Tommie-Johnnie tied at halftime

Quarterback John Gould eludes a Johnnie defender. The Tommies and Johnnies are tied 7-7 at halftime Saturday in Collegeville (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)
Quarterback John Gould eludes a Johnnie defender. The Tommies and Johnnies are tied 7-7 at halftime Saturday in Collegeville (Andrew Brinkmann/TommieMedia)

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The 85th annual Tommie-Johnnie game is knotted up 7-7 at halftime Saturday afternoon at Clemens Stadium.

The first quarter ended with both teams scoreless, although the Tommies had solid opportunities throughout the quarter. On St. John’s first possession, linebacker Tim McClanahan recovered a fumble by Johnnie quarterback Nick Martin on the 50-yard line.

Facing a fourth-and-one situation on the 5-yard line later on the same drive, running back Jordan Roberts swept around the right side, chalking up the St. Thomas’ first touchdown with 11:20 left in the second quarter. A successful extra point from Paul Graupner made it 7-0. Roberts finished the first half with 58 yards on 13 attempts.

A costly turnover stalled a later Tommie drive when Johnnie defensive back Trevor Warner intercepted quarterback John Gould’s pass. Gould wrapped up the first half with 56 yards on 7-20 passing.

St. John’s finally got on the board when running back Sam Sura ran it up the middle and forced his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score with 3:24 left in the second quarter. Kicker Alexi Johnson’s extra point tied the game up at seven. Sura finished the half with 46 yards on 16 carries, while Martin threw for 87 yards.

Jesse Krull can be reached at krul7386@stthomas.edu.