MIAC: St. Olaf’s Embry leads team to big win

MIAC leading rusher carries ball 51 times for 270 yards

DULUTH, Minn. – Senior Jordan Embry carried the ball 51 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with 21.7 seconds to go, to carry the St. Olaf College football team to a 33-28 victory over the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday afternoon at Public Schools Stadium.

Embry set a new program record for carries and post the second-highest single-game rushing total in recorded program history to power St. Olaf (4-3, 3-2 MIAC) to the win in its first-ever game at St. Scholastica (2-5, 1-4 MIAC). The senior’s 51 carries marked the highest total at any level of NCAA football this fall and his 270 rushing yards are the seventh-highest single-game total in NCAA Division III this season.

Embry’s 51 carries surpassed the previous program record of 37 set by Manuel Spreigl ‘02 at Carleton on Nov. 11, 2000 and are eight most than any NCAA Division III rusher has had in a game this fall. His 270 rushing yards trail only Ole Gunderson’s 356 yards against Monmouth on Oct. 11, 1969 in single-game program history and marked the eighth recorded 200-yard rushing performance by an Ole.

Despite Embry’s monster game, St. Olaf trailed St. Scholastica by one, 28-27, in the closing minutes after the Saints rallied from a 24-7 third-quarter deficit to take the lead with 3:33 remaining. After Nick Schlender’s go-ahead one-yard touchdown run, the Oles covered 70 yards on 12 plays, capped by a one-yard plunge by Embry with 21.7 seconds remaining to take the lead. Embry carried the ball 11 times on the 12-play drive and accounted for all 70 yards on the game-winning march.

Junior tight end Derek Hansen had career highs in receptions (7) and receiving yards (95) for St. Olaf, which also got two field goals from junior Collin Swan and a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown by junior Mark Thrower in the win.

With time winding down in the first quarter, the Saints struck for the first score of the game on a four-yard pass from Donald West to Ricky Weber with 30 seconds remaining. The Oles responded by outscoring the hosts by a 17-0 margin in the second quarter to take a 17-7 halftime lead, taking advantage of two short fields to score touchdowns.

Early in the second quarter, junior Luke Stanga forced a fumble that sophomore Cameron Hammonds recovered to set St. Olaf up at the St. Scholastica 29-yard line, eventually leading to a one-yard touchdown run by Embry. The Oles’ defense forced a three-andout on the ensuing St. Scholastica possession and, after an 11-yard punt gave St. Olaf the ball at the Saints’ 30-yard line, Embry scored from nine yards out following a 21-yard pass from sophomore Theo Doran to classmate Evan Hammonds.

The Oles stretched their lead to 17-7 at the half on a 28-yard field goal by Swan with 32 seconds to go in the half. The field goal was set up by an 18yard connection from Doran to Hansen to get St. Olaf into the red zone.

On St. Scholastica’s first possession of the third quarter, the St. Olaf defense forced a punt with a three-and-out before the special teams unit made a play to push the Oles’ lead to 24-7. First year Noah Barrett blocked the ensuing punt and the ball bounced back towards the goal line, where

Jordan Embry scored three touchdowns in a 33-28 win over St. Scholastica to help improve St. Olaf to 3-2 in the MIAC and 4-3 overall. The senior from Alabama leads the MIAC with 772 yardson 114 rushes. PHOTO BY KEVIN HEALY

SCHOOL

Thrower fell on it for a touchdown with 11:36 to go in the third quarter.

