ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Trailing 14-13 at the half, the No. 21st-ranked Bethel University football team came out firing in the second half, defeating previous unbeaten Lake Forest, 48-21, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships at a frigid Royal Stadium Saturday afternoon.
 
The Royals outscored the Foresters 35-7 in the final 30 minutes and never trailed after back-to-back rushing touchdowns from Aaron Ellingson in the third that put Bethel up 27-14.
 
Bethel (10-2) outgained Lake Forest (10-1) 444 to 405, having run just one more extra play. Cooper Drews went 24-fo-35 with a TD and aired it out for 270 yards. On the ground, BU ran it for 174 yards led by Aaron Ellingson's season-high 132 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns.
 
After giving up 55 rushing yards on Lake Forest's game-opening drive, which ended with a 40-yard touchdown run, Bethel held the Foresters to only 30 more rushing yards the rest of the game for a total of 85. Lake Forest's season average coming in was 170.9 yards. The Foresters aired it out for a combined 320 yards, 137 of which came in the first half.
 
Hugo Cifuentes nailed a 24-yard field goal with 7:24 left in the first to put Bethel on the board. Bethel went ahead, turning a Foresters' fumble into points. After the Jacob Holmen recovery, Drews found Joey Kidder in the end zone from seven yards out just five seconds into the second.
 
Lake Forest responded, taking advantage of the short field position, only needing five plays to go 33 yards and taking a 14-10 lead. Drews threw an interception on Bethel's next drive before the Foresters were forced to punt. Cifuentes came back out on fourth-and-three splitting the uprights on a 20-yard field goal attempt with 49 seconds left in the half.
 
Ellingson's pair of rushing touchdowns set the tone for the second half and then special teams got in on the scoring action. With Lake Forest set to punt from their own 38-yard line, Bethel finally broke through as Caden DeWall blocked the punt and Jacob Holmen scooped and scored it from the 18-yard line making it 34-14 with 4:19 left in the third.
 
The Foresters had their final score of the game with 14:48 left in the fourth, connecting with a 22-yard touchdown pass.
 
A nine-play drive that chewed up 3:16 of the clock saw David Geebli cross the goal line from one yard out. On the Foresters' ensuing drive, it was DeWall who broke through the line again for his second blocked punt of the game, and Nate Farm recovered it at the 20.
 
Three plays later, Drews and Niewald put the icing on the cake with a 17-yard connection to the end zone.
 
UP NEXT
The Royals take on Wartburg in the third round on Saturday, Dec. 7 for a noon start time. The NCAA will officially announce the host site on Sunday afternoon.
 
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