NORTH NEWTON, KAN - The #16 Bethel Threshers football team enhanced their record to 7-1 following a 51-7 point victory over Sterling. All of the game's points came in the opening three quarters. 

The first quarter was primarily a defensive battle, with the lone touchdown coming after a Thresher forced fumble, forced by Kade Miller and recovered by Grant Godsey. The Thresher offense took advantage as DJ Ciers punched the ball into the endzone with a one-yard QB sneak, giving Bethel the 7-0 lead early in the contest.

The remainder of the first quarter was relatively quiet until Bethel's Jairo Castillo Jr. brought down the Sterling quarterback, Daniel Jackson, in the endzone for a safety. 

The game dove head-first into an action-packed second quarter where 28 points were scored. First, the Warrior offense took advantage of a Thresher fumble by completing a seven-play, 37-yard drive. This drive ended with a five-yard touchdown run by Sterling's Ryan Stucky. This score cut the Thresher lead down to 9-7. 

BC would respond to this with a long drive of their own. DJ Ciers was the primary catalyst for an 8-play, 59-yard drive that finished with a Caden Hernandez touchdown that increased the Thresher lead to 16-7. 

The remaining second-quarter touchdowns came on a Tucker Smith touchdown grab and a Chantz Scurry touchdown run. These two scores would grow the Bethel lead by 14 points, making the game 30-7 at the half.

The third quarter was dominated by the Threshers, with the group scoring three additional touchdowns. The first was a 32-yard touchdown run by Caden Hernandez, the second was a Trey Palmer pick-six, and the third was another defensive touchdown coming from Davontae Pickard on a fumble return. These three scores put the Thresher's lead at 51-7 entering the fourth, where their defense would stand tall and hold the Warriors to zero garbage time points. 

The Thresher defense had a remarkable performance, ending the day with six turnovers. Two of the team's four interceptions came from the hands of Trey Palmer, the other two at the hands of Josh Seabolt and Rodrick Edwards. The fifth turnover was a fumble forced by Novian Webb that was taken to the house by Davontae Pickard and the sixth takeaway was another fumble which was forced by Kade Miller and recovered by Grant Godsey.  

Chantz Scurry led Bethel in rushing with 92 yards. DJ Ciers led the team in passing yards with 98 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Darionne Price was Bethel's leading receiver, finishing with 36 yards receiving and nine yards a reception. The Thresher offense outrushed Sterling 288-113 and gained 399 yards total.

Scurry post-game stated that coach Stokes is preaching for the group to take it one week at a time as a potential postseason run is waiting in the wings. 

The Threshers will look to continue this momentum into next week when they face Tabor in Hillsboro, Kansas this Saturday at 1:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased on the Tabor athletic site or you can watch live on the KCAC network at KCACNetwork.com/Bethel.