Sports odds and ends
Fall football is up and running
The University of St. Thomas officially kicks off the 2024 football season August 29 as the Tommies host Sioux Falls. It is the school’s first night game of the Division I era at O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul.
The team in July was picked by the Pioneer Football League (PFL) coaches to finish second in the conference. UST won the conference in 2022 and finished second in 2023, falling just short as they entered the final weekend of last season in their hunt for a consecutive crown.
“I think the biggest storyline is, that is our first class of Division I guys who are now in their senior year,” Tommies HC Glenn Caruso told reporters, including the MSR, during media day earlier this month. Caruso is starting his 17th year as head coach.
Hope Adebayo (Inter Grove Heights) and David Ayeni (Anoka) are key members of that senior class that Caruso was referring to.
“Hope and I are both part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We led groups together,” stressed Ayeni, a 2023 PFL Academic Honor Roll member. The senior linebacker had 24 tackles and appeared in 11 games in 2023.
“We have been friends for four years now,” added Adebayo, a two-time PFL preseason first teamer (2023, 2024) and a 2023 Academic Honor Roll member as well. The senior running back led UST in 2023 with 10 rushing TDs, including three multi-touchdown games. The two also have been roommates since both arrived at St. Thomas.
“Just the opportunity to grow with one another and live in similar lives… It’s very helpful,” said Adebayo.
Both players stress that the team isn’t concerned about the preseason rankings, but rather stays focused on doing well this season.
“I would definitely say Coach does a great job giving us a big picture of what the season should look like,” continued Adebayo. “But at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter if we’re not able to do small things.”
Said Ayeni, “We haven’t talked too much about team goals specifically. [I] focus on the things that I could do to get better every single day, knowing that winning and the results and the championships will be a by-product from that. I think the main goal is just…what I can do to improve.”
Adebayo is a computer science and business major. Ayeni is majoring in elementary education with a minor in theology. The two players are team leaders, noted Caruso. “I’m just grateful. I’m blessed,” said the coach.
“Even though football is amazing, I love my teammates and I love Coach Caruso and all the other coaches,” concluded Adebayo. “My life is not all about football, and I think I think Coach Caruso has done a great job of allowing us to understand that and see that on a different level, no matter how the season goes.”