NORTH NEWTON, Kan. - The Bethel Threshers end their regular season on a high note with a 51-21 point win over Saint Mary. Bethel took the opportunity to honor 27 of their seniors prior to kickoff. After a slow first half, the Threshers had a scoring explosion, with 21 points in each the third and fourth quarters. This win guarantees the Threshers a share of the KCAC title and keeps them alive in the playoff race. 
 
The first quarter began with a six-play unsuccessful Spire drive that was followed by an unsuccessful Thresher drive. The opening drive for Bethel came to an end after a failed fourth-down conversion that was well inside the Spire half of the field. 
 
The remainder of the first quarter saw both teams exchange punts and unsuccessful field goal attempts. The hindrance for the Bethel offense was the fact that they just couldn't get any momentum. Every time they got themselves into the red zone, the Thresher offense would miss a crucial block that caused them to lose yards.
 
The game's cold streak came to an end when Trey Palmer came down with an early second-quarter interception from the hand of Spire quarterback Shane Bishop. This interception gave the Bethel offense the ball at the Saint Mary 35. But this time, the Thresher offense found the endzone with an 18-yard DJ Ciers touchdown run. 
 
Then, on the very next play, the Bethel special teams unit made a big play of their own, falling on a fumble that was muffed by the Saint Mary return unit. The Threshers were unsuccessful in the attempt to grow their 7-0 lead, leading to them turning it over on downs on the Spire four-yard line. 
 
The Threshers got their next points after the defense was able to keep the Spires pinned deep in their own territory. Another special teams miscue came from USM as their long snapper snapped the ball over their punters head and out of the back of the endzone for a safety, putting the Threshers up 9-0 midway through the second quarter. 
 
The remainder of the second quarter was a defensive battle between both teams, with the lone score coming off a Spire pick-six with only four seconds remaining. The interception was hauled in by sophomore defensive back Landon Beecham and cut the Thresher lead down to 9-7 entering halftime.
 
The next big play was a Philip Williams interception midway through the third. The Williams interception put the Thresher offense in prime position to put the ball into the endzone, and they did just that. This time it was a Kayden Christiansen from five-yards out. 
 
On the game's next series, the Spire offense put up with their first touchdown of the day. Shane Bishop found receiver Orian Wormley for a 59-yard touchdown pass. The pitch and catch were picture-perfect and it cut the deficit down to 23-13. 
 
Immediately following the long touchdown, the Bethel special teams unit would match it with a touchdown of their own, this time coming off a muffed onside kick attempt. Cody Baxter was the one to scoop it up for the Threshers after the ball took four hops on the ground. The added time from the hops caused the Spire special teams unit to migrate to the right side of the field and Baxter was in the perfect spot to take it the other direction, en route to the endzone. This return grew the Thresher lead to 30-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The closing quarter saw four touchdowns scored, three by the Threshers and one by the Spires. The first was another long pass from Shane Bishop that ate into the lead, 30-21. 
 
Bethel scored the final three touchdowns of the game. The first was a rushing touchdown by Scott Grider that negated the quarter's opening score. The third was a Kashius McCray rushing touchdown from 23-yards out. The closing score was a Brenden Sanders fumble return that came out of the hands of receiver Davien Norman, forced by Josh Seabolt. All together, these four scores brought the score to 51-21, with Bethel leaving Thresher stadium with the victory.

Kashius McCray led the Thresher ground attack with 115 yards and a touchdown. Brayden Francis had three reception for 57 yards including a 33-yarder. Josh Seabolt finished the contest with 11 tackles and played an intricut role in holding the Spires to just 10 yards rushing in the game. 
 
This win brings Bethel's regular season to a close. The Thresher's finished the 2022 regular season with a 9-1 record, which keeps them alive for a potential playoff birth. It also wins them a share of the KCAC title.