Piper football rolls over Macalester

Macalester, who has played an independent schedule in football only since 2002, drops to 2-3 with the loss.

The Pipers started off the scoring late in the first quarter when senior Andrew Seymour (Sandstone, Minn.) pulled in a 42-yard reception from senior quarterback Chad Schmigel (Ridgecrest, Calif.). Sophomore Derek Johnson (Casa Grande, Ariz.) put the extra point through to give the Pipers the 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, first-year Mark Masso (Farmington, Minn.) brought the Pipers their first rushing touchdown in two games when his 10-yard run upped the score to 13-0. Johnson's kick was good once again, giving Hamline a 14-0 at halftime.

Hamline's scoring resumed when they added two points for a 16-0 off of a 27-yard Macalester loss that resulted in a safety for the Pipers.

Later in the same quarter, Schmigel connected with Seymour for two more touchdowns. A 28-yard reception nearly halfway through the quarter preceeded a 39-yard pass by Schmigel to Seymour for the score with four minutes remaining in the quarter.

Seymour had 131 yards on seven receptions in the game. Schmigel tallied 156 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions on 9-for-21 passing in the game.

Macalester's lone score in the game came in the middle of the final quarter on a three-yard pass from Trevor Miehe to Matt Mitchell.  The point-after attempt failed, and the Scots were left with just six points on the board.

Hamline's final score came in the form of a one-yard rushing touchdown from junior quarterback James Leary (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.). Johnson's kick was successful for the fourth time in the game, bringing the final score to 37-6.

The Pipers had 348 total yard of offense to the Scots' 86, with 183 yards passing and 165 on the ground. The Scots produced 74 yards in the air and 12 on the ground.

Masso led the Pipers in rushing with 90 yards, while Leary added 69. First-year Alex House (Champlin, Minn.) was second to Seymour in receiving with 33 yards.

Defensively for Hamline, first-year Nick VanderHeyden led the team with 10 tackles (five solo, five assists). Senior Paul Klees (Wabasha, Minn.) and sophomore Zach Wilson (Davenport, Iowa) each added seven.

The Pipers remain on the road next Saturday, as they travel to Moorhead to take on Concordia at 1:00 p.m.