NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Bethel’s hopes of advancing to the national semifinals might have turned in the closing seconds of the first half.

The Royals were denied a potential tying touchdown on the final play of the half ,and defending champion North Central took control with a pair of third-quarter scores en route to a 35-21 victory over Bethel in a matchup of undefeated teams in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals Saturday.

Bethel (12-1) went into the half trailing 14-7 following an unusual sequence in the closing seconds. On fourth-and-6 at the North Central 14, Cooper Drews hit Albert Rundell with a pass near the first-down line, but center Jaeger Ash grabbed the ball from Rundell and carried the final eight yards for an apparent touchdown.

The score was overturned after a lengthy review,

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