Last Saturday the Pipers defeated neighborhood rival Macalester College in a convincing fashion in this year’s Paint Bucket Battle. The victory was the first over the Scots since 2019 thanks to a big fourth quarter comeback. Despite the final score being 38–27, the Pipers had to fight every drive to earn the win.
Macalester opened up the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown following a two point conversion to go up 8–0. The Pipers responded accordingly with a Durham Welch field goal followed by a 33-yard touchdown by Charlie Wilson to go up 10–8.
Wilson had another impeccable performance hauling in eight receptions for 198 yards and two trips to the endzone. The senior wideout crossed the 1,000 mark on Saturday and is the first Piper to accomplish this feat. Wilson also broke the receptions record a year ago.
The advantage was short lived as, just four minutes later, the Scots answered back with a two yard touchdown run late in the first half. The first half would end in a tie as Hamline found the endzone once again which was followed by a buzzer beater field goal by Macalester.
The Pipers would find more success in the second half, outscoring the Scots 21–10 and earning their first MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) victory since 2021: a breath of fresh air as the defense has struggled against conference adversaries throughout the season.
The third quarter was tightly contested with three lead changes with a late field goal giving the Scots a three point advantage going into the fourth. The Pipers played one of their best quarters of the season, shutting out Macalester and finding the endzone twice to secure their third victory of the season.
The Hamline defense stood strong when it mattered most, stopping Macalester eight of the fourteen times on third down and two stops in the red zone.
The Pipers have one more stop in the regular season up in Duluth versus St. Scholastica, a team they lost to by just one point last year. The victory opens up the possibility of a plus .500 season for Hamline: a feat which has not been achieved in over a decade.