Bethel University's Joey Kidder becomes Royals' all-time receiving leader

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — After a barrage of blowouts this season, Bethel's offensive numbers are gaudy.

"It's been kinda crazy," Cooper Drews, sophomore starting quarterback, said. "It's weird to see football scores that can get up into the 70s."

There's one Royals receiver tracking down most of the touchdowns in 2024. Joey Kidder is no joke.

"If he can get single coverage we like our matchup," first-year head coach Mike McElroy said. "I think that's a good thing for us to have in our back pocket on Saturdays."

Kidder has had 15 touchdown catches in just nine games and, this year, became Bethel's all-time receiving leader.

"It's just been a blessing that the coaches trust me this much," Kidder said. "The guys around me trust me to go make plays, go do my thing."

Kidder also played four years of college basketball for the Royals.

"He's not gonna outrun you," McElroy said. "He's not the fastest, he's not the strongest. But man, you put that guy on the field or the court, he's gonna compete better than anyone else. That's what's fun to see. He flips a switch on gameday."

"I want to win anything and everything I possibly can," Kidder said. "Not in the most selfish way, but in a way of, I wanna be a winner."

Drews is the one throwing all those touchdown passes. His 33 scores through the air mark the best in Bethel history. Almost half of the touchdowns were caught by Kidder.

"It's pretty cool. It's nice that I can throw to a guy like that. And he can make me look really good. He's having a great year. So it's really cool to see," Drews said.

The Royals play in the MIAC championship game with St. Johns, who they lost to earlier in the season, on Saturday as Kidder's college sports career is nearing the end.

"I would say no, just to be blunt," Kidder said. "I obviously dreamed big and dreamed realistically that I hope I could be a good player for the Bethel program. I didn't know if I'd make a mark like I am now."