Though you wouldn’t know it from recent results, the Bethel Royals used to struggle just like everyone else in the MIAC against St. John’s. The Johnnies traveled to Arden Hills to take on the Royals for the first time in 1978 and came away with a 19-17 victory. While the scores were typically much more lopsided—St. John’s recorded blowout victories by scores like 42-0, 62-9, and 77-12—the end result never changed: Bethel was 0-for-their-first-20 against St. John’s.
The past decade has seen much more parity in what is quickly becoming one of the conference’s most competitive rivalries: the Royals have won 5 of the 10 past ten meetings, including the last 3.
Bethel’s recent success has raised the school’s expectations for their football program. That made 2008’s 5-5 record that much more disappointing. The Royals were coming off the most successful season in team history, winning the 2007 NCAA West Region before falling to Mount Union in the national semifinals. While last season’s Royals didn’t return to the lofty heights of their predecessors, they continued their dominance over St. John’s (winning 14-9 in Arden Hills) and raised their hopes for 2009.
And, so far, they have looked strong. The Royals sit at 3-1 after playing a challenging September schedule. They blew out Concordia (WI), a 2006 and 2007 NCAA playoff team, by a score of 52-10 before taking current-#4 Wheaton (IL) to the wire, falling 29-26. Bethel traveled to Carleton, a surprise team in 2008, and won 42-7 to open MIAC play before beating conference darkhorse Concordia-Moorhead 29-10. A win this week in Collegeville would give the Royals a leg up in the MIAC race; the only other conference team who figures to challenge them is St. Thomas in the second-to-last week of the season.
Always a strong rushing team, the Royals feature a much more balanced offense in 2009. Their passing attack is led by sophomore quarterback Josh Aakre. Aakre gained valuable experience as the Royals’ primary quarterback last season, but his numbers were not impressive: he completed only 47 of 104 passes for a single touchdown while throwing 7 interceptions. He has already dwarfed those numbers in the first four games of 2009, going 53-for-91 with 7 touchdowns and only one interception. His main target is senior wide receiver Joel Quick, who recorded 6 catches for 149 yards and 4 touchdowns against Concordia-Moorhead a week ago.
The ground attack is headlined by two-time All-MIAC selection Logan Flannery, a junior running back. Flannery has topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his two collegiate seasons and is well on his way to the century mark again with 448 yards and 4 touchdowns through 4 games. The Royals’ one weakness on offense may be a young offensive line; they start 4 sophomores and a junior on a line that lost two All-MIAC starters from a season ago.
Bethel’s clear defensive leader is First Team All-American Tim Cornish, a senior cornerback. After recording 5 interceptions in 2008, he already has 3 in 2009. Cornish returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown against St. John’s in 2007 and had an interception against the Johnnies in 2008.
The Royals also return All-MIAC performers at both outside linebacker positions, senior Nate Voronyak and senior Cory Svihla. Filling in at an inside linebacker position is leading tackler Ross Petterson, a junior transfer from St. Thomas. Petterson has already recorded 24 tackles this season.
Entering 2009 conference play, four schools were considered contenders for the MIAC championship: St. John’s was the defending champion, Bethel and St. Thomas were worthy challengers, and Concordia-Moorhead was seen as a potential dark horse. Both the Johnnies and Royals were able to beat the Cobbers, likely ending Concordia’s chances of making the postseason.
With one contender vanquished and another on the horizon, this week’s Johnnie/Royal matchup is a huge game for both teams. If the Johnnies hope to end their recent slump against Bethel, their best hope is for the resurgent offense to keep up their new high-scoring ways. St. John’s enters the contest averaging 33 points per game, but only managed a total of 36 points in their last three losses to Bethel. For the first time all year, the Johnnie defense will face an offense that can move the ball well through the air or on the ground. If they are able to slow the Royal attack enough for their offensive counterparts to keep up, the Johnnies should be able to record an important conference win.
And if the Johnnies lose to the Royals yet again? Suddenly the battle with St. Thomas in two weeks takes on even more importance.