North Newton, Kan. – The Bethany College Swedes returned to action on the road in North Newton, Kan. to take on the Bethel College Threshers on the Threshers home turf. Weather conditions were not ideal as rain continued throughout the entirety of the contest.
Daniel Smith would get things started with a 51-yard returned kickoff to put the Swedes in Thresher territory to open the game. Unfortunately, the Swedes would throw an interception on the second play of the series failing to capitalize on the momentum. On the succeeding drive, King Williams would block the punt, recover the punt, and return it for a touchdown to break the tie and put the Swedes up 6-0.
On the following drive, Donque Williams would intercept a pass that was supposed to go out-of-bounds. Williams would return the ball to the Swedes’ 45-yard line. It would not take long for the Swedes to score as NeTaveus Johnson would scamper for 48 yards to the house to put the Swedes up 12-0.
In the third quarter, Johnson would tack on another score; this one a 27-yard rush to put the Swedes up 19-0 following a successful field goal. After a quiet 25 minutes and 26 seconds, David Martinez would slam the door shut on the Threshers’ hopes with a 10-yard pick-six to put the Swedes up 25-8. The Threshers would score one more touchdown, but the Swedes would run out the clock on the next possession to secure the first Kessinger division win for Bethany College since the KCAC split into divisions.
With the weather being rainy, teams tend to rely on the ground game; which is what Coach Grossner did. NeTaveus Johnson had his best game as a Swede with 14 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Josiah Hardrick recorded 21 totes for 94 yards to average 4.5 yards per carry.
An impressive note to make is that the Swedes net 0 yards passing as a team, but still outscore the Threshers by 11. The Swedes would average 4.2 yards per rush on 51 attempts.
Up Next…
The Swedes are set to host the Ottawa University Braves next Saturday, November 1. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM at Coach Ted Kessinger Family Stadium.
