Sauerwein writes his name in history books at St. Olaf

Tate Sauerwein, now sporting No. 26 at St. Olaf College, is used to setting records, as he ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his junior and senior seasons at Lake Holcombe. Submitted Photo

By Ginna Young

Although he is now playing defense in his freshman year for the St. Olaf College football program, Holcombe’s Tate Sauerwein is still showing his speed on the field. During the Oles’ last home game of the year Oct. 30, against Bethel University, Sauerwein made the senior day a special one for fans.

Just as Bethel was about to score a touchdown with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Sauerwein leapt into action and intercepted a pass from his opponent. The Bethel players were no match for the speed of the freshman, who then tore down the field toward his own endzone, scoring a 100-yard touchdown for St. Olaf.

“Right when I caught the ball, I rolled and sprained my ankle, so instantly, that hurt, but instinct took over and I started following my blocks,” said Sauerwein. “From there, it just came down to running as fast and as hard as I could (I wasn’t letting anyone steal this moment from me).”

Sprained ankle or not, Sauerwein still made the 100 yards look like no effort, which was enthusiastically celebrated by his teammates.

“I broke pay dirt, turned around and saw my whole team running down to congratulate me,” said Sauerwein, “and as much as I appreciate all of them coming down, the only thing I was thinking was, I hope they don’t jump on me, because my ankle is hurting really bad. After I got slapped on the helmet too many times to count and hobbled my way back to the bench, I got taped up and was ready to get back at it.”

Unfortunately, Sauerwein also received a calf strain as a result of a 100-yard sprint on a sprained ankle, which he is dealing with.

“Safe to say, that it was 100 percent worth it and that I’ll be back for our next game,” said Sauerwein.

Not only did Sauerwein give the fans a show, he also made the record books at St. Olaf, as he scored the longest interception return in the school’s history.

“The next day, I was informed about breaking the record and obviously, that was exciting, but I plan on making a few more appearances in the record book,” said Sauerwein. “So, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I’ve got a lot more in the tank. Stay tuned.”