University of St. Thomas Athletics
Tommies picked to win Pioneer Football League
8/1/2023 2:00:00 PM | Football
St. Thomas receives 98 of 100 possible points
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas football team has high expectations for the 2023 season. Turns out, it's not just the Tommies who expect big things in the upcoming year, as St. Thomas was picked to win the Pioneer Football League (PFL) after winning its first conference title in 2022.
The PFL coaches think the Tommies are the team to beat in 2023, as they received 98 of 100 possible points in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released Tuesday afternoon. St. Thomas also received eight of 10 first place votes and were ranked second overall in the other two coaches' polls. Davidson, which finished second in the preseason rankings, earned two first place votes, while San Diego claimed the final first place tally. Head coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams to win the conference.
The Tommies are coming off a historic 2022 season, in which they won their first PFL title in just their second season in the conference. Thanks to its high-flying offense and commanding defense, St. Thomas outscored opponents 358-189 and completed the 2022 season with a near perfect 10-1 overall record, including an 8-0 mark in PFL play. The Tommies numbers against PFL opponents were particularly impressive. In addition to outscoring its opponents by a significant margin, St. Thomas gained 1398 yards of total offense against PFL opponents while tallying 729 tackles on the defense.
In addition to their impressive stats, the Tommies also bring back significant returners from the 2022 team. Of its 16 2022 All-PFL honorees, nine return for the 2023 season, including junior wide receiver Andrew McElroy (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Bolingbrook), who was the PFL's lone unanimous First Team All-Conference pick in 2022. Fellow junior Jonathan Bunce (Edina, Minn. / Edina) also returns after earning First Team All-Conference honors last season, as are All-Conference honorees Shawn Shipman (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Champlin Park), Alec Rasmussen (Wayzata, Minn. /Wayzata), Yusef Leak (Orlando, Fla. / Master's Academy), Shea Albrecht (Orono, Minn. / Orono), Luke Herzog (Mendota Heights, Minn. / St. Thomas Academy), Jason Laliberte (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) and Grif Wurtz (Chaska, Minn. / Chaska).
St. Thomas will officially kickoff the season on Saturday, September 2 when the team hosts Black Hills State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT in St. Paul, Minnesota.
