Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
COLLEGEVILLE, Minnesota – The Monmouth College football team ran into a determined Saint John’s squad on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Johnnies 49-15 in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs at Clemens Stadium.
 
Saint John’s struck first with a touchdown in the opener quarter, but Monmouth responded on the ensuing drive as Aiden Sensabaugh connected on a 25-yard field goal. However, the Johnnies ended the quarter with a passing touchdown to take a 14-3 lead after one.
 
The lead extended to 21-3 after another Johnnies’ touchdown, but the Fighting Scots would not go away. Brayden Deem found Julian Samuels on a 36-yard touchdown strike, but the extra point was missed and Monmouth trailed 21-9 at half.
 
Saint John’s found the end zone four times in the second half to pull comfortably ahead before Deem found Jeremiah Williams for a 34-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed, and the final score ended 49-15 in the Johnnies’ favor.
 
Deem finished the game 17-of-32 for 306 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. Nate Wrublik carried the ball 18 times for 78 yards, while Chase Newman was Monmouth’s top receiver (four catches, 107 yards).
 
Carson Strating led Monmouth defensively with 13 tackles, while Ethan James and Derek Chandler tallied 10 apiece.
 
Monmouth ends its season with a 9-2 record. The Fighting Scots won the Midwest Conference title for the second time in four seasons, advancing to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2019.