Box Score
JACKSON, Miss.- The Belhaven football team came to within a yard of the Mid-South Conference West Division title Saturday night, but a fourth quarter goal line stand kept the Blazers from a potential go ahead score as Bethel University (TN) held on for a 21-17 victory at H.T. Newell Field. The Blazers marched to the Wildcats one yard line with less than four minutes to play, but Bethel came up with some key stops to claim their second consecutive MSC West Division title and trip to the NAIA playoffs.

Belhaven (6-5, 4-2 MSC) put together a solid game plan and it showed on the opening possession of the game. The Blazers started the drive from their own 22 yard line and methodically worked the ball down to the Bethel two yard line. However, the Wildcats tightened down the hatches and kept Belhaven off the scoreboard. On second and goal from the two, running back Kadero Edley was driven back for a two yard loss and then was stopped again on another running play inside the five yard line. Carl Blundell was called out to attempt a 20 yard field goal, but the kick was blocked by Chase Horton who found a gap in the middle of the line to get to the ball. The drive covered 75 yards on 15 plays and took 9:13 off the clock, but unfortunately Belhaven failed to come away with points.

The setback didn't dampen the Blazers spirits as the defense rose to the occasion by stopping Bethel (8-3, 6-0 MSC) on three plays to get the ball back to the offense. Belhaven capitalized on the opportunity and jumped in front on a 31 yard field goal by Blundell to take the early lead. The score was setup by a 33 yard pass from quarterback Alex Williams to wide receiver Kylan Pollard that moved to ball into Bethel territory. The Blazers were then able to push the ball to the 14 yard line allowing the attempt by Blundell.

It wasn't long before the Blazers offense had the ball back in their hands thanks to the defense forcing another three and out on Bethel's second offensive possession of the half. After a 41 yard Bethel punt and 13 yard return by Isiah Wiley that gave the offense the ball at the 23, Belhaven was in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Running back Justin Gaines ripped off a 19 yard run and then sprinted 53 yards on the very next play for his sixth touchdown of the season to make it a 10-0 game with 14:03 left to play in the first half.

Bethel's offense then created a spark of its own by immediately answering the seven points put on the board by Belhaven. It only took the Wildcats two plays to reduce Belhaven's lead back to three points. Running back Raquis Hale touched the ball twice and chewed up all 66 yards on the two play drive, scampering 63 yards for a touchdown with 13:11 left in the half.

At that point both defense's settled in and prevented any further scoring until the third quarter when the Blazers extended their lead back to two possessions. It was another time consuming drive that ate 6:40 off the clock. Running back Rashad Wynes capped the 13 play drive with a five yard touchdown run, his fourth of the 2012 campaign. Williams, Gaines, and Wynes all had key plays in the successful march down the field that covered a total of 67 yards.

Unfortunately, the momentum from Wynes's touchdown and gaining a 17-7 edge was short lived for the Blazers. In a similar fashion to the first half, Bethel immediately answered with a touchdown on their next possession. The Wildcats went to the air with quarterback Will Masoud who completed passes of 7, 34, and 11 yards on the drive to move his team down the field. The final completion was to receiver Cole Delano who found himself open in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point made it a three point game at 17-14 with 13:43 on the fourth quarter clock.

Bethel's defense gave up 475 yards of total offense to Belhaven on Saturday night, but made some plays when it had to. One of them came on the Blazers ensuing offensive possession as Stayce Whipple ripped the football out of the grasp of Gaines on a run up the middle while teammate Anthony Debonis covered the fumble at Belhaven's 34 yard line. That play led to what would be the game winning touchdown.

Belhaven's defense stopped the Wildcats on three plays forcing a fourth down and seven from the 31 yard line. Bethel elected to go for the first down and the gamble paid off as Masoud avoided a sack and found an open Michael Newbern at the Blazers one yard line for a 30 yard pickup. Hale then took the handoff on the very next play and broke the plain of the goal line for a Wildcat touchdown. The score gave the Wildcats the lead for the first time at 21-17 and it was an advantage they wouldn't relinquish.

Belhaven made one more bid to regain the lead in the fourth quarter and things looked promising when Williams hit wide receiver Bobby Thigpen on a 28 yard pass play that put the ball at the Bethel two yard line. A Wildcat personal foul penalty added an extra yard to the end of the play and the Blazers were in business with a first and goal at the one yard line.

The Blazers gave the ball to Edley on first down and Bethel linebacker Adam Funk made the first key play in the series knifing in to stop Edley for a loss back to the two yard line. On second down, Wynes was unable to handle the toss on a sweep play and had to fall on the ball back at the 15 yard line. On third down, Williams completed a 12 yard pass to wide receiver Frederick Boggs at the three setting up fourth and goal. Williams went back to the air on fourth down with a slant pass to Thigpen, but Stoney Burns who was isolated in man to man coverage with Thigpen reached around to knock the ball to the ground ending Belhaven's hopes for a title. Bethel's offense took over and converted two first downs to run out the clock and secure the win.

“My hat's off to Bethel, they are a great team and they played well tonight,” said Belhaven Head Coach Joe Thrasher. “Coming into the game we knew the battle we would have and it came down to a four point game. The guys fought hard and I'm proud of this team. We put ourselves in a position to win a championship in the last game of the season and we can't ask for anymore than that. The team didn't give up after a tough 0-3 start to the season and battled all the way to the end. This will serve as a stepping stone as we look ahead to the 2013 season.”

Belhaven dominated the game in almost every statistical category except the final points. The Blazers rolled up 475 yards of total offense, ran for 335 yards, and controlled the ball for over 41 minutes. Gaines and Edley both ran for over 100 yards in the game. Gaines totaled 144 yards with a touchdown while Edley picked up 108 yards. Edley completed his first season in a Belhaven uniform with 942 yards and seven touchdowns, each are team highs. Williams completed 15 passes for 140 yards in his final game as a Blazer. Thigpen led the receiving corps with three catches for 47 yards. Boggs reeled in five passes for 32 yards.

Defensive back Craig McDonald became Belhaven's all time leading tackler on Saturday with seven stops against Bethel. McDonald surpassed Reginald Lumpkin who had 292. McDonald ends his four year career with 296 tackles with 81 of them coming in 2012. Linebacker Calvin Lewis led the Blazers on Saturday with 11 tackles and ended the season with a team high 89.

Bethel (8-3, 6-0 MSC) was led by Hale with 123 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Masoud threw the ball for 115 yards and one touchdown with Delano catching the TD strike in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats were limited to 274 yards of total offense and picked up only one third down conversion, but made some big plays when they had two. They went 2 for 2 in the red zone while Belhaven went 2 for 4 when it came to red zone scoring opportunities.

On defense for Bethel, Stoney Burns and Anthony Debonis led the charge with 11 and 10 tackles respectively.

Despite Saturday's disappointing loss, Belhaven made some great strides in 2012 by challenging for a conference title and exciting things are in store for the Blazers in 2013.