gusties making four tackles including one
tackle for loss.  On the season, Schultze has returned 18 punts for 222 yards for an average of 12.3 per return.  Gustavus is currently 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the MIAC.

Defensive Player of the Week

St. John's sophomore linebacker Beau LaBore (South St. Paul/ South St. Paul HS) had 8 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in Saint John's University's 43-0 win over Carleton on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Collegeville.  LaBore's outstanding play on Saturday helped lead the SJU defensive unit that held Carleton to 155 yards total offense, 33 yards rushing and  nine first downs.  SJU collected five sacks in the game.  LaBore, on the season, is second on the team with 74 tackles for a Johnnie defensive unit that entered this weekend as the second ranked team in the nation in total defense (182.3) , second against the run (52.9 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (6.0 points per game). SJU captured its fourth shutout of the season (second consecutive shutout) with the win. SJU is now 9-0 on the season, 8-0 in the MIAC. The Johnnies are currently ranked second in the latest NCAA Div. III west region rankings.

Offensive Player of the Week

Augsburg's Scott Hvistendahl (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) caught 14 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown in Augsburg's 35-28 loss to Bethel on Saturday at Anderson-Nelson Field, breaking the NCAA Division III record for career receiving yardage in the process. He now has 4,466 career
yards on 267 receptions with one game remaining in his career, just 227 yards away from Jerry Rice's all-time, all-divisions record of 4,693 yards on 301 receptions (also an NCAA record), both set at Mississippi Valley State from 1981-84. Hvistendahl, already the holder of every Augsburg single-season and career receiving record, broke both his records for single-season receptions (94) and receiving yardage (1,630). On Saturday, Hvistendahl, who already owns the MIAC career receiving yardage (4,038) and reception (233) records,  also broke the MIAC records for single-season receiving yards (1,359) and receptions (86) in MIAC games. One of Hvistendahl's 14 receptions Saturday was a 56-yard touchdown strike (the 39th of his career and 14th this season) that cut the Bethel lead to 28-21 with 5:30 to play in the game.

Special Teams Player of the Week

St. Thomas' Chris Chappuis (SR, TE-PR, Faribault/Bethlehem Academy) had a 71-yard punt return to set up the Toms second TD and put the Toms  ahead to stay in a 48-21 win over Concordia. It was St. Thomas' fifth consecutive win. With the score tied 7-7, Chappuis broke six tackles and dashed down the near sideline to the Cobber four-yard line. Chappuis also caught a 37-yard TD pass and finished with 129 all-purpose yards (two receptions for 52 yards). In the Toms last three games he's had four TD receptions, including the winning ctach and two-point catch in to beat Augsburg in two overtimes.
 

Offensive Player of the Week

Scott Hvistendahl, Augsburg Wide Receiver (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Randolph HS) -- Hvistendahl tied an MIAC single-game record with 18 receptions in Augsburg's 25-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead at the Metrodome on Friday, and his 230 receiving yards pushed him past Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84) for the NCAA all-divisions record for career receiving yardage. Hvistendahl finished his four-year career with an NCAA all-divisions (and Division III) record 4,696 career receiving yards on 285 receptions (fourth-best in NCAA history, third-best in Division III history) and 40 receiving touchdowns (16th-best in NCAA history, seventh-best in Division III history). Hvistendahl finished his senior season with 112 receptions for 1,860 yards and 15 touchdowns, becoming just the fourth player in Division III history (and 26th in NCAA history) to catch more than 100 passes in a single season.  The single-season receptions mark and yardage total are both the second-best in Division III history, while the receiving TD total is 17th best in Division III history. Hvistendahl also finished his senior season with MIAC records for single-season receiving yardage (1,589), single-season receptions (104), career receiving yardage (4,268) and career receptions (251).

Defensive Player of the Week

Senior St. John's defensive tackle Joe Kaczrowski (Luverne/Luverne HS) had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and two sacks in Saint John's University's 36-13 win over Gustavus Adolphus on Friday, Nov. 13, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Kaczrowski's outstanding play on Friday helped lead the SJU defensive unit that held the MIAC's top ranked offense to 213 yards total offense and -8 yards rushing.  SJU collected six sacks in the game.  Kaczrowski, on the season, is fourth on the team with 72 tackles and eight sacks for a Johnnie defense that entered this weekend as the top ranked team in the nation in total defense (179.2), second against the run (50.7 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (5.3 points per game).  The Johnnies, MIAC champions for the fifth time in the last six years, are currently 10-0 overall and will host Pacific Lutheran University in the first round of the NCAA playoffs on Nov. 21.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Martin Hlinka, Augsburg Kicker (Sr., Bratislava, Slovakia/Farmington HS) -- Hlinka connected on four field goals in six attempts, including a career-long 48-yarder, in Augsburg's 25-0 victory over Concordia-Moorhead Friday at the Metrodome. Hlinka also hit his lone extra point of the afternoon, finishing his senior season a perfect 30-for-30 on extra points, and booted six of his seven kickoffs against the Cobbers into the end zone for touchbacks. Hlinka finished his career with every Augsburg single-season and career kicking record, including single-season field goals (12), extra points (30) and kicking points (66), and career field goals (24), extra points (69) and kicking points (141). His 48-yard field goal against Concordia in the first quarter was the second-longest in school history. In addition to his football exploits Friday, Hlinka started and played that evening in the Augsburg men's hockey team's 3-2 overtime loss at Wisconsin-River Falls.

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