Mavericks host spring game at Blakeslee Stadium

Chilling weather wasn’t enough to stop the offense on Saturday

Andrew Neururer
Staff Writer

Minnesota State football held its annual spring game Saturday, April 27 at the Blakeslee Stadium. The offense defeated the defense 38-30.

The game was played with four 10-minute quarters and a small halftime of five minutes. 

The scoring breakdown for the offense: six points for a touchdown, three points for a field goal, one point for an extra point and one point for every first down.

The scoring breakdown for the defense: six points for a touchdown, six points for a turnover, four points for a stoppage on fourth down and two points for a stop on third down. 

Towards the end of the game, the defense made a late push to make things interesting. However, junior tailback Justin Taormina was too much to handle. He had two touchdowns, including one late to put the offense over the top. To start the game out, Taormina took one to the house for a 90-yard touchdown on the third play of the game.

He finished the game with 118 yards and would have seen more if he was on the field for more drives.

Redshirt freshman, Kaleb Sleezer, ran for 109 yards – good for second on the team. 

Sophomore wide receiver Cullen Gahagan led the team with four catches and 52 yards. 

While the offense was looking good, the defense looked just as well. Wide Receiver Brandon Zylstra was limited in the small time he found on the field. Zylstra is listed at 6’5’’ inches and 220 pounds, so credit the defense for locking him up.

Redshirt freshman defensive end Mathew Sieh led the team with 5.5 tackles, while redshirt freshman DJ Mosley recorded 4.5 tackles. 

Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Grant Nagel, sophomore Tyler Johnson, redshirt freshman Nic Dahlke and redshirt freshman Logan Joseph all recorded a sack on the cold, rainy Saturday game.

The majority of the starters didn’t play a large portion of the game. That gave the freshmen and sophomores great experience and a chance to play with one another. 

Special Teams also played a huge role during the game. The Mavericks have a new kicker this season and his name is Bryce Redmond. He struggled a bit on field goals, but the conditions were not great and he’s still looking for experience. He was perfect on extra points, nailing them perfectly.

Senior Cheyenne Bradford blocked a punt on fourth down and that brought the score closer together at 29-20. 

Last season’s sack leader, defensive end Chance Bowen, also had some good fortunes on special teams – blocking a potential field goal.

The Mavericks will begin their regular season against Southwest Minnesota State on Sept. 7 in Marshall.

Header photo by Mansoor Ahmad | MSU Reporter.