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, but Bethel was awarded a first down at the 8-yard line with 13.8 seconds left. Drews hit Rundell with a pass to the 1-yard line. Drews was then stopped short on a keeper on the final play.

“Those are huge plays,” Bethel coach Mike McElroy said. “It was called a touchdown. It was taken off the board. It has to be indisputable video evidence. I don’t want to whine about some of that stuff, but we’ve got to be better as a division. We’re kind of half in on this stuff (replay).

“And then it has a huge impact on the game,” he said. “It affected a big part of the game. So, I think that’s the frustration. Again, not to take anything away from them, it’s just like that was a turning point of the game that I thought was handled poorly.”

Bethel running back Taye Manns runs through the defense during the Royals’ 35-21 loss to North Central in the NCAA Division-III quarterfinals in Naperville, Ill. on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (Nathan Klok / Bethel Athletics)

A 28-yard punt set up the Cardinals touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter. Jordan Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run capped the 40-yard drive to make it 21-7.

North Central pushed the lead to 28-7 on its next possession on Zeb Rashid’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5:51 left in the third quarter.

Donovan McNeal’s 3-yard touchdown run, his third score of the game, put the Cardinals up 35-7 early in the fourth quarter.

Drews scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:22 left to make it 35-14, and then hit Tyler Terry with a 20-yard scoring strike with just over a minute remaining.

“We’ve had times where we’ve gone into half with some momentum and then you come out and you’ve lost it,” North Central coach Brad Spencer said. “I thought this week we did a great job of holding on to it. … We came out and won the third quarter in a big way which helped us put the game away.

It was the second consecutive national quarterfinal loss for Bethel, which lost to Susquehanna 24-21 last season.

North Central (13-0), which is looking for its sixth consecutive title game appearance, won national titles in 2019 and 2022, while finishing runner-up in 2021 and 2023.

Drews completed 24 of 43 passes for 260 yards. Rundell had 10 catches for 46 yards.

North Central capitalized on a costly penalty for a 14-7 lead at the break. On 4th-and-3, the Royals jumped offside, giving the Cardinals a first down at the Bethel 33 yard line.

On the next play, McNeal skirted left end for a 33-yard touchdown with 3:10 left in the half.

After being outgained 148 yards to 3 in the opening quarter, the Royals got on tracked in the second quarter. Drews hit Rundell with a 4-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone to bring Bethel even at 7-all with 7:38 left in the half.

David Geebli kept the 12-play, 65-yard drive alive with a 2-yard gain on 4th-and-1 at the North Central 20 yard line.

The Royals went three-and-out on their opening possession and North Central responded with a 17-play, 81-yard drive that chewed up more than nine minutes. McNeal’s 1-yard plunge off the left side put the Cardinals up 7-0.

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You’d be hard pressed to find somebody who loved football as much the iconic Paul Wiggin. He continued to work late into his life to make sure he could stay around the game. He did so until until the very end.

After spending more than 40 years with the Vikings, serving in a variety of different roles, Wiggin died on Friday at age 91.

“We had the honor of meeting Paul when we purchased the team in 2005,” co owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a joint statement. “It quickly became clear how much he loved the Minnesota Vikings. He captivated staff members and us with his stories about the history of the franchise and the NFL. He cared about players, coaches and staff, and he wanted nothing more than to win a Super Bowl for Vikings fans.”

After wrapping up his playing career with the Cleveland Browns, Wiggin started his coaching career, working for the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints before legendary head coach Bud Grant eventually hired him with the Vikings in 1985.

In his role as the defensive line coach, Wiggin worked closely with some top talent for the Vikings, including Hall of Famer defensive end Chris Doleman, and Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle.

“The original guru,” Randle said in a release. “He had a quiet way of imparting his knowledge and wisdom in a way that changed the game. He never raised his voice or spoke in harsh words. His humble leadership pushed you to be a better player and a better man.”

After working as the defensive line coach for the better part of a decade, Wiggin eventually transitioned to the front office for the Vikings, where he continued to be a mainstay within the organization.

“A legend as a person, player, coach, and personnel executive,” executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski said in a release. “For 40 years, he demonstrated an incredible dedication to the Vikings, a team he truly loved.”

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By KIMBERLEE KRUESI

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — At least 2 people have been killed and several others injured in a shooting at Brown University, a law enforcement source told the Associated Press.

