I woke up this morning (Saturday) with a major sore throat. Then, when I got out of bed, it hit me. Unbearable aches, dizziness, a splitting headache. Happy Halloweekend, I guess. 

But, as always, the show must go on. This one is my Michael Jordan flu game. The week didn’t treat many of our favorite sports teams kindly. So let’s get into it. 

Football (8-0, 7-0): Road trip is no match for offensive consistency

Regardless of how good either team is, road trips are always spooky. Being stuck in the backseat with your siblings and nothing to do but watch cornfields go by isn’t fun. It takes a lot of willpower to sit on a bus for three-plus hours – while all the Clash Royale games and random conversations get boring – and play a physical game in an unfamiliar place.

But Bethel overcame any possible road trip ghosts and took care of business, as it has done all season, in a 55-9 dismantling of the Concordia (Moorhead) Cobbers. 

Sophomore receiver Teagan Viebrock opened the scoring onslaught in the first quarter with a 14-yard touchdown catch. Viebrock broke his collarbone at the end of the Royals’ first drive of the season Sept. 14, but finished Saturday’s contest with four catches for 45 yards and two scores. 

Quarterback Cooper Drews finished another impressive game with 26 completions on 34 attempts for 250 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran nine times for 40 yards and a score. If only Division III players could be on Fantasy Football rosters. 

Concordia completed all of its scoring in the fourth quarter with the game already decided, including a safety, which gave us the wacky score of nine. 

Bethel plays its penultimate regular-season game at home this Saturday against MIAC second-place Carleton. The Knights’ quarterback, Jack Curtis, has quite the story, and I encourage everyone to check it out. 

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Volleyball (13-9, 6-3): Sweep over Augsburg leads to upset loss

After a three-set sweep at Augsburg Wednesday, it looked like the Royals volleyball team was going to cruise through the rest of this season and ideally snag third place in the MIAC.

Despite the relatively low numbers from Bethel hitters and setter Sophia Rubio, it was still a tight match, with the last two sets finishing 25-23 and 28-26, respectively. 

I assumed the roll would continue into the spooky weekend during Saturday’s match at Saint Mary’s University, as Bethel seemed to be finding its mid/late-season groove. But the road trip ghosts found this Bethel team in Winona.

Saint Mary’s snuck a first-set win 25-22, but Bethel managed to rally for a 25-19 victory in set number two. 

The Royals took a 19-12 set three lead, and it looked like the first set would be a fluke loss for Bethel. Then Saint Mary’s flipped the script and won the set 26-24. 

Once again, the Royals seemed to be putting these fluke set losses behind them as they dominated the fourth set 25-14, but couldn’t keep their momentum going in a 17-15 fifth-set loss. 

Both teams hammered each other with hard swings throughout the match, but the defenders for each side made incredible plays. The two teams combined for 159 digs. 

Ultimately, Bethel’s defense couldn’t counter Saint Mary’s dynamic hitting duo of Brenna Bruchert, who had 22 kills, and Kali Olson, who had 16. 

Royals junior middle blocker Peyton Howie led the way, as usual, with 20 kills on a .410 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Penke put up another double-double with 16 kills and 23 digs – a team high. 

The ever-impressive Sophia Rubio finished with 49 assists. 

Now, the fourth-place Royals prepare to play their last two games of the regular season. First, Bethel heads up to the University of Saint Benedict Wednesday for a chance to leapfrog the Bennies and take third place. Then, Bethel ends its season at home against the University of St. Catherine, which currently sits in fifth place, just a half-game behind the Royals. 

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Men’s soccer (10-5-3, 5-4-1): Loss in regular season finale sets up road playoff match

With the possibility of a home MIAC playoff match on the line for the second consecutive season, Bethel men’s soccer couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. The Royals lost 5-1 at Macalester Friday evening. 

The Scots haunted the Royals on Halloween by outshooting them 22-10 and scored all five of their goals before Royals sophomore Roy Kyle put Bethel on the board with five minutes to play. 

But playoffs always bring new possibilities. Fifth-seeded Bethel faces off against fourth-seeded Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter Monday at 2 p.m. 

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Women’s soccer (3-13-2, 3-7-1) Season ends with shutout loss at Macalester

The Bethel University women’s soccer team finished its season Saturday with a 4-0 loss at Macalester. The Scots doubled the Royals’ shot total in the game 13-6. The loss also concludes head coach Ben Linder’s tenure at Bethel. 

With so many fresh faces on the team this year, it was difficult for Bethel to gel right away, leading to a long losing streak to start the season. But ideally, with a full season under their belts, these players – freshmen, sophomores and juniors alike – can put together a stronger season next year under the leadership of a new coach. 

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Well, here’s to the end of one season, with more to come. Not that I’m rooting for these seasons to end. I just know at some point it will happen, and the women’s soccer team is just the first. 

But it’s O.K. because we have new sports starting. I didn’t forget about men’s or women’s hockey; I just needed to save my breath while I’m under the weather. A 9-0 win is insane, by the way. 

Maybe these teams will keep an undefeated streak. That would make for a fun winter season. I trust both basketball teams are capable of the same, so tune in to be informed on all things Bethel sports. 

As always, drink some peppermint tea, take some Vitamin C and root against the Dodgers, regardless of what they just won. 

Love y’all.