NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – In a battle of the unbeatens in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) on Saturday night, the No. 6-ranked Southwestern College football team traveled north to battle the No. 12-ranked Bethel College Threshers. The Builders were looking to continue to fuel their forward momentum heading into the back half of the 2022 campaign, but were upended by the home squad, who served SC a 31-23 defeat on the road.

In the early going, after a couple of stale drives, Bethel's offense showed its mettle with a five-play 72-yard touchdown march that was finished off by an 8-yard TD strike. The Threshers are normally known for their running game, but their passing attack created havoc for Southwestern in this one as well. Luckily, to close out the opening frame, Thomas Yam connected with Layke Hoffman after starting their possession on the Bethel 27 yard-line due to a short punt from inside their own 10 and a subsequent personal foul. It was a tight 7-7 game after one.

Then, in the second, Southwestern would get on the board first with a field goal on their opening drive of the frame after a punt from the Threshers. A 32-yard field goal from Gabriel Medrano put SC in the lead for the first time at 10-7 with just over seven-and-a-half minutes in the half. Bethel would quickly answer with a long 57-yard TD pass to make it 14-10, and the following SC drive would end up with another field goal from Medrano. This time, he hit from 44 yards away to make it a one-point deficit. Bethel would drive down to the Builder 28 yard-line but would not convert on fourth down as time expired, keeping the score at 14-13 as the game headed into the break.

Bethel would rely heavily on the pass to move them down the field on their first drive of the second half, and it would end up serving them well. Two passes of over 20 yards, along with a few short rushing plays mixed in, would set up the Threshers for a 1-yard TD plunge to make it 21-13. Southwestern's offense stalled in the early parts of the second half, as their first two times with the ball ended in three-and-outs. After their second such possession, the home team would take advantage by putting together a long 10-play drive to the endzone, making it a much less reachable 28-13 deficit for SC. The Builders would score quickly to answer that Bethel TD, as a three-play possession that ended with a 12-yard rushing score from Jaqulis Coleman would make it a 28-20 ballgame. Bethel would respond with a field goal before the third quarter expired, making it 31-20 entering the last period of play.

Quarter number four was simply about ball control for Bethel, and making it as difficult as possible for Southwestern to move the ball quickly. They did a great job accomplishing that feat, as the Moundbuilders could not put up a single point in the frame until there was 1:58 left on the game clock. A 30-yard field goal from Medrano made it a one-possession game again, but SC would need to recover an onside kick, having just one timeout left. Somehow, Medrano kicked a perfect ball on the onside kick, and Southwestern grabbed possession of the ball after a Bethel hands teamer could not bring in the bouncing ball. It was first down from the Builder 48 yard-line with 1:54 left to play, as SC fans were readying for another miraculous comeback. Unfortunately, it was not to be this time around, as five incomplete passes with a defensive penalty sandwiched between them led to a fourth-down play where Yam was heavily pressured and had to throw the ball off balance. The pass was intercepted, ending the game for Southwestern by a final of 31-23.

Yam threw the ball an astonishing 49 times in the game as the Builders' starter under center. He completed 24 of those attempts for 272 yards and a touchdown, while throwing just the desperation interception.

Coleman was the leader in rushing for SC, though he toted the pigskin just 12 times for 67 yards and a TD. That equates to a 5.6 yards per carry figure, which is a rather impressive showing. Yam had eight carries for 15 yards and Martez Jones II ran the ball seven times for 15 yards. Coleman was the main contributor in the ground game.

Ziyon Kenner had a big night, snagging 12 passes from Yam for 114 yards. He was followed by the three-catch performance by Josh Edson, in which he put up 63 yards, including a 50-yard reception. Layke Hoffman caught four throws for 42 yards, and Jones II and Matthew Holthusen had two catches apiece for 22 yards.

Josh Carter stepped up defensively with 11 total tackles and a forced fumble. He also added a tackle for loss to his ledger. Jacardon Hardemon showed up with a team-leading three tackles for loss, as all three of his stops were in the backfield. Shane Rodriguez had the team's lone sack, as the squad had trouble getting through the Bethel offensive front. Richard Holmes had two pass breakups in the game as the only Builder with multiple in that category.

Medrano went 3-for-4 on field goal tries in the tilt, as he had his 38-yard kick blocked in the first quarter, but hit the remainder of his attempts. He was able to down two of his four punts in the game inside the 20 yard-line, as well.

The loss will certainly hurt for Southwestern (5-1, 5-1 KCAC), as they must now win out and hope for help from Bethel's remaining KCAC opponents in order to have any opportunity to win the conference title. The Builders will be back in action at their homecoming game on Saturday, October 15 at 1:30 p.m. inside Richard L. Jantz Stadium on Beta Rho Mu Field. The bout will be against the Tabor College Bluejays, who will no doubt be looking to stage an upset.

--buildersports.com--