Kansas Wesleyan Flag Football made quick and easy work of the Bethel Threshers on Wednesday night at JRI Hospitality Stadium at Graves Family Sports Complex on the campus of Kansas Wesleyan University.
The Coyotes rolled to 57-0 victory over the Threshers to 8-3 overall and 5-1 in KCAC play, while Bethel remains in search of its first win of the season. It's the third shutout of the year for the Coyotes.
The 57 points is the second highest total for the Coyotes in a game this season, only behind the 64 scored against Pratt on March 8.
Bethel never crossed mid-field in the game, getting to their own 32-yard line on the last drive of the second quarter, the furthest they would advance the ball all game.
KWU had 210 yards of total offense, on only 21 plays, as Wesleyan's longest drive was five plays, which covered 66 yards on the drive that started the second half.
Seven of KWU's eight drives started in Bethel territory, with an average starting point of the Thresher 21 yard line. Adding in the drive to start the third, KWU's average starting field position was the Bethel-26.
KWU scored on all eight drives as well.
The Coyotes only needed three plays on the first drive after taking over at the Bethel 29 as Chihiro Iwata hit Jazmine Whitfield for a 3-yard touchdown pass and the PAT1 was good.
KWU's defense turned over the Threshers with an interception by Alexa Mansur and Iwata needed only one play to find Soriah Tafua for a 12-yard touchdown pass and the 2-point PAT was good giving KWU a 15-0 lead after a quarter.
Starting the next drive at the Bethel 13 after an exceptional punt return by Nyjah Green after laterals from Angel Roman and Whitfield, Iwata hit Ava Duerr for an 11-yard pass and then Aliyah Wood from two yards out and the 2-point PAT was good making it 23-0 with 8:40 left in the second.
After big punt return by Green set up the Coyotes at the Bethel 15, and KWU needed only one play for Iwata to find Duerr for a 15-yard score and the 1-point PAT was good to make it 30-0 with 3:50 left in the second.
The Coyotes got the ball to start the second half and went 66 yards in five plays, the big play was a 33-yard pass from Iwata to Addison Cadwell that set up the scoring pass from 18-yards out to Whitfield and the PAT was good making it 37-0.
Another big punt return by Green gave the Coyotes the ball at the Bethel 13 with just under five minutes left in the third and Tafua this time found Whitfield for a 13-yard touchdown pass and the PAT was good making it 44-0 with two minutes left in the third.
After another Bethel punt, the Coyotes used a 19-yard play from Tafua to Cadwell to set up Tafua's 8-yard pass to Jenise Washington with 8:20 left in the game to make it 51-0.
Wesleyan got the ball back one more time, covering 30 yards in four plays as Tafua hit Green for a 7-yard scoring play but the PAT was no good just before time expired as the teams had agreed to have a running clock the entire game.
Iwata was 10 of 11 for 125 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the game in the third. Tafua was 6 of 8 for 60 yards and three touchdowns. Whitfield had three catches for 34 yards, all for touchdowns. Cadwell had three for 57, and three others had two grabs each. Five others had one touchdown each.
The Coyote defense limited Bethel to only 18 yards of total offense in the game. Ansdiane Rabano led the way with four flag pulls all of them for either zero or negative yardage. KWU had seven stops for loss, including three sacks.
Bethel was just 1 of 14 passing for nine yards and had nine yards rushing on 15 attempts.