Mid States
[Football] Unique season starts with 27-13 loss at Roosevelt
It was a unique start to a unique season.Playing in the snow, in single-digit temperatures, St. Ambrose dropped its season opener 27-13 at Roosevelt Saturday afternoon.The Bees finished with just 180 yards of offense and were hurt by a Lakers offense that totaled 264 yards through the air.One of SAU's best drives came to start the game, as the team marched 35 yards behind two big runs from John Benckendorf and a 15-yard completion from Benckendorf to Blake Wittman. But the drive stalled at the Roosevelt 30-yard line, and in the wintery conditions, the Bees were forced to punt.It was a turnover on SAU's second possession that helped Roosevelt take the lead. A fumble gave the Lakers the ball at the Bee 15-yard line and three plays later, they took a 7-0 lead.Special teams got St. Ambrose on the board for the first time this season. Sam Kerr blocked a punt that Cade Gorzny recovered for a touchdown to pull the Bees to with 7-6.But SAU struggled to slow the Roosevelt passing attack. The Lakers needed just five plays to travel 75 yards for a touchdown on their next possession. Completions of 33 and 41 yards were followed by a 19-yard touchdown pass that extended the lead to 13-6. Early in the second quarter, the Lakers' lead grew to 20-6 on a 31-yard scoring strike.After a scoreless third quarter, and with the temperatures dropping, a 33-yard RU completion was followed by a 1-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach.T'Nahleg Hall scored on a 1-yard plunge for the Bees but the ensuing on-side kick was recovered by the Lakers to virtually seal the game.Benckendorf, who completed 15 passes for 121 yards, led St. Ambrose with 37 rushing yards. Hall finished with 23 yards on six carries. Along with blocking a punt, Kerr caught six passes for 48 yards. Hunter Thompson hauled in three receptions for 18 yards.Zak Alberts led the SAU defense with nine total tackles. He also forced a fumble, which was recovered by Jett Haas, that stopped a Lakers drive at the SAU 20-yard line to start the third quarter.Ethan Miebach and Jaxson Nelson were each in on eight stops. Bernard Buhake had three of the team's 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and was credited with the Bees' lone sack.St. Ambrose will play its home opener next Saturday against Saint Xavier. Kickoff from the St. Vincent's Athletic Complex is scheduled for 2 p.m.