Storm fall on road at No. 10 Bethel to open season

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. -- The Simpson football team came short of an upset bid at No. 10 Bethel, 42-10, to start the 2019 season in the nonconference clash Saturday.

The Storm (0-1) held tough in the opening quarter and allowed the Royals (1-0) to only rack up 10 yards through their first two drives before giving up a touchdown to make it 7-0 at the end of the quarter.

After the score, Simpson drove 53 yards and cut the deficit down to 7-3 after a 36-yard field goal from Zach Kreider put the team on the board for the first time this year. Senior Sam Bartlett was a big reason the Storm got into scoring territory with receptions of 18 and 10 yards from senior quarterback Tanner Krueger.

On the following drive, Simpson kept the momentum going and Joe Weppler was able to pick off an errant pass by Jaran Roste to place the ball in a premium starting spot at the 50-yard line. The Storm pushed the ball 28 yards to set up another opportunity for Kreider, but he pushed the ball wide left of the uprights.

Simpson rallied to begin the fourth quarter after Krueger and Bartlett connected on a 28-yard play to give the Storm the ball in Bethel's territory as time expired to end the third. The duo went for another big play of 12-yards, while a reception of 18-yards by junior Joe McNally put the ball on the 2-yard line followed. Junior Joe Meyer punched it in to make it 35-10.

Krueger finished with 187 yards passing by going 15-for-27. Barlett racked up 119 yards on six receptions. In his first game for Simpson, Noah Bruckner rushed for 50 yards to pass the squad.

On the other side of the ball, seniors Brendan Holmes and Quinn Slaven and junior Chris Bowles led the way with nine tackles each, with Slaven having six solo takedowns from his secondary spot.

Storm Notes
• This is Bartlett's third-career 100-yard receiving performance and first since he had 109 yards against Coe on Oct. 6
• Kreider hit his longest field goal of his career today, surpassing the 26-yard try he kicked against Bethel last year on Sept. 1

Up Next
The Storm return to Buxton Stadium on Sept. 14 to take on the University of Chicago. Simpson defeated the Maroons 21-0 last season in the Windy City on Amos Alonzo Stagg Field.