Photo by Luke Zayas/@luke_zayas/True To The Cru
BELTON- The UMHB football team will be playing on its home turf for a seventh time in 2022.
The Crusaders’ 24-17 win over Trinity in San Antonio, combined with Bethel’s 30-13 victory at Linfield, gave UMHB an early Christmas present, hosting a quarterfinal matchup for the fifth straight season. UMHB is 4-1 in those third-round duels, and 9-5 all-time in the quarterfinal round.
Kickoff is set for noon central time at Crusader Stadium in Belton.
Bethel is the opponent, with the two programs meeting for the first time. A strong program out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Royals were ranked No. 13 in the nation by D3football.com entering the playoffs, with an 8-2 regular season record, highlighted by a 28-24 win over No. 4 Saint John’s in Week 3. Bethel reached the postseason through one of the five Pool C (at-large) bids, having lost to SJU, 28-10, in the MIAC Championship game on Nov. 12, as the Johnnies picked up the conference’s automatic bid.
Bethel was No. 4 in the Region 6 regional rankings, behind SJU, Linfield, and UW-Whitewater, all of whom won their respective conference titles. Now, Bethel is the lone team out of Region 6 still standing, just as four teams qualified from Region 3, with UMHB the only one reaching the third round.
Tickets will first be available to season ticket holders, starting on Nov. 29th at 10 a.m. Tickets open to the general public on Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. Reserved seating tickets cost $12, with general admission at $10, and $5 for students. UMHB students will get in free with a student ID.
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