Arden Hills, Minn - On a sunny September evening in Arden Hills, Bethel (MN) made a statement. In front of 4,325 fans at Royal Stadium, the Royals got out to a quick lead and never looked back, defeating Northwestern-St. Paul 50-3. 

First Quarter: Bethel Sets the Tone

From the get-go, Bethel took control. After receiving the first kickoff, they moved the ball with balance — mixing runs and precise throws. Quarterback Cooper Drews found Tyler Terry for a 12-yard touchdown pass just 1:03 into the game to open the scoring. On their second possession, the Royals struck again via the air: Drews connected with Terry for a 40-yard strike to double the lead at 14-0. Northwestern-St. Paul couldn't get much going on offense; Bethel's defense bent little and mostly shut down the run, forcing early punts.

Second Quarter: Extending the Lead

The second quarter saw Bethel adding both field goals and another touchdown to extend their cushion. Kicker Zach Bengtson knocked in a 30-yard field goal, followed later by a 31-yard field goal. Then, just over five minutes into the quarter, Drews found Albert Rundell for a 21-yard scoring pass putting Bethel up 27-0. As the first half wound down, Bengston added a 25-yard field goal to send the teams into the locker room at 30-0.

Second Half: No Letup From Bethel

Coming out of halftime, Bethel refused to ease up. Early in the third quarter, Taye Manns capped a 57-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. That gave Bethel a commanding 37-0 lead.

The fourth quarter saw more of the same dominance. David Geebli powered in from three yards out. Then, late in the period, Albert Rundell caught a 1-yard pass from Drews to push the score to 50-0. Northwestern-St. Paul finally got on the board with a 34-yard field goal from Gideon Cruver in the closing minutes, but the result was already decided.

Key Players & Statistics

• Cooper Drews (Bethel QB): Efficient and effective — completed 31 of 53 passes for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns. No interceptions. 

• Tyler Terry (Bethel WR): Huge game — 15 receptions, 177 yards, 2 touchdowns. Big plays early set the tone. 

• Albert Rundell: Added 9 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns.

• Taye Manns and David Geebli (Bethel rushing attack): Manns piled up 114 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown; Geebli added 74 yards and a score. 

Defensively, Bethel limited UNW to just 3 first downs and 77 yards of total offense — neither through the air nor the ground did Northwestern threaten. Their 34 offensive plays resulted in a meager 77 yards. Next up for the Royals is a trip to St. Peter next Saturday to face their first conference opponent, Gustavus Adolphus, for a 1 p.m. kickoff.