St. John's alum Bernie Weber '67 celebrates the Jake Theis touchdown that gave St. John's a 7-6 halftime lead. Photo by Adam Johnson, D3football.com |
By Adam Johnson
D3football.com
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – With three chartered airplanes,
filled with Johnnie faithful, departing Minneapolis on Friday it
was evident that St. John's would have a fan base in Salem, Va.,
for the 2003 Stagg Bowl.
And as Johnnie fans lined up at 9:30 a.m. outside Majors Sports
Café in this Minneapolis suburb, it became obvious that the
fan base included not only those in Salem but thousands gathered in
their homes and at sports bars across the Midwest and the country.
With the help of 1997 St. John's graduate Sean Conrad, who arranged
the gathering at Majors, Johnnie fans had a warm, spacious
restaurant and a TV in every corner to watch their beloved
team.
"I had no idea the crowd would be this big," Conrad admitted after
the game.
It was around 8 a.m. on Saturday morning when Majors general
manager David Soos got a call from his staff informing him that
some fans, in red, were throwing a football and tailgating in the
company lot.
"So, let ‘em," Soos responded. He wasn't about to rain on
St. John's parade.
The crowd, growing restless as they stood outside in the cold
temperatures, let out a cheer as the doors opened 15 minutes before
the 10 a.m. CT kickoff and fans rushed into the restaurant like
Christmas shoppers after the last Hokey Pokey Elmo.
Photo by Adam Johnson, D3football.com Fans begin to line up a half-hour before game time. |
Friends searched out their own spots and TV to watch the game.
Many settled in a room with one huge projection screen TV and one
smaller TV placed in each of the four corners. Majors' staff put
together a special menu for Johnnie fans including the "Stagg Bowl
Beer Special" which few people turned down.
Fans continued to trickle in through the opening kickoff until all
corners of the restaurant were covered in red. If you read the
papers, the fans should have been wearing black, as most expected
Mount Union to leave the Johnnies for dead by halftime.
Through the first quarter, the mood was tense as both teams traded
possessions. When Mount Union wide receiver Randell Knapp dropped a
wide-open pass at just over four minutes into the game the crowd
let out a collective sigh of relief. There was definite excitement
in the air as the Johnnies were the first team to keep Mount Union
off the scoreboard in the first quarter all season.
Mount Union wasted no time scoring in the second quarter as they
punched in the opening score at 14:57. There was little time for
Johnnie fans to sulk as senior Cam McCambridge blocked the PAT to
hold the score to 6-0.
Jeremy Goltz's interception at the 4:03 mark of the second quarter
got the crowd on their feet and in unison started their traditional
"S-J-U" chant.
As the Johnnies sat on Mount Union's 14-yard line with three
seconds remaining in the half, fans became coaches all suggesting
how to handle the situation – kick the field goal or go for
the touchdown and momentum swing. There were boosters for each play
but most wanted the field goal.
Johnnie alum Doug Imholte agreed with coach John Gagliardi in
going for the touchdown but his friend, former St. John's soccer
player Joe Meyer thought the field goal was safer.
"He's a soccer guy," Imholte said. "He always wants to kick
it."
St. John"s Alumni Board president Dan McDermott also thought the
field goal was the way to go. "We wanted the field goal," he said
as he sat with a group of friends. "But that's why we don"t have
413 career wins."
Gagliardi, defying all logic, called a screen pass to running back
Jake Theis, who isn't known for running over tacklers. He caught
the ball with one man to beat and bulldozed over him and into the
end zone. The PAT made it 7-6 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Over halftime fans reloaded with beers and appetizers and gave
their predictions for the second half. Long time Johnnie supporter
Bernie Weber, a 1967 graduate, predicted a Johnnie victory.
"Defense is gonna win the game," he said. "We"re just outplaying
them."
Weber should have a good idea after watching so many games over
the years. "I got the trophy for 350 wins," Weber says about seeing
a good chunk of Gagliardi's victories.
Photo by Adam Johnson, D3football.com Katie Liz, Brian Roers, Katie Roers and John Powell are all smiles at halftime. |
McDermott's friend Dave Roy also predicted a Johnnie victory
saying, "I just think they (Mount Union) are doubting
themselves."
Soos didn't know much about who might come out on top but he knew
one thing for sure about the Johnnie fans – they were the
best he'd ever seen.
"They are louder and larger than any Vikings fans we've had this
season," Soos said. "You hear a roaring cheer for a big tackle or
interception and then when they score it is just ear piercing
– it sounds like the Dome."
With two quarters remaining, Soos had yet to hear the Johnnies at
their loudest. The crowd cheered as Brandon Keller's field goal in
the third quarter pushed the lead to four but they would go wild on
two plays in the fourth quarter that blew the game open.
The Johnnies opened the fourth quarter with the ball and the
momentum. Mount Union had never trailed in the fourth quarter in a
Stagg Bowl or trailed in the fourth quarter at all since they
played John Carroll on Sept. 22, 2001, so the Johnnies had the
Purple Raiders in unfamiliar territory.
With 13:34 to go in the game Blake Elliott took the hand off from
Ryan Keating and hit the line of scrimmage. He spun off the initial
tackler and darted through the defense 51 yards to the end zone.
The place went nuts! Chants of "Blake, Blake, Blake" filled the air
and Johnnie fans started to realize that the victory was within
reach.
Mount Union responded by marching the ball down to the St. John"s
1-yard line and looked poised to bring the score to within a field
goal. Forced to pass after being stopped for no gain on the two
previous plays, Mount Union went to the air and it cost them the
game.
St. John's sophomore defensive back Mike Zauhar jumped in front of
Knapp and caught it on the goal line in stride. He tucked it away
and went 100 yards untouched down the sideline for the touchdown
and all but sealing the victory for St. John's.
Fans jumped out of their seats, stood on their chairs, hugged,
gave high fives and then started the kiss of death cheer.
"OVER-RATED," they chanted in unison as Keller kicked the nail in
the coffin to make it 24-6.
Three Johnnie fans hoisted Brian Roers in the air. As they held
his feet and arms he rolled off 24 pushups to the count of the
crowd.
With 4:03 to play the ESPN2 cameras panned to Mount Union
quarterback Jesse Burghardt with his head in his hands and the
Johnnie crowd let out a sarcastic, "Awww" as if they were having
trouble feeling bad for a kid who ended his college career at
55-1.
Fans continued to chant different things throughout the rest of
the game as the teams traded field position.
At 1:51 "S-J-U" started up again followed by "OVER-RATED" at 1:23.
As the final seconds ticked away Johnnie fans rose to their feet.
Those who had indulged heavily in the "Stagg Bowl Beer Special"
stood on chairs and tables. When the clock hit 0:00 one last
"S-J-U" chant filled the air. As Gagliardi was stopped for his
postgame interview a dead silence fell over the crowd to hear the
legend talk. Laughter broke out as he told sideline reporter Dave
Ryan that St. John's, "has had a pretty good team since before he
was probably born."
It was classic John and as fans departed it was obvious that the
2003 season was a St. John's classic.