It had been 10 years since Servite beat St. Paul. The Swordsmen were undefeated at 6-0, and ranked #1 in the Southland by the LA Times, while the Friars were 3-2.
The Friars had led the whole game after Tim Coleman’s ’78 95-yd. opening kickoff return for a TD. But the Swordsmen were inching closer with a 23-yd. field goal in the 2nd quarter to narrow the halftime score to 7-3. St. Paul added a 32-yd. field goal early in the 4th quarter to make it 7-6. The feeling of dread was growing for Friar fans, when the Swordsmen had driven from their own territory to the Friar 31-yd. line. But with 8:22 remaining, Servite linebacker Jim Welch ’79 intercepted a pass, returning it 69 yards for a TD. The Friar crowd went wild leading 14-6. On the first play after the kickoff, defensive back Dave Krickl ’78 intercepted a St. Paul pass at the Swordsmen’s 26-yard line, and a personal foul, followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, eventually led to a one-yard TD run by Friar QB Jim O’Hara ’79, and a 2-point conversion, to put Servite comfortably ahead 22-6.
That would be the final score. The game was dedicated to longtime faithful Friar fan and parent, Rudolph Sundquist, who passed away earlier in the fall. The game ball was presented to his son Jim ’66.
