The Basics
Score: #9 Evangel 41, Bethel 38
Records: Evangel (11-0, 5-0); Bethel (6-5, 3-2)
Box Score
NIXA, Mo. – Fitting for the 9
th-ranked Evangel football team to preserve its perfect season blocking a Bethel field goal in double-overtime to secure a 41-38 comeback victory.
The win secures the KCAC Kessinger Division Championship for the Evangel Valor, claiming its first outright conference championship since 2005 and one of the league's automatic bids to the NAIA Football Championship Series.
Evangel rallied from an early first half deficit to tie the game at 31-31 when
RJ Wakley drove the field in the final three minutes. He found
Dillon Hester for the third touchdown connection of the game between the two as Hester scored with 31 seconds left.
The Valor special teams would step up twice to block field goals, with the first coming with two seconds left in regulation.
Kyair Warner blocked the Bethel field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.
The Threshers scored on its first drive of overtime on a 5-yard touchdown pass and catch from Ciers to Jared Givens. The score helped Bethel retake the lead 38-31 after the first OT.
Evangel answered on a 12-yard pass and catch from Wakley to Paul Summers. The touchdown tied the game back at 38-38. Wakley threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns to help lead the Valor back in the second half. Summers finished with 10 catches for 101 yards and the one touchdown.
The second overtime saw Evangel convert on a 21-yard field goal from
Jonah Edwards. The defense locked in and blocked the aforementioned second field goal to seal the victory.
Bethel controlled most of the first half building a 21-3 lead thanks to a trio of DJ Ciers touchdowns. Ciers threw for two scores and ran for another late in the second quarter as the Threshers jumped out to an early lead.
Evangel managed to cut into the Bethel lead just before halftime when
RJ Wakley found
Dillon Hester in the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown. The drive saw the Valor march 76-yards and scoring with 1:01 left before the break.
Both teams finished with over 470 yards of total offense, while Evangel was 3 of 15 on third down the Valor converted 5 of 6 on fourth downs.
The Valor opened the scoring on a 36-yard
Jonah Edwards field goal on the game's first drive.
Bethel opened the second half the same way as the Valor started the game. The Threshers drove into EU territory before settling for 43-yard field goal from Carson Sauseda at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.
The Threshers responded with 6-play 55-yard drive that was capped by a Ciers 2-yard run at the 14:12 mark of the fourth quarter. Ciers' fourth touchdown of the day gave Bethel a 31-10 lead.
However, EU would rally quickly answering with an 8-play, 75-yard drive as Wakley drove the Valor down to the 1-yard line before
Eric Williams punched it in for the score. The touchdown pulled Evangel within 31-17 with 11:02 left in the game.
After a stop by the Valor defense, Evangel would score again on the second touchdown pass and catch from Wakley to Hester. This time Hester would get behind the Thresher defense for a 65-yard touchdown with 4:40 left to pull EU within 31-24.
Defensively,
Nate Swofford led Evangel with 16 tackles and a tackle for a loss, while
Bradley Myers added 12 tackles.
Jaren Foster also finished in double figure tackles with 11, while coming up with a pivotal pass breakup in overtime.
Hester also finished over 100 yards receiving with eight catches and three scores while adding 153 yards.
Evangel will find out its postseason fate Sunday evening as the NAIA Football Championship Series Field is announced at 6 p.m. The show can be viewed on the
NAIA YouTube Page at 6 p.m. CST.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at
Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (
@EvangelValor), or
EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the
Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
