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Area college football: Nate Farm returns blocked PAT 100 yards in Bethel’s 16-2 loss to Wartburg

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Bethel, ranked 16th in Division III, got right to work on the 2023 college football season, hosting third-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) in a tough opener Saturday in Arden Hills, Minn. But the Royals struggled offensively in a 16-2 loss at Royal Stadium

Bethel’s only points came when Nate Farm returned a blocked extra-point attempt and took it 100 yards into the Knights’ end zone late in the first quarter.

The Royals finished with 203 yards on offense, 118 passing and 85 rushing.

Wis.-Whitewater 56, St. John’s 28

Like Bethel, the Johnnies, ranked fourth in Division III, had their hands full on Saturday, bowing to the Warhawks, ranked eighth in Division III, in front of a crowd of 15,236 at Perkins Stadium in Whitewater, Wis. Whitewater erased a 28-21 deficit early in the third quarter by scoring the final five touchdowns of the game.

St. John’s took its first lead with its opening drive of the second half on Aaron Syverson’s 29-yard TD pass to sophomore receiver Dylan Wheeler, a former Mounds View star. “We were rolling,” said Wheeler, who finished with six catches for a team-best 92 yards. “We felt good. Everything was going right.”

Syverson finished 27 of 45 passing for 261 yards and four touchdowns.

St. John’s and Bethel face off on Sept. 23 at Clemens Stadium in Collegeville, Minn., in perhaps the biggest MIAC game of the season.

St. Olaf 52, Luther 21

The Oles piled up 560 yards of offense, their most since 2007, to overwhelm the Norse in Decorah, Iowa. Theo Doran led the way with the second 300-yard passing game of his college career, completing 18 of 20 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 15 for 17 for 275 yards and three TDs in the opening half. The 31-point victory was St. Olaf’s largest margin ever in its long series against Luther.

Carleton 45, Pomona-Pitzer 24

The Knights defense came up with six turnovers, including a 99-yard interception return for a TD by Henry Detmer that put Carleton in front to stay against its California foe in Northfield, Minn. Detmer finished with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and the school record-tying 99-yard interception return.

Rockford 38, St. Scholastica 37

Rockford rallied from a 23-14 halftime deficit with a big second half to slip past the Saints in Rockford, Ill.

North Dakota State 44, Maine 7

Cam Miller and Cole Payton ran for two TDs apiece, and Griffin Crosa kicked three field goals and five PATs as the Bison improved to 2-0 by routing the Bears in Fargo, N.D.

Winona State 33, Concordia-St. Paul 8

The Warriors turned two interceptions into touchdowns to roll over the Golden Bears in Winona, Minn. Winona State’s balanced offense finished with 336 yards, 175 rushing and 161 passing.

Minn.-Moorhead 56, Minot State 14

Jack Strand: a freshman from Bloomer, Wis., completed 30 of 44 passes for 299 yards and five TDs as the Dragons won easily in Moorhead, Minn., for their 10th consecutive victory over the Beavers.

Hardin-Simmons 28, Wis.-La Crosse 21

The Cowboys, ranked No. 8 in Division III, trailed 21-14 at the half, scored 14 points in the third quarter to go ahead, then forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter to hold off the Eagles, ranked No. 11 in Division III, in La Crosse, Wis. Keyser Helterbrand threw for two TDs in the first quarter and ran for one in the second for La Crosse.

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