(18) Eagles Double Up Bethany to Begin Title Defense

LINDSBORG, Kan. – Eli Williams accounted for six touchdowns, Trevon Miller picked off two key passes, and, after a sluggish start, (18) Avila (1-0) reeled off 40 straight points to rally back and beat Bethany (0-1) 46-23 in the 2023 season opener on Saturday night in Lindsborg.

It was the first game of Avila football's defense of its 2022 KCAC regular season championship, and the Eagles' first game under the guidance of new head coach Derrick Alexander and his brand-new staff of coaches. And after a somewhat inauspicious start, this year's Eagle team ended up looking a lot like the squads of the last few seasons: an electric offense, a lockdown defense, and opportunistic special teams combined to steer the Eagles to the first of what they assume will be many wins in 2023.

Bethany has been one of the weakest teams in the KCAC over the last few years, but the Swedes are also playing under a new head coach this season and looked motivated to say the least to start the game Saturday. Bethany marched down the field on the game's opening drive and hit a field goal, and then in the final minute of the first quarter Connor Payomo took an interception 50 yards to the house. Shockingly, after ten minutes, the Swedes had built a 10-0 lead.

But if the Eagles were shocked they certainly didn't show it. Instead, after that slow start, they settled in, and steadily flipped the script – by the end of the second quarter, the visitors had seized control, and by the end of the third quarter, the game was firmly in hand.

Quarterback Eli Williams, the reigning KCAC Offensive Player of the Year, was the fitting choice to score the Eagles' first touchdown of the 2023 campaign, and it came after an 11-play drive to open the second quarter. Bethany responded with an instant score, a two-play drive capped by a touchdown from top tailback Zamarion Spencer, making the score 17-6.

That was the last time the Swedes scored until the very end of the game. Avila answered back immediately on the next possession when Williams hit a wide open AJ Carreon in the middle of the end zone, and after Avila recovered a fumble on Bethany's next drive, Williams rifled in a pass between two defenders in stride to Kendal Wooley for a 30-yard catch and run, giving the Eagles their first lead, 18-17, with about 4:20 left in the first half.

Avila's special teams came up big for the first time when Terrell Valentine got a piece of a field goal try as time expired in the first half, preserving Avila's one-point lead. The Eagles turned it over on their first possession of the second half, but after forcing the Swedes to punt on their first possession, Robert Brooks III scooped up the short, bouncing punt from Zeke Mumford and took off 59 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown, making the score 25-17.

Later in the third, after Zamir Jones recovered a fumble for the Eagle defense, running back Daleshaun Coleman converted a couple of first downs, setting up a 15-yard scramble drill touchdown scamper from Williams. The Swedes were driving in enemy territory early in the fourth before Trevon Miller brought the possession to a halt with a pick on Avila's 7-yard line that he returned all the way across midfield, and five plays later Williams hit Brooks in stride over the center of the pitch for a 31-yard score to extend the lead even further.

They weren't done. On Bethany's very next possession Miller struck again, picking off a different Swede QB at the same part of the field, and returning the pick all the way to the Bethany 14-yard line. And just two plays after that, Williams raced around right end for a 12-yard touchdown, his sixth score of the game. Bethany snapped Avila's run of 40 straight points by scoring a touchdown against some reserves in the final minute of regulation, but the damage had already been done: the Eagles doubled up the Swedes with a resounding 46-23 triumph.

Williams accounted for more than 300 yards of offense and six total touchdowns; Brooks went off for 117 receiving yards on just seven catches and scored twice; Gavin Hembree led the defense with seven tackles, all solo; and the Eagles forced a total of four takeaways, highlighted by Miller's two picks that came with a grand total of 129 return yards.

The KCAC football schedule figures to be a gauntlet this season with five teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA's preseason Top 25, and Avila will face its first of many top challengers this Saturday when the Eagles welcome (11) Southwestern to The Z for the team's 2023 home opener. Due to expected high temperatures later in the afternoon on Saturday, kickoff for the contest has been moved up to 11:30 AM. Admission is $10 per car for visiting fans; as always, you can watch the broadcast live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Kansas City.