NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – Saturday marked the first contest in KCAC Kessinger Division play for Tabor Football as they made the short trip down to North Newton to take on rival Bethel in the 59
th edition of the Menno Bowl. The two programs have met on the gridiron since 1968 and represent the two largest Mennonite institutions in the state of Kansas, providing one of the more exciting rivalry experiences in small college football.
SCORE
GAME NOTES
- With the win, the Bluejays improve to 3-4, and open Kessinger Division play with a 1-0 record
- Saturday's contest marked the 59th meeting between the two programs, dating back to 1968
- Bethel owns a narrow 31-28 record in the all-time series
- Saturday's win marks the fourth straight win for the Bluejays in the rivalry series, their third longest win streak in the series
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tabor jumped on the board straight out of the gate as Brandon King snagged a 59-yard pick-six just 30 seconds into the game, taking an early 7-0 lead. Following the Threshers' answer with just over 11 minutes left in the first quarter, Grady Gebhardt broke through the Bethel defense and made his way into the endzone with ease for a 53-yard touchdown run. King seemed to be an interception magnet, snagging his second pick of the night with just under three minutes remaining in the quarter and setting up another chance for the Bluejay offense to close out the quarter. Gebhardt found the endzone for the second time in a row, this time recording a 47-yard run to give Tabor a 21-7 lead heading into the second quarter. The second quarter began in a series of punts between the two teams following an early Bethel touchdown. Jerome Stewart provided the Bluejays' answer with 18 seconds remaining in the half, throwing a 30-yard dime to Luis Vasquez, giving Tabor a sizeable 28-13 advantage going into the halftime break.
- As if the first half wasn't big enough for Tabor, Damar Williams returned the second-half kickoff 94 yards to the house to extend the lead to 35-13. Later on in the quarter, Dan Bevan executed a perfect 42-yard punt to pin the Threshers at their own 2-yard line, setting up an outstanding opportunity for the Bluejay defense to capitalize on it and force their first safety of the evening. Sterling Gartin got in on the scoring party late in the third quarter with his own 33-yard pick-six with 5:13 left on the clock. Bethel closed out the quarter with what would be their final scoring opportunity of the night. The Bluejay defense forced their second safety of the night less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 26, 46-20. The Bluejays found the endzone one more time as Jerome Stewart connected with Tyson Dozhier for a 38-yard touchdown pass.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
- Jerome Stewart had himself a day, throwing for 145 yards and two touchdowns and going 12-21 with a longest pass of 38 yards
- Grady Gebhardt had an outstanding outing, recording 165 net rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.3 yards-per-carry with a longest run of 53 yards
- Tyson Dozhier and Luis Vazquez both recorded over 50 yards receiving, with 56 yards and 52 yards respectively
- Kaden Seibel recorded seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss for a total of 14 yards, and one sack for nine yards
- Sterling Gartin recorded six total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one pick-six
- Brandon King snagged two interceptions in the win
- Dan Bevan recorded 298 punt yards on seven punts with five going inside the 20-yard line, averaging 42.6 yards-per-punt with a longest punt of 58 yards
NEXT UP
- Bluejay Football returns home on Saturday as they host Ottawa in a special Homecoming matchup. Kickoff is set for 2:00pm.
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).
