I mean, is it ever gonna cool down around here? This isn’t a metaphor; I’m speaking very literally. There is no reason I should sit on the 50-yard line in row 15 at Royal Stadium and get sunburnt on an 85-degree day in October. 

But I guess it was worth it.

What’s that? Oh yeah. Other sports happened too, I guess. Let’s see how they did. 

Football (4-0, 3-0): Royals bulldoze through Johnnies for crucial win

Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it…

Bethel University won the MIAC. 

I said it. I’m sorry. Maybe if I give it a disclaimer, it won’t be a jinx. This year’s conference schedule looks different. The MIAC took away a non-conference game at the beginning of the season, giving each team a chance to play each other. This means there won’t be a final MIAC championship game; rather, the champion will be determined solely on record and, if necessary, point differential. Round robin style. 

Theoretically, Bethel and St. John’s will go undefeated the rest of this season. It’s what happened last year. It was supposed to happen the year before, until Gustavus spoiled St. John’s season. It will likely happen this year, meaning the winner of this game will be entirely undefeated to end conference play. 

But let’s get to the game. 

Although the Royals bulldozed they didn’t do it with ease. It just means Bethel used a punishing rushing attack to push through for a hard-fought 17-10 win. That’s the smallest Royal margin of victory and the smallest point total since I’ve been covering this team, per my memory. It’s also the first time Bethel beat St. John’s in just as long. 

Bethel is now 11-38 all-time against St. John’s. And yet, they’re still considered bitter rivals. 

“It didn’t just start last Tuesday, getting prepared for St John’s,” Bethel offensive coordinator Colin Duling said. “We’ve been preparing the entire year for them.”

Since Bethel wins are few and far between against St. John’s, it’s a special moment for the players to come out on top. Especially for junior quarterback Cooper Drews, who transferred from St. John’s to Bethel before last season. 

“It feels great,” Drews said. “As a program, we were just kind of sick of losing with these guys.”

If you’re reading this and you didn’t watch the game. I’m sorry. You had to be there. I’ll try to relay it to you. 

First, senior defensive back Devin “He Might Be Superman” Williams. His interception on the fourth play of the game, when St. John’s quarterback Trey Feeney brutally overthrew his target, gave Bethel early momentum to put the first three points on the board. 

Then, on fourth and one from Bethel’s 15, Williams flew in with linebacker Jake Borman from the secondary to crush Zander Dittbrenner, the Johnnies’ other quarterback, at the line of scrimmage. Finally, on a Caden Wheeler handoff at Bethel’s one-yard line, it was Williams screaming in from the edge to force a loss of a yard. Williams finished tied with Borman for a team-high 11 tackles. 

That goal-line play highlights the second key part of this game. Bethel beat St. John’s through the third down conversion battle and, in a way, the fourth down conversion battle. As the down marker flipped to three and four each time the Royals were on defense, Bethel’s stands grew rowdy. 

11 times, the sign showed a big “3” for St. John’s offense, and seven of those times resulted in a Bethel defender leaping and screaming in triumph following a tackle short of the line to gain. 

Those two instances in the red zone, where St. John’s used and failed on all four opportunities to score, won Bethel the game. That, or the questionable Johnnies playcalling. When St. John’s had the ball at Bethel’s three-yard line midway through the third quarter, the first down play was a handoff up the middle. Gain of two.

Then, a handoff up the middle. Loss of one. 

Then, a handoff up the middle. Gain of one. 

Finally, a handoff up the middle. Loss of one. 

If it is broke, still don’t fix it, I guess. 

But ultimately, a team needs to score more points than its opponents to win, and, for the second week in a row, the Royals accomplished this primarily through the rushing attack. 

I rarely feel that first downs  are indicative stats of who won a football game. But Bethel achieved 17 rushing first downs while St. John’s managed just two. The Royals netted 180 rushing yards to the Johnnies’ 82. Ultimately, the yardage totals evened out, with St. John’s beating Bethel in most passing categories. But it’s rushing attacks that remain sustainable throughout the game and throughout the field, whether it’s a long field at Bethel’s one or a short field at St. John’s one. 

The explosive running back duo of junior David Geebli and freshman Taye Manns kept this true. They’ve traded weeks to go off, and this week was Manns’ turn. He took 20 carries for 127 yards and the game-winning 23-yard touchdown late in the fourth. 

“It’s been good to see [Drews] mature and be willing to hand it off to those [running backs],” Duling said. “Man, those guys are electric.” 

Bethel’s task at hand now is to remain undefeated through the season, with its toughest competition likely out of the way. 

Volleyball (7-7, 1-1): Team effort results in bounce-back win vs Carleton

Sorry, football took up a lot of words. 

Carleton is exactly who Bethel volleyball needed to play after a frustrating loss to St. Olaf. The Knights have had two wins all year, and the Royals took care of business against them. 

I was encouraged by the spread of contributions from several Royals — particularly the hitters. Everyone got looks, and as a result, everyone got better…ideally. 

At first glance, it looks like no one really had a great game for Bethel. But that’s what’s important. This team is clicking and, like the women’s basketball team last year, that makes them unguardable. 

I’m continually impressed by Sara Scherber, the freshman right-side hitter. She finished with 10 kills. Not record-breaking. But she did it with a .667 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Peyton Howie landed her own 11 kills while senior Eleanor Pelzel and sophomore Hannah Penke earned their own nine. Senior defensive specialist Olivia Johnson led the team with nine digs. 

The only real “standout” performance came from – say it with me, friends – Sophia Rubio. 32 assists isn’t surprising anymore, even though she’s a freshman. 

The Royals get the next week-ish off, not playing until Saturday at Concordia. 

Men’s soccer (7-2-2, 3-2): Two-loss week ends unbeaten season

I understand the loss to Gustavus. That’s an understandable loss. But losing to winless St. Scholastica is hard to hear about. 

Junior Nathan Hunt gave Bethel the lead against the Saints early, but St. Scholastica tied it and took the lead in the first half. Bethel finished with six shots on goal to the Saints’ three. Maybe it was good shooting, or maybe it just wasn’t goalkeeper Griffin Blokker’s afternoon. 

The Gustavus game was almost the opposite of the St. Scholastica game. Bethel took a 1-0 lead into halftime, only to allow four goals in the second half to lose 4-2. 

Thus begins an interesting stretch of games for Bethel. They’ll play the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Monday, St. Olaf Saturday, then Augsburg and Hamline – all top teams in the MIAC. 

Women’s soccer (1-9-1, 1-4): Winless week means season is slipping early

It feels like the season is young, but for a struggling team like Bethel women’s soccer, time is already running out. The Royals once again went scoreless across multiple matches – versus St. Scholastica and Gustavus. 

They’re keeping the games close, but it’s not enough as this young team continues learning how to play together. 

I wish I had more to say, but I’ve said most of it in the past few weeks’ columns. I hope this developing team pays off in seasons to come. 

– 

Fall break is close, friends. Stay strong. Work hard. Thank a farmer. 

Love y’all.