Coe’s season comes to an end in 55-6 second-round playoff loss at St. Thomas

St. Thomas (Minn.) left little doubt Saturday, drubbing Coe College, 55-6, in a Division III second-round playoff game at O'Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul, Minn.

The third-ranked Tommies rolled up 605 yards of offense and 30 first downs, compared to 329 and 12 for No. 16 Coe.

'I'm proud of how our guys fought,' Coe Coach Tyler Staker said. 'Today we were outmatched and it showed.'

Coe (11-1) also had three first-half interceptions turned into touchdowns by St. Thomas, as it rolled to a 41-0 halftime advantage.

Coe running back Trevor Heitland — the leading rushing Division III coming into the game with 1,870 rushing yards — was limited to a season-low 43 yards on 24 carries.

'Obviously, we tried to get Trevor the football,' Staker said. 'The St. Thomas defense, they played tough and shut him down.

'They knew what we wanted to do. They stacked the box.'

Kohawk quarterback Gavin Glenn was 16 of 35 passing for 273 yards, but also had three interceptions.

Glenn connected with Seth Williams for a 66-yard scoring strike in the third quarter for the Kohawks' only points.

St. Thomas (12-0) advances to the quarterfinals and faces Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a 31-14 winner over St. John's (Minn.) on Saturday.

'I am really excited about the way we played today,' said St. Thomas Coach Glenn Caruso, who picked up his 99th win against just 14 losses (.876) Saturday. 'The manner in which we were able to win, with such energy. We're clicking in all phases right now, and playing as well as I've ever seen on defense.'

Coe finished 11-1, having won an IIAC crown and set the school record for wins in a season.

'I told our guys, the disappointment of this loss will wear off and you can look back,' Staker said, 'and we had a great season.'