Outstanding performances on both sides of the ball led the St. Paul Seminary Sons of Thunder to a commanding 45-7 win over the St. John Vianney JAXX in the 17th annual Rectors’ Bowl on Saturday night.
The Rectors’ Bowl is a yearly flag football game that pits members of the university’s two seminaries against each other on the gridiron. This year, the graduate-level seminarians of the St. Paul Seminary brought the Rector’s trophy home.
Although the game had a competitive atmosphere, friendship and brotherhood were themes of the evening said Sons of Thunder wide receiver Nate Pacer.
“All of us are brothers, even though we’re two different schools. We lift each other up when we fall down. We try to have a good time and be the best sports we can be,” he said.
The Sons of Thunder opened the scoring with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Jayson Miller connected with Pacer to give them a 7-0 lead. Touchdown passes by the Sons of Thunder quarterback were common in this year’s edition of the competition.
Sons of Thunder defensive back John Pankratz made an interception on the ensuing JAXX drive, which set up another touchdown pass by Miller with a minute to go in the first quarter.
Miller continued his aerial attack in the second quarter. He found Michael Kapperman in the end zone to make the score 20-0 going into halftime.
The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Miller threw another touchdown to Kapperman and the JAXX got on the board after quarterback Ben Baker connected with Mitch Dietrich for their first points of the evening.
The Sons of Thunder scored twice more in the fourth quarter to solidify the victory.
Miller finished the game with five passing touchdowns, and the Sons of Thunder defense had several interceptions in an impressive performance.
The game brought out a large crowd to the O’Shaughnessy Stadium bleachers. That added to the fun for the players said JAXX linebacker Kyle Loecker.
“I love how many people come together because of the Rectors’ Bowl,” Loecker said. “That’s the reason why we come together, it’s to celebrate the family and celebrate vocations.”
Loecker also said he enjoyed the subtle ways that the game showcased the attitude of the seminarians.
“It’s especially admirable how guys who are studying for the priesthood can also come out here on the football field and really showcase what it means to be a man fully alive,” he said.
When the final whistle blew, the game proved to be what it sets out to be: a memorable evening shared among friends.
“I could see how much fun some of the younger guys were having, and that brought me a lot of delight and joy,” Loecker said.
Spencer Flaten can be reached at flat6148@stthomas.edu