Staff Writer- Katie Thomas
On Saturday, September 20, 2025, the Gustavus Football team played against the No. 13 Bethel University Royals. Throughout the whole game, the Gusties gave it their all and fought hard, but they ended up losing 41–7. Bethel is known to be a very talented team and came out and proved it on Saturday; nevertheless, Gustavus did not go down without a fight, making the Royals work for the win. While it was a tough loss, the Gusties now know what to work on and can get ready to get back on the field.
Starting the game off, the stands were packed, and you could feel the excitement in the air. At the beginning, Bethel scored first to take the lead. A 34-yard punt return by Bethel’s Devin Williams, their kicker, Zach Bengston, scored a 31-yard field goal to get the first points on the board late in the first quarter. Bethel continued to gain more energy and came out stronger in the second quarter. While the Gusties fought hard to keep the Royals at bay, Bethel offense ranked up their scores on the board by scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter. Running back Taye Manns scored on a short run, and then quarterback Cooper Drews threw a touchdown pass to Roman Janes. By halftime, Bethel was ahead 24–0. Both teams then went in for a 20-minute halftime talk and were ready to start again.
In the beginning of the third quarter, Bethel scored again, making it 31–0. Gustavus then had a noteworthy play where linebacker Colton Loeschke intercepted a pass and ran it back 41 yards. This allowed Gustavus to be in a good field position to get their first points on the board. In the next play, quarterback Dylan Blount threw a touchdown pass to Loeschke, energizing the crowd. You could hear the cheering through campus, and the Gusties were noticeably fired up. While the Gusties had their moment, Bethel had control for the rest of the game. Scoring another touchdown and a fieldgoal, they finished the game with a 41–7 win. Bethel had a strong defense that held Gustavus’ offense off throughout the game for a total of 65 yards. While it was a tough loss, many Gustavus players had good moments and the team never backed down. Quarterback Dylan Blount completed 17 out of 23 passes for 103 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. Linebacker Colton Loeschke stood out on defense with 10 tackles, the interception, and a pass breakup. Punter Owen Forsythe helped his team out averaging over 40 yards per punt. When talking to Owen he explained how the team was “itching” to get back onto the field and was proud of his team, “We played good football against one of the top teams in the nation”.
When asking Owen his favorite part of the game he said it was his first punt which was downed on the four-yard line. “Our punt unit prides itself on being one of the best in the conference, so it was a really good feeling to see that ball take a good bounce and for Liam Frommelt to hop on it to give Bethel 96 yards before a touchdown”. On September 27th the Gusties will travel to Moorhead, Minnesota, where they will face off against Concordia College. This is a team we lost to last year, so Forsythe described his team as “having a little bit more juice this week” and “they’re ready to get them back”. Forsythe is also excited for the rest of the season and “taking things day by day”.
Looking ahead, Gustavus will face off in a game this upcoming Saturday.