ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In its inaugural season, the College of Saint Benedict flag football team (5-1) is focused on continuing its road to a championship when the Bennies play in the Midwest Flag Football League Playoffs at TCO Stadium in Eagan on Saturday, April 25. 

The Bennies enter the tournament as the second overall seed and are set to play at 5:15 p.m., on Field 2 in the semifinal round. With a win, CSB would advance to the championship at 6:30 p.m., on Field 1, while a loss would place them in the third-place game, also scheduled for 6:30 p.m., on Field 2.  
 
Historic Start  
Saint Benedict opened their inaugural season by going 3-0 at the Saint Benedict Jamboree, defeating Gustavus, 39-12; Concordia-Moorhead, 13-6; and Augsburg, 26-7. The Bennies outscored their opponents, 78-25, and never trailed in any game. CSB had another strong showing last weekend at the Northwestern-St. Paul jamboree going 2-1 with victories over UW-Stout (20-13) and Northwestern-St. Paul (40-0) but falling to Augustana (27-25) for their first loss of the season. CSB outscored its three opponents, 85-38, in the second jamboree and finished the two-week stretch with a 163-63 scoring advantage, continuing to show rapid growth in its inaugural season.

Standout Performers 
Drew Buslee (Eagan, Minn.) has totaled 25 receptions for 292 yards and seven touchdowns, along with four extra point conversions, all team highs. She has also excelled defensively, recording seven pass breakups, five interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns, all of which lead the team. In addition, she was the first-ever CSB flag football player to be named The House / St. Cloud Orthopedics CSB Athlete of the Week.

Lily Ryan (Arden Hills, Minn.) continues to standout at wide receiver, hauling in 15 catches for 194 yards. She has also shown a knack for the end zone, catching three touchdowns and four extra-point conversions.  

Avary White (Stillwater, Minn.) ranks third on the team in receiving yards with 161 on 12 receptions and has caught three touchdowns. White has also snagged three interceptions defensively.  

Alaina Pundsack (Shoreview, Minn.) has provided consistency on offense with 98 receiving yards and 93 rushing yards.  
 
Duo at Quarterback  
Peyton Boyd (Farmington, Minn.) and Nora Schmidt (Shoreview, Minn.) have both excelled in taking reps at quarterback for the Bennies. Boyd, leads the team in passing yards (542) and passing touchdowns (10). Through the air, Schmidt has eight touchdowns and 398 yards. Schmidt has been CSB's leading rusher with 148 yards and one touchdown on 15 attempts.  

Blazing Offense   
The Bennies come into the tournament as the second highest scoring team, putting up 27.2 points per game. CSB has scored 25 or more points in four of their six contests. 
 
Lockdown Defense  
Defensively, the Bennies are second-best in the field, allowing just 10.8 points per contest. CSB has allowed more than 13 points just once this season and have intercepted 14 passes, with four of them being taken back for defensive scores.  
 
Bartos at the Helm  
CSB is led by first-year head coach Joe Bartos. Since 2015, he has been the head football coach at Little Falls (Minn.) High School, and also assumed head coaching duties for both the boys and girls track and field teams at the high school while working as a fifth-grade teacher at Lindbergh Elementary School.  In addition to his high school coaching responsibilities, Bartos serves as a senior youth development coach in the Minnesota Vikings organization.  Bartos received his undergraduate education from the University of Minnesota Morris, where he was a three-year letter winner at cornerback for the Cougars. Bartos also holds master's degrees from Saint Mary's University (Minn.) and the American College of Education.