Playing football is plenty for Bethel quarterback Jaran Roste; beating St. John's is huge bonus

Jaran Roste spent the 2017 season as a walk-on quarterback with the Gophers. He was recruited by Tracy Claeys' staff, practiced with P.J. Fleck's reserves that fall and liked the game enough that he looked for a place to play.

He could've taken a shot at FCS or Division II, but he had two sisters who had gone to Bethel and decided that was the place for him.

He was the Bethel starting quarterback in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He still had eligibility from the season lost to COVID-19 in 2020.

He had his degree and was taking graduate classes. He was working full-time with BUILD, a program that assists students with intellectual disabilities.

Roste was getting ready for practice last Wednesday at Bethel. He did a quick TV interview with KSTP and then I asked:

"Did you know you were coming back for a sixth fall of college at the end of last season?"

Roste smiled and said: "I thought about it for a while. The more I did that, the more I realized that if I had a chance to compete again with all these teammates that I love … I was going to take it."

The quarterback called coach Steve Johnson with FaceTime and said: "I'm coming back."

And? "He smiled," Roste said.

Roste said that when he made the decision it was with this knowledge: "I was committed to do this, to the point I said, 'Even if I get hurt on the first play of the season, I'm not going to regret this. Just practicing with these guys will have been enough.' "

The Bethel quarterback smiled and said: "Turned out, it was the fourth play."

The Royals opened the season at home on Sept. 3 against Pacific Lutheran. Roste gained 13 yards on a scramble on Bethel's fourth play of the season and his left (non-throwing) arm bent backward in gruesome fashion.

He had a dislocated elbow that required a trip to a hospital emergency room.

The Royals ran over Pacific Lutheran without him, and then lost 10-7 at Wisconsin-Platteville on Sept. 10. There was a bye week, and then mighty St. John's on Saturday.

And when it was over, and the late-afternoon rain was falling on the new artificial turf at Royals Stadium, Roste had played with a brace on his left arm and claimed a first victory over St. John's.

Final: Royals 28, Johnnies 24.

"We hadn't beaten them in eight games and, let's see, I was 0-4 against them," Roste said. "They're always a great team, and again today."

The first half was a slugfest, with St. John's leading 10-7, and then the defenses were in retreat for most of the second half.

Roste is 6-4 and over his listed 220 pounds. He is accurate and wise as a passer, and dangerous as a runner. He ran only twice Saturday, but the third play of the second half might have been a game-changer.

On first-and-10 at the Bethel 34, the Johnnies defense gave Roste a huge opening and he took off for a 34-yard gain. He followed with a 38-yard touchdown pass to outstanding receiver Joey Kidder to put Bethel ahead, 14-10.

Johnnies quarterback Aaron Syverson, making plays under big heat from Bethel's rush, then hit Jimmy Buck for a 58-yard touchdown, making it 17-14.

Later, Henry Trost — "Hank the Tank," having an outstanding day as a running back — put the Johnnies ahead 24-21 with 9:38 remaining.

The melancholy for Bethel fans ended quickly. On the next scrimmage play, the Kidder-conscious Johnnies defense was burned when Roste hit Micah Niewald for a 28-24 lead.

Those were the winning points, thanks to interceptions that ended the last two St. John's possessions.

Roste missed one series with leg cramps, but he's back in charge and this Bethel team is very good. And it will probably have a rematch with St John's in Collegeville for the MIAC title on Nov. 12, thanks to the goofy division setup the conference put in place for football after St. Thomas left.

I wouldn't bet against Roste. Nor would Johnson.

"I went to the hospital after our first game to check on Jaran, and he still was in the waiting area at the emergency room," Johnson said. "He had been there for three hours, with that pain, to get a dislocated elbow reset. I said to the staff, 'You have to get this guy in there … he's my quarterback.'

"That's the kind of young man Jaran is, though. He's not going to jump ahead of anyone, except on a football field."