While it might seem counterintuitive, a football season can prove to be both successful and disappointing. That is the place the St. Thomas Tommies find themselves after extending their home winning streak to 31 games with a 16-10 victory over the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

The Tommies finished the season with a 7-1 record in the Pioneer Football League (8-3 overall), but the one loss prevented them from winning the conference title for the second season in a row. Drake finished 8-0, including a 52-21 victory over the Tommies on October 14 in Des Moines.

“We just posed for a senior picture out there (on the field),” St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso said when he met with the media after the game, “and we were happy to be able to (continue the home winning streak). But taking that picture and not having that championship banner in your hands does not feel great.

“I love that our program is in a place where I can say that. It’s just a great reminder that it is such a competitive sport, that if you don’t do your job one day out of the year you put yourself in the position that we were in.

“That’s why we have to be so diligent, and on it all the time. That was the first loss in about two-and-half years in our conference, and we need to work even harder so we’re not in that position.”

Tommies running back Hope Adebayo, who rushed for 90 yards on 15 carries on Saturday, echoed Caruso’s words by saying that one off day can change the trajectory of the season.

“We’ll figure it out,” said the senior from Inver Grove Heights, who will be back with the Tommies next season. “Right now we can be sad, but as soon as we start training again we’re just on to the next.

“We’ll learn from this. I’m grateful for what happened and how it turned out, because it gives us a fire, and allows us to know what we can really achieve.”

The Beacons entered the game with a 3-7 record but were in it until the end. The Tommies won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Amari Powell connected with wide receiver Andrew McElroy on a 50-yard pass completion.

The drive ended five plays later with a 29-yard field goal by Stephen Shagen for a 3-0 Tommies lead.

The Tommies used a double-reverse, toss back to the quarterback to score a touchdown in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead when Powell found tight end Patrick Wagner in the end zone on a 30-yard completion.

Valparaiso kicked a field goal late in the quarter to give the Tommies a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Beacons tied the game late in the third quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass.

The Tommies responded on the ensuing possession, with fullback Landon Reed scoring on a 9-yard run to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive.

“Once again we found a way to be successful even though we weren’t pretty,” Caruso said. “That’s become our calling card, finding a way to be successful even when you’re not at your best.”

Caruso said injuries affected this team more than any other he has coached in his career. The Tommies dealt with a number of long-term injuries to starters, including quarterback Tak Tateoka, nose tackle Jordan Titus, cornerback Branden Smith and safety Ryan Calcagno.

“When you have starters that go down for long periods of time — if not the season — it definitely makes it harder,” Caruso said. “We’re very fortunate that we had enough depth to weather those storms.”

And as the season came to a close, he was pleased to at least be able to send 17 seniors out with a victory.

“This senior class has been through a lot,” Caruso said. “When you think about two unprecedented events happening — the move to Division I, not to mention a global pandemic right in the heart of their careers.

“The way they weathered it, the way they stabilized this program and this university I think was impressive, and I love them for it.”

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