The official could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through Brown’s emergency notification system.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Multiple people were shot Saturday in the area of Brown University, police said, as the Ivy League school issued an active shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter during the second day of final exams.

Police did not immediately release details about the number of victims, their conditions or the circumstances of the shooting.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through Brown’s emergency notification system.

“We’re still getting information about what’s going on, but we’re just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant,” said Providence Councilmember John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus. “As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I’m heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who’ve been impacted.”

The reported shooting occurred near the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the university’s School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university’s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices.

Engineering design exams were underway in the building when the shooting occurred.

President Donald Trump said late in the afternoon that he has been briefed on the shooting.

“God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” he said on his social media site.

Students were urged to shelter in place as police responded to the scene, and people were told to avoid the area. A police officer warned media to take cover in vehicles because the area was still an active scene.

Officials cautioned that information remained preliminary as investigators worked to determine what had occurred.

Police were actively investigating and still gathering information from the scene, said Kristy DosReis, the chief public information officer for the city of Providence. The FBI said it was assisting in the response.

Brown is a private institution with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Saturday was the second day of final exams for the fall semester.

A fan base that has been clamoring for a splashy move finally got what it wanted on Friday night when the Wild acquired superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in what might go down as the biggest trade in franchise history.

It’s blockbuster deal that establishes the Wild as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. The thought of adding Hughes to an already talented core should have everybody salivating at the potential damage this group can do once the playoffs roll around.

So why was it met with so much backlash on social media?

It seems like a large portion of the fan base is less concerned with the Wild getting Hughes, perhaps the second best defenseman in the world, and more concerned with they had to give up to get him.

The package that general manager Bill Guerin put together was substantial. He knew he couldn’t get cute if he wanted a chance at Hughes, so he offered up up center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first round pick.

The massive haul the Wild had to give up for Hughes was a small price to pay. He’s arguably a Top 10 player in the NHL right now, a former Norris Trophy winner, who brings a dynamic element to the blue line that the Wild have frankly never had in their existence.

To get a great player the Wild had to be willing to give up some good players. It’s as simple as that.

Most of the apprehension from the fan base seems to be rooted in moving on Buium before getting to see him as a finished product. Those worries should disappear when considering that even if Buium were to reach his full potential, which is far from a guarantee, he almost certainly won’t be better than Hughes in his current form.

That’s how good Hughes is for those who might not be familiar with his game. He’s a smooth skater with the ability to start a breakout all by himself. He’s also incredibly gifted in the offensive zone without sacrificing anything in the defensive zone.

The production that Hughes has put up since reaching the NHL speaks for itself. He has amassed 432 points (61 goals, 371 assists) across 459 games in his career. The only blue liner with more points than Hughes since he entered the NHL is fellow superstar defenseman Cale Makar, the straw that stirs the drink for the Colorado Avalanche on the backend, who has a chance to go down as the best to ever do it.

The firepower that Hughes brings to the Wild will be on display for the first time when makes his team debut against the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon at Grand Casino Arena.

He will join an extremely talented core that features superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov and star winger Matt Boldy leading the charge, to go along with a number of players, such as center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Brock Faber, who are perfectly cast in their roles. That doesn’t even take into account the stellar tandem of goaltender Filip Gustavsson and fellow goaltender Jesper Wallstedt between the pipes.

The fact that the Wild were able to add somebody like Hughes to the mix can’t be overstated. It has opened the Stanley Cup window for the first time in what feels like forever. That in and of itself makes this trade worth doing 100 times out of 100.

Though it’s been widely speculated that Hughes eventually wants to sign the New Jersey Devils so he can play with his brothers, the Wild now have a chance to prove themselves to him that as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, not to mention the power to offer him more money than anybody else.

In the current collective bargaining agreement, which is still in order this season, Hughes can sign an eight-year max contract this summer. In the future collective bargaining agreement, which kicks in ahead of next season, Hughes can only sign a six-year max contract next summer.

A common refrain among those within the fan base that aren’t sold on the trade is the hypothetical question, “What if he leaves?” A counterpoint that has to be considered is the hypothetical question, “What if he stays?

Not only do the Wild have a chance to prove to Hughes that it’s worth sticking around for the foreseeable future, they have a chance to do so while also getting to chase a Stanley Cup in the process.

That wouldn’t have been possible if Guerin didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger on a trade that will define the rest of his career.

He did so with an understanding that it’s impossible to overpay when a generational talent is on the table. He deserves credit for that, regardless of it ends with him getting to hoist the hardware.

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