St. John's University football hopes to start strong against playoff rival Whitewater
COLLEGEVILLE — It was Mark Twain who once said "if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
The Johnnies find themselves facing a hefty tadpole as they host the University of Wisconsin Whitewater for their season opener Saturday at Clemens Stadium.
Whitewater is ranked fourth in the D3football.com preseason poll. St. John's is No. 5. The Johnnies won 42-18 in 2002, the only other regular season matchup between the two teams. Since then, Whitewater has hosted St. John's four times in the playoffs, winning all four games.
The Johnnies face a challenging start to their 111th season, with three consecutive games against top 25-ranked teams. They host UW River Falls (No. 18) Sept. 10 and will travel to Bethel (No. 13) Sept. 24.
In 2021, St. John's went 11-1 overall, winning their 35th conference title and seventh consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Their season ended Nov. 27 with a 31-28 loss to Linfield at Clemens stadium in the second round.
St. John's will look to senior defensive lineman Michael Wozniak to anchor their defense this year. The Associated Press named Wozniak one of six small-college players to watch nationally.
Senior running back Henry Trost ended the 2021 season 10th in Division III scoring. He is tied for fourth in SJU history with 33 rushing touchdowns. Senior tight end Alex Larson returns for 2022 as does quarterback Aaron Syverson. Syverson threw for 17 touchdowns and 1,768 yards in seven games last year.
The Johnnies are 79-28-3 all-time in season openers, including an 8-0 record under head coach Gary Fasching.
Saturday's kickoff is at 1 p.m.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. John's University starts football season against Whitewater
