The Royal Stadium public address announcer informed fans that all brats, hamburgers and Chick-fil-A sandwiches were discounted to just a dollar at the concession stand. 

Meanwhile, the Bethel University Royals’ football team kicked its sixth extra point of the afternoon. The score was 42-0, the third quarter nearly over and another blowout in sight for the Royals as they played the Carleton College Knights in the penultimate regular season game Saturday. 

Beginning with its October 5 matchup against Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel has outscored its opponents 301-15

“The past couple games we’ve been able to almost score at will every single drive,” Royals sophomore quarterback Cooper Drews said. “That’s obviously the expectation.” 

Drews has powered the thriving offense all season, but his performance Saturday was particularly strong. He threw for 422 yards, a career-high. Heading into Saturday’s game, the St. John’s University transfer had tallied 24 passing touchdowns, tied for the most ever in a Royals’ season. 

Five minutes into the game, that record collapsed. Drews found senior receiver Joey Kidder at the Carleton 13 yard-line. Kidder, who finished with 183 receiving yards on 11 catches, ran the ball the rest of the way for the score, before displaying a t-shirt he was wearing underneath his pads and #2 jersey. ‘Vote Trump’ was written in blocky, black letters on a white shirt. 

Four quarters later, the game clock hit zero and Drews’ statline contained five more passing touchdowns as well as a rushing score. Royals 56, Knights 7. 

“I got a lot of good players around me that can make that easy for me to do,” Drews said of his record. “I think individual records are cool but again, it’s ‘as a team, how far can we go?’”

Despite the 49-point margin of victory – and the many lopsided wins in weeks prior – head coach Mike McElroy tells his players to shut the scoreboard off and focus on getting better. 

“All we’re talking about is, ‘did you execute and play hard?’” McElroy said. “There’s no, ‘oh, we were up, so it doesn’t matter.’”

A five-game win streak doesn’t happen without this offensive production, but defensive performance is equally important. They’ve given up just two touchdowns in that streak and have even scored two of their own. 

McElroy, who calls the defensive plays, said the key to success for both sides of the ball is to start fast in an effort to “bury [the game] early.” 

Execution and hard play is critical down the stretch for a team looking to earn another berth to the MIAC championship in two weeks. Before anything can be guaranteed, the Royals have to win in Moorhead next week versus Concordia College. 

Concordia shares a 5-1 conference record with Bethel, and the matchup between the two represents the Skyline Division championship. Whoever wins plays at St. John’s, the Northwoods Division winner, November 16. 

“Concordia is a physical place,” McElroy said. “They’re playing for a shot in the championship game as well, so we gotta know that going in.” 

While the PA announcer announced $1 chicken sandwiches for the last time this year, the Royals’ season lives on, where they look to execute in spite of challenges and successes.