The Gustavus football team fell to Bethel 28-17 Saturday afternoon in the final game of the season. The Gusties ended the year with an overall record of 2-8 and 2-6 in conference play, good for a sixth place finish in the MIAC standings. Bethel improved to 5-3 in the MIAC and 6-4 overall, finishing the season in fourth place in the conference.
The Royals held a 28-3 advantage at the end of the first half, but the Gusties converted two third quarter touchdowns to bring the score to 28-17. Freshman quarterback Jordan Stolp threw for 249 yards on 48 attempts, throwing 23 completions, seven interceptions, and two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Kerry Zajicek received eight of Stolp’s passes for 73 yards, while junior tight end Jamie Germscheid had five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Sean Smith scored the other Gustavus touchdown in his final game at Gustavus.
The Gusties were led defensively by sophomore defensive lineman Nick David with eleven tackles and one sack. Senior linebacker Isaac Sieling contributed nine tackles, bringing his season total to 157, shattering the previous school record of 136 tackles in a season.