Johnnie football begins MIAC play with win at Hamline

The St. John’s football team has been off to a hot start to the 2025 season, starting 2-0, following a win against Hamline 59-0 this past Saturday. Senior safety Jack St. Fleur said he believes the early-season success is a collective effort from everyone.

“Just the drive that we all have, reaching the same goal and being relentless after the pursuit of excellence. There are a lot of guys who still have that taste in their mouth from our loss to Susquehanna. I think knowing what it took to lose that game kind of helped us to harp on what to do in practice to not put us in that position again,” St. Fleur said.

St. Fleur said having the right tools to succeed and being ready for anything the game throws at you is also key to being prepared.

“We just got a new film room. One where we can actually have all of us be in there instead of having some people filtering in and out. Our coach teaches us exactly what we need to do and not worry about anything else, then we all meet in one room and mesh it all together,” St. Fleur said.

St. Fleur highlighted how important it is to be a leader while being a senior on the team.

“[I make] sure that I am doing what I have to do before… [talking to] anyone else about what they have to do…so they know…that I am not telling them to do something I would never do. Just showing the guys the right way,” St. Fleur said.

Dylan Wheeler, a senior wide receiver, emphasized how the team successfully comes together to achieve a common goal.

“I think the most important thing to do is to set aside our personal goals. I think what makes us different from other teams in the MIAC is that we have a lot of driven guys that want to have a great career and year here. Pushing each other every day helps each individual guy, and we try to support each other the best we can,” Dylan Wheeler said.

Dylan Wheeler mentioned how having a good routine on game days helps him stay focused.

“I always make my own breakfast. Then we have gameday mass for 15 minutes, which is usually at nine a.m. We get in, we pray, we usually have 30-50 guys show up, including coaches. Then, if it’s a home game, I stretch for an hour to open everything up and get nice and loose. I go on the field at 11 and throw the ball around with the quarterbacks before getting dressed and warming up with the team,” Dylan Wheeler said.

Head coach Gary Fasching, in his 30th season on the staff and 13th as head coach, highlighted how the team has expectations, not goals.

“We never talk about goals; we talk about expectations. I think that is important because everybody has goals, every team puts down what their goals are, and we’ve never done that. We know what the expectation is here at St. John’s, the expectations are that we will win the conference, we’re going to get into the NCAA tournament and then hopefully have a deep run with the expectation of winning a national title,” Fasching said.

Fasching stressed the importance of the team’s three pillars of performance.

“It’s not just football here; it’s the academic piece. It’s the three pillars I talk about all the time. We ask our players to be great in the classroom because that is why they are here, to get a great education,” Fasching said. “Our job is to prepare them for the next 40-50 years of their life. The second thing we talk about is to be great in the community, do things outside, volunteer and do service opportunities that I think build character. Then the third thing is to be great on the field. We talk about keeping that order: academics, community then football.”

Caden Wheeler, a senior running back, hit on what motivates the team to strive for more.

“I would say each other. We are out there for one another and play for one another. We ask more out of each other every single week. That’s a huge driving force,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler added how the team handles pressure during games.

“By relying on one another. Being prepared and ready for the moment. Mental preparation is a big part of the game. The outcome is never one player, one drive or one play. Also, making sure that you are not thinking about the situation first as it is about to happen,” Wheeler said.

The St. John’s football team looks to continue its winning streak this Saturday, Sept. 27, against Augsburg for homecoming.