University of St. Thomas Athletics
Valparaiso
Tommies light up Beacons 55-17
10/18/2025 5:36:00 PM | Football
ST. PAUL, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas is all about making grandmas happy, and there were several satisfied in attendance at O'Shaughnessy Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Tommies recorded another Pioneer Football League victory, defeating Valparaiso University by a final score of 55-17. With the win, St. Thomas improves to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play.
QUICK HITS:
- ]St. Thomas scored 50+ points in back-to-back games for the first time in the DI era Saturday afternoon, following up the 57-13 win at Davidson with a 55-17 win over Valparaiso. It marks the first time since the 2019 season that the Tommies have won consecutive games while scoring 50 or more points.
- Senior quarterback Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade College Prep) threw for a career-high 265 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's victory.
- Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury) led the receiving corps with 81 yards and one touchdown, while JaShawn Todd (Los Angeles, Calif. / Oaks Christian) added 78 yards and a touchdown.
- Ryan Sever (Edina, Minn. / Benilde-St. Margaret) led the team with nine tackles, while Den Juette (Chicago, Ill. / Fenwick) and Nick Hand (Rogers, Minn. / Totino-Grace) each tallied an interception.
SCORING SUMMARY:
First Quarter: Valparaiso struck first, scoring on the opening offensive drive of the game to take an early 7-0 lead at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. The Tommies responded by scoring 14 unanswered points, using a 44-yard reception by Cobb-Butler and a one-yard rush into the end zone by Joseph Koch (Menomonee Falls, Wis. / Menomonee Falls) to tie the game at 7-7. Juette's interception then set up another St. Thomas touchdown, this time between Powell and Patrick Bowen Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Dillard), to make it 14-7 Tommies at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter: St. Thomas never relinquished its lead, scoring 20 points in the second quarter alone to extend the advantage to 34-10. Two field goals from Ben Hoiland (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) and touchdowns by Powell and Todd helped the Tommies douse any thought of a Beacon comeback. The defense was stifling, limiting Valparaiso to just two first downs and three points in the quarter.
Third Quarter: The Tommies continued to add on, as Powell found Cobb-Butler in the end zone to make it 41-10 with 10 minutes left in the quarter. Ryan Jackson (La Grange Park, Ill. / Lyons Township) made his O'Shaughnessy Stadium debut, boosting the Tommie lead to 48-10 with the first rushing touchdown of his career. Valparaiso scored on a kickoff return to make it 48-17 in the closing minutes of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter: The final frame was highlighted by Hand's interception and yet another Tommie touchdown. St. Thomas made a wish with 11:11 remaining on the clock, as Bowen's touchdown cemented the 55-17 victory.
TOMMIE TIDBITS:
- Amari Powell (Valencia, Calif. / Chaminade Prep) threw for a career-high 265 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's game while completing 13 of 20 pass attempts.
- Quentin Cobb-Butler (Woodbury, Minn. / Woodbury) led the receiving core with 81 yards and one touchdown, while JaShawn Todd (Los Angeles, Calif. / Oaks Christian) added 78 yards and a touchdown.
- Patrick Bowen (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Dillard) and Joseph Koch (Menomonee Falls, Wis. / Menomonee Falls) both scored touchdowns for the second straight week, and Ryan Jackson (Lagrange Park, Ill. / Lyons Township) led the team with 48 net rush yards on Saturday.
UP NEXT:
St. Thomas is back on the road next week, traveling to Florida to take on Stetson University. Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. in DeLand, Florida.
