Linfield prepares to play Bethel Royals of Minnesota in second round battle on Maxwell Field
The two-point conversion fell incomplete, however, allowing Bethel to run out the clock on the next drive to cap off the 34-32 victory.
Out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Bethel is coached by Steve Johnson, who is in his 33rd year leading the Royals. With 243 career wins and four elite eight appearances, including one in 2018.
Johnson and the Royals are no stranger to the postseason spotlight.
The Royals are led by quarterback Jaran Roste, who has accounted for more than 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air and on the ground. The Royal running game has been consistent through- out the season, led by Bryce Kunkle and David Geebli. As a team, the Royals have gained 156.2 yards per game on the ground.
The Wildcats have been able to slow down opposing rushers all season, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards per game at 46.2.
Not only will the ground game present a problem for the Linfield front, the highly-touted Bethel offensive line will make it difficult for the Wildcats to generate pressure on the quarterback.
While Linfield ranks best in the nation with 42 sacks, Bethel is tied for eight-fewest sacks allowed per game, having allowed just seven in its 11 games.
In an interview with Linfield play-by-play broad caster Joe Stuart, Linfield coach Joseph Smith dis-cussed how Bethel’s run game has put the offensive line in position to succeed by preventing unfavorable third- and-long situations.
“It’s sure hard to pass protect when it’s third and 12 as opposed to third and three,” Smith told Stuart. “I think stopping the run will be really important to generating pass rush because it changes the scenarios.”
The Linfield offense will look to build off of a strong fourth quarter in last week’s51-24 win over Pomona-Pitzer, one where they scored 24 points to pull away from a gritty Sagehen team.
Kickoff at Maxwell Field is set for noon on Saturday. Ticket information can be found on the Linfield Athletics website atgolinfieldwildcats.com. The school also says there will be a “healthy supply” of general admission tickets at the tick- et booth on Saturday.
Live video and coverage will be provided online on the Linfield Sports Network as well as on KRCW-32, with coverage starting at 11:30 a.m., according to the university.
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Below
for your info from Wildcatville about Bethel’s quarterback … from Alexandria,
Minnesota, he is Jaran Roste, 6-foot-4 and 220- pounds.
“Jaran
is the son of Jeff and Lucy Roste and graduated from Alexandria Area High
School in Alexandria, MN. While in high school, Jaran was a Mr. Football
Finalist, All-State, All-Conference, All-Section, a DECA International
Finalist, and Academic All-State. His best performance was when he scored a hat
trick in a club soccer scrimmage. At Bethel, Jaran is majoring in Business
Accounting & Finance and Political Science.”
At
Bethel, quarterback Jaran Roste found everything he was looking for
At the
time of the transfer, he had no idea what kind of an impact the decision would
have on his playing career. More important, he had no idea how it would transform
his life off the field.
"If
you look at who I came in as that first year in 2018 and the person I am now,
it's an entirely different person," Roste said.
The
Alexandria (Minnesota) native had his eyes set on Bethel ever since he left the
Gophers because he saw more opportunities for him to grow, as a football player
and as a human being. That's how Roste transformed at the university, through
his experiences off the field.
"If
you are choosing a school for one specific reason, and if that reason goes
away, in the case with the U, if football goes away, what else do you
have?" Roste said. "I looked at Bethel as a school that I didn't only
just want to play football at, but wanted to do life at."
For
Roste, deciding to transfer to Bethel, a Division III program in the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, was a no-brainer even though he received
offers from other Division I and Division II programs for football. His first
campus visit was at the school and his two older sisters, Jazmin and Jana,
attended Bethel from 2013-17 and 2015-19, respectively.
Roste
enrolled at Bethel with a double major in business and political science, and
accounting and finance, but his life off the field would quickly transform as
he decided to switch his second major, accounting and finance, to social
studies education 5-12.
When he
arrived at Bethel, Roste began working with the university's BUILD program, to
which he currently dedicates as many as 60 hours a week. The two-year program
helps prepare students with intellectual disabilities to live independently
while allowing them to have a safe college experience. As he worked with BUILD
as a mentor, Roste's interest in education began to peak. He helps students
with their homework and study skills, and devotes his time as a reading partner
to students more than six months behind grade-level reading.
Outside
of the BUILD program, Roste volunteers much of his time to various
organizations, such as the Special Olympics, the Salvation Army and Feed My
Starving Children. This fall, Allstate, in collaboration with the American
Football Coaches Association named Roste to their "Good Works Team,"
which honors 22 football players across the nation for their commitment to
community service and their "good works" off the field. He is the
ninth-consecutive athlete from Bethel to receive the honor.
"Obviously,
it feels really good," Roste said. "I'm really blessed to be a part
of a select group of student-athletes who had the opportunity to be selected
for this award. I always say that just because you get a good reward for doing
good works doesn't mean you stop doing good works, so I'm excited to continue
making a difference in the community."
Roste
also happens to be one heck of a football player. In May 2021, Roste completed
his two undergraduate degrees but was granted an extra year of eligibility to
play football from the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A dual-treat
quarterback, Roste led Bethel to an 8-3 record that ended Nov. 20 with a 61-35
loss to Central College (Iowa) in the first round of the NCAA Division III
playoffs.
In his
11 games this season, Roste completed 65 percent of his passes for a
career-high 2,631 yards and 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also
ran for 103 times for 455 yards and 13 touchdowns, helping Bethel score on 39
touchdowns of their 46 red zone attempts.
"Football
comes and goes," Roste said before his final game. "There are very
few people that go on to play football after college, so I'm just going to
cherish these last couple moments."
With
the football season over, Roste will continue working toward a master's degree
in K-12 education with a special education concentration, which he had planned
to do whether he played football this season or not. In August, BUILD
approached Roste with the opportunity for him to take on a full-time position
as interim residential supervisor after the program's residential supervisor
went on maternity leave,
"It's
been phenomenal, unbelievably rewarding," he said. "I've gotten to
work with some incredible students and staff within the BUILD program."
While
Roste is unsure about which population he wants to work with after school, he
knows that he can make a positive impact in his community regardless.
"Anyone
can make a difference by simply just bringing a positive attitude," Roste
said. "You can make a difference in someone's day, week, or year.
Secondly, you can learn from anyone. I've learned more from students in BUILD
than I think I've learned from anyone else in terms of how they approach their
day-to-day life and how they choose to love and care for others. It's
inspiring. It's a way I aspire to live my life."
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