Box Score
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Bethel defeated Saint John's in football today by a score of 41-20 in front of a crowd of 6,378 at Clemens Stadium. The win is the fifth for the Royals over the Johnnies in the past six seasons and their second win at Clemens Stadium in their past three visits.
After a close first half, Bethel outscored St. Johns 28-6 in the second half. The Royals dominated 3rd down on both sides of the ball by converting 10 of 15 times on offense, and holding the Johnnies to just 4 for 11 while on defense.
The first score of the game was set up by a 32-yard pass from
Josh Aakre (Sr., Dawson, Minn.) to
Jesse Phenow (So., Richfield, Minn.). The Royals called upon kicker
Matt Wetherell (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) who made a 23-yard field goal to put the Royals up 3-0.
After the Johnnies scored a touchdown, the Royals countered quickly with Aakre showcasing his arm once again. Aakre found tight end
Kyle Ulstad (Jr., Fargo, N.D.) for his first catch of the season and it was good for a 20-yard touchdown. At the half, the score was 14-13 in favor of Saint Johns after Bethel added another Wetherell field goal.
Coming out of halftime the Royals looked to take the lead for the first time. Less than five minutes into the third quarter, the Royals took a 20-14 lead when Phenow plunged into the end zone from 1-yard out.
The Johnnies responded with back-to-back field goals to make the score 20-20 going into the 4th quarter. On a pivotal 3rd down in Royals territory the defense came up big to stop the Johnnies. Safety
David Vavra (Sr., Cambrigde, Minn.) intercepted a tipped pass and gave the Royals great field position. The Royals took advantage as Aakre once again found Ulstad in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. Bethel never looked back as it clung to its 27-20 lead. Later in the fourth quarter Phenow added some insurance with a 4-yard touchdown run. The Royals were not satisfied, and only 22 seconds later, Vavra secured his second interception of the game. But this time found the end zone. He caught the ball and scampered 35 yards to give the Royals a 41-20 lead which ended up being the final.
Aakre completed 9 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns on the day. He also had 82 yards rushing on 11 carries. Phenow ended up with 145 yards on 27 carries and two rushing touchdowns. He was also the Royals leading receiver with 32 yards through the air. Ulstad finished with two catches and two touchdowns for 27 yards.
In addition to his two interceptions, Vavra added four tackle assists and one solo tackle.
Billy Morgan (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) came into the game as the leading tackler in the MIAC. Morgon continued the trend with 10 total tackles; six solo and four tackle assists.
After the win the Royals are now 4-1 and 2-1 in the MIAC. Next week the Royals will travel to St. Peter to take on Gustavus Adolphus College at 1 p.m.
