"It was nice to get the first win," said head coach Jamie Cruce. "I thought we played very hard, and aggressive, but also have quite a bit to correct."

In nothing short of a penalty driven game, the Swedes got on the board early as junior quarterback Steven Baker found sophomore wide receiver Colin Parks on a 16-yard touchdown pass. Baker then found the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, putting Bethany up 12-0. The Swedes would again score right before the half as junior Marvin Barnes intercepted a St. Mary pass and returned it 97 yards for a Swede touchdown. Defense proved to be key, holding St. Mary to only a field goal in the first half, a touchdown in the third quarter, and a mere field goal in the fourth after several threatening drives.

"We have mistakes to correct, mental mistakes mainly," Cruce said. "Penalties were big as I think we had three pass interferences, three personal fouls, and three missed extra points. But it is always nice to correct those things after getting a win."

Baker was 16-for-27, throwing for 202 yards on the night with one interception. Junior Sean Johnson led Bethany with four catches for 107 yards while Parks and junior Matthew Redding each had three receptions for 26 yards and 15 yards, respectively. Junior Robert Anderson tacked on two catches for 30 yards. Sophomore DeWayne Autry had an interception, as did Barnes for the crucial third and final Swede touchdown. The duo each totaled nine tackles on the night while sophomore Milton Collins and junior Jeffrey Simplice both added seven.

Bethany is now 1-0 on the year. The squad next heads to Tabor College on Saturday, September 19 for a 7 p.m. match up.

"With the first game complete, we can now see on film our angles and alignments, and will work on correcting our mistakes as our kids can see the routes and protections," said Cruce. "We have to clean it up if we are going to be successful."