HILLSBORO, Kan. – Bluejay Football returned to the comforts of home to host Bethany on Saturday evening after the long trip to and from Nixa, Mo. last weekend. Despite falling to Evangel in the previous week, Brandon King and the Tabor defense gave fans something to get excited about as the Swedes came to town. Bethany entered the game with an 0-2 record, coming off a thrashing at the hands of Kansas Wesleyan in the week prior.
 
Bethany opened the game with possession after a 19-yard kickoff return. To say the first drive did not go smoothly for the Swedes would be an understatement as quarterback Landry Shields was charged with two consecutive penalties, following those up by throwing right to Tabor's Kendrell Ross, who promptly returned the pick to the Swedes' six-yard line before going out of bounds. The Bluejays' opening drive wasn't without struggle, as the team was called for an illegal formation penalty, setting them back five yards. Tabor quarterback Willie Green put TC on the board first with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Hill at the 12:50 mark, followed by a successful PAT attempt by Nathan Heilig.
 
The Bluejay men forced the Swedes to a quick three-and-out following the touchdown, with BC sending punter Zeke Mumford onto the field for the first time. A seven-yard rush by sophomore Devin Jones gave TC a 14-0 advantage with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter. 
 
Kendrell Ross kept his name fresh in the minds of fans with his second interception of the evening on the following drive, picking off Shields at the Bethany 45-yard line. The Swedes forced TC to send Brodrick Smith out to punt for the first time of the evening, giving BC the ball with 5:03 left in the opening quarter. The Bluejays couldn't hold Bethany out of the end zone on this next drive, as Zamarion Spence found his way into the endzone for the first score of the evening for the Swedes. BC's PAT attempt failed, helping the Bluejays hold onto an eight-point lead.
 
Tabor followed Bethany's touchdown drive with a promising drive of their own, only to be hindered by penalties and one of Green's passes being picked off, resulting in the Swedes regaining possession. BC made quick work of their drive but couldn't follow through on the two-point conversion, allowing TC to hold onto a two-point lead for a little while longer. A Bluejay fumble and interception gave Bethany possession again, allowing the Swedes to capitalize on the turnovers and take the lead going into the halftime break, 21-14.
 
Bethany extended their lead with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter, 27-14. TC regained some life halfway through the fourth quarter, thanks to a rushing touchdown by Green, cutting the Swedes lead to six, 27-21. BC put the final nail in the coffin with a pass from Shields to Josiah Hardrick with just over six minutes remaining on the clock, cementing the final score at 33-21
 
With the loss, TC drops to 1-2 on the season.
 
Bluejay Football returns to action this coming Saturday with a trip down to Winfield as they take on No. 24 ranked Southwestern for a 7:00pm kickoff at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. The live broadcast for Saturday's contest will be available on the KCAC Network, and live stats are available here.
 
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
 
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).