St. Norbert College football turns back Lakeland on Homecoming Day

DE PERE – After opening the season with two consecutive nonconference losses, the St. Norbert College (SNC) football team won its fourth straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) game on Oct. 10 against Lakeland University. 

The Green Knights (4-2 overall, 4-0 NACC) jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 34-7 win over the Muskies (2-4, 1-3) on Homecoming Day at Schneider Stadium in De Pere. 

With temperatures reaching the mid-80s, the SNC defense forced four turnovers and allowed only one score halfway through the fourth quarter, with the game already decided. 

“Our defense played lights out,” SNC Coach Dan McCarty said. “They’ve come a long way from earlier in the year and are getting on the same page. That’s what was hurting us early in the season – we weren’t communicating as well as we should have been.”

Junior defensive lineman Aiden Gomez intercepted his third pass of the season and also recovered a fumble for the Green Knights, while Mason Trimberger added a pick-six in the second quarter, and Alex Carter had an interception. 

Kayden Lujan had a pair of sacks for SNC, which held the ball for almost 39 minutes. 

With the Green Bay area smashing its record high on this date, McCarty said he did his best to play “weatherman” leading up to the game. 

“My guys already know it’s going to be 43-45 degrees next Saturday [Oct. 17, when we play at Benedictine],” McCarty laughed. “We can’t control the weather, so in our minds, we try to act like it’s 72 degrees with a cool breeze. The key is to hydrate all week and have a hydration plan.” 

Ashwaubenon graduate Jacob McVane scored the first of his two first-half touchdowns about halfway through the opening quarter to give the Green Knights a 7-0 lead after Tyler Juergensen’s extra point.

Juergensen booted a 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter before Trimberger took a Carson Glosny pass 26 yards to the house for another score. 

McVane scored another TD a few minutes later, and Aiden Bruce ended the first-half scoring when he hauled in a 15-yard TD pass from Fernando Rodriguez with a minute showing on the clock. 

Juergensen’s 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter completed the scoring for SNC.

Sports Editor’s Note: Visit The Press Times’ Facebook page to catch the post-game interview with St. Norbert’s Aiden Gomez.