BETHANY, W.Va. - The Bethany College football team defeated Thiel (Pa.) College by a final score of 52-3 in the 2026 Homecoming Game and a Presidents' Athletic Conference matchup on Don Ault Field at Bison Stadium.
Bethany (2-1, 1-0 PAC) welcomed past, present, and future Bethanians to Bison Stadium for the College's 2026 Homecoming festivities where they opened the PAC schedule against Thiel (0-3, 0-1 PAC). The Green and White took it to the Tomcats from the opening kick, outscoring Thiel 31-0 in the first half and totaling 52 points as the team now averages 39.33 points per game. Bethany's victory is the B-Men's first Homecoming victory since 2021 and the first victory on Don Ault Field since 2022.
Bethany Leaders
- Sophomore running back Jaquon Reynolds (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) had his first 100-yard rushing game as a Bison after picking up 103 yards on the ground with two touchdowns
- Sophomore wide receiver Keohn Stephens Jr. (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) had the biggest game of his young Bethany career with six catches for 147 yards
- Junior wide receiver Jacob Burns (Charleston, W.Va./Herbert Hoover) also had a great day receiving with 144 yards with one touchdown on nine catches
- Junior All-PAC quarterback Brett Phillips (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) threw for 388 yards on 27 completions with one touchdown and also rushed for 46 yards
- Sophomore running back Julian Burrell (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) scored on two of his seven carries against the Tomcats
- Junior tight end Xavier Cole (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) supplied another touchdown through the air for the B-Men
- Junior quarterback Kabron Smith (Farrell, Pa./Farrell Area) threw his first touchdown pass and finished with 24 passing yards
- Senior Academic All-PAC linebacker Cam Bailey (Huntington, W.Va./Spring Valley) was named the 2026 Bethany Homecoming King and finished with seven tackles with one for loss, one interception, and one quarterback hurry
- Senior Academic All-PAC linebacker Charlie DiSaia (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) also had seven tackles with a sack assist
- Senior linebacker Xavier Curry (Meridian, Miss.) added five tackles and forced one Thiel fumble
- Junior defensive back Nijah Brown (Vero Beach, Fla.) notched an interception, a fumble recovery, and two pass breakups
- Junior defensive back Blaike Adams (Parsons, W.Va./Tucker County) laid out for Bethany's first pick of the day
- Sophomore defensive lineman Ryan Maultsby (Baltimore, Md./Carver Vo-Tech) totaled four tackles with two half sacks
- Freshman kicker Luis Fuentes (Amarillo, Texas/Palo Duro) made a 20-yard field goal and all seven of his PATs in his first career start
Thiel Leaders
- Sophomore quarterback Na'Jier Howard led the Tomcats with 75 passing yards and 41 rushing yards
- Freshman wide receiver Tyler Thermezi totaled a team-high 35 yards on three catches
- Junior linebacker Robert Doyle had a game-high 13 tackles including 11 solos
- Senior kicker Ben Paserk scored Thiel's only points of the day with a 20-yard field goal
First Quarter (Bethany 14-0)
- 12:21 - Reynolds got the day started with a two-yard touchdown run to punctuate the Bison's opening drive (Fuentes kick good)
- 9:14 - Burrell punched it in for his first career score (Fuentes kick good)
Second Quarter (Bethany 31-0)
- 12:21 - Fuentes converted on his first career field goal to extend the Green and White lead
- 11:06 - Curry's forced fumble and Brown's return set up another Burrell rushing touchdown (Fuentes kick good)
- 5:01 - Phillips kept it himself for the final score before the half (Fuentes kick good)
Third Quarter (Bethany 38-0)
- 1:51 - The Bison could not find the end zone in their first two drives of the second half, but Reynolds got Bethany going with his second score of the day (Fuentes kick good)
Fourth Quarter (Bethany 52-3)
- 13:18 - Burns added a highlight-reel touchdown catch to his big day offensively (Fuentes kick good)
- 3:18 - Smith found Cole for each of their first career touchdowns (Fuentes kick good)
The Bison are back in action Saturday, September 26 as they host a Presidents' Athletic Conference game against Geneva (Pa.) College at 1 p.m. on Don Ault Field at Bison Stadium.