West ran for a two-yard touchdown late in the third quarter and found Wyatt Lahr for a 26-yard touchdown five minutes into the fourth to bring the Saints within a field goal at 24-21. St. Olaf nudged its lead

MIAC STANDINGS back to 27-21 on a 23-yard field goal by Swan with 5:50 remaining, NORTHWOODS Carleton Saint John’s Gustavus St. Olaf DIV 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-2 CONF 4-1 4-1 3-2 3-2 OVERALL 6-1 6-1 4-3 4-3 only for the Saints to cover 58 yards in eight plays to take the lead back on Schlender’s score with 3:33 left, setting up the Oles’ game-winning drive. St. Scholastica got into St. Olaf territory in the final seconds, but St. Scholastica 0-3 1-4 2-5 junior Deonta Thomas intercepted SKYLINE West’s desperation pass at the Oles’ Bethel 3-0 5-0 6-1 14-yard line as time expired. ThomAugsburg 2-0 3-2 5-2 as had three tackles, a sack, and the Concordia Hamline Macalester 1-1 0-2 0-3 2-3 0-5 0-5 4-3 2-5 2-5 game-sealing interception in the win. Stanga led the St. Olaf defense with nine tackles in addition to the forced fumble, while junior Ben Kettelhut had five tackles, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups. The Oles are back on the road this week, visiting nationally-ranked Bethel University for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Arden Hills.

The common occurrence of quad contusions

by ERIC KOHN

Let’s Play Football Contributor

The running back saw the hole open in the line and sprinted through it. As he made a quick cut to avoid the linebacker he did not see the free safety come up to deliver a blow to his left thigh and knock him off his feet. He felt immediate pain from the hit deep in his thigh and he hopped up to jog back to the huddle. He felt his quad muscle spasm and his ability to get back to the huddle was now turning in to a limp off the field. As the minutes continued his thigh became tighter and tighter and finally his ability to bend his knee was significantly limited.

The above scenario is common with a noneventful tackle on running back. Unfortunately when an athlete sustains a hard blow to the thigh a quad contusion can occur. In this article I will discuss what a quad contusion is, how it occurs, how it should be treated and what major complication can occur.

Quad contusions happen with a direct impact to a relaxed quadriceps muscle. The muscle is compressed against the thighbone or femur with the impact. The more relaxed the quad is during impact or the more forceful the impact can lead to greater degrees of injury. We grade the quad contusion from level 1 or small bruising with little pain to a grade 4 where there is deep hematoma and muscle herniation. Most quad contusion fall into the grade 2 or 3, where there is significant swelling, muscle spasms and inability for the athlete to bend the knee past 90 degrees. The area of the quad that is effected most is just outside the thigh pad. Also, ill-fitting pants that allow the pads to slide or move, incorrect sizing of pads and even choosing not to wear pads can contribute to the likelihood of an injury.

After sustaining a quad contusion the athlete needs immediate treatment to decrease the symptoms and possible complications from the injury. The sports medicine personnel should help to get the athlete comfortable and apply ice and compression to the thigh in a flexed knee position. The importance of the flexed knee icing can not be overstated, this helps to maintain motion in the thigh. A large ace wrap used first to secure the ice pack and finally secure the knee in a bent position is beneficial. The athlete should be placed on crutches to avoid limping and the application of ice in a flexed knee position regimen should continue multiple times over the first 48 hours post injury. Compression shorts or a sleeve can be utilized as an ice barrier and to decrease swelling.

After the first couple of days the athlete should begin to focus on returning quad strength and flexibility with gentle range of motion and progression of strengthening exercises. The return to full participation is based on full return of motion and strength of the lower extremity. The athlete will also have to pass return to competition testing provided by their sports medicine staff to safely return.

The biggest complication to this injury is by aggressively stretching, massage, heat or ultrasound to the athlete too soon after the injury. These interventions will lead to increased swelling, tissue damage and a complication call myositis ossificans. This will occur as the irritated tissue produces calcified formations that will resemble cartilage or bone. These can be seen via x ray within a month after the injury. When present the athlete will complain of chronic pain, swelling, weakness and decreased motion in the effected lower extremity. On a positive note, most myositis ossificans resolves with gentle conservative care with gradual progression to full function and return to sport.

A Quad contusion is an injury that is often seen on the football field but with immediate and appropriate treatment with your sports medicine provider, athletes are able to work through the injury and return back to the playing field in a safe and timely fashion.

Eric is a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He practices at St Cloud Orthopedics in Central Minnesota and is an adjunct professor at The College of St. Benedict/St John’s University. He can be reached at ekohn@stcloudorthopedics.com