Posted: Nov 13, 2025

Cats Host Lindsey Wilson on Senior Day

MCKENZIE, Tenn. – The Bethel Wildcats will close out their regular season Saturday playing host to the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders a 1:30 p.m. in Walter Butler Stadium. It will be Senior Day with ceremonies saluting football and cheer team members taking place before the kick-off. Band seniors will be honored at halftime.

Matchup History:

It will be the 12^th meeting between the two programs with LWC holding a 6-5 advantage in the series. They first met in 2012. Bethel won 33-31 in four overtimes last year in Columbia. The Wildcats have won the last three times the teams have met. The Blue Raiders have won four of the five games played in McKenzie.

Stats:

https://bethelathletics.com/sports/fball/2025-26/boxscores/20251115_ihsw.xml

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWk3fNsRyRUvgB_HBblmEEQ

Tickets:

https://bethelathletics.com/tickets

Last Week:

Cats:

The Wildcats suffered a tough 38–9 road loss to Campbellsville University on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium.

Phoenix

The Blue Raiders fell behind early but ultimately cruised to a 56-37 win over (RV) Cumberland (Tenn.), as Davontaye Saunders broke Lindsey's single-game rushing record, tallying 299 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns.

The Match-up & Did You Know?

The (RV) Cats are 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the MSC. No. 8 Lindsey Wilson is 8-1 and 4-1.

The Wildcats average 20.6 points per game and yield 22.9 per outing. The Cats average 110.0 rushing and 220.9 passing yards per game. Run defense allows 130.1 yards per game. Opponents average 186.6 yards in passing yards.

The Raiders are averaging 44.7 points and yielding 19.0 points on defense. LWC is averaging 223.7 ushing yards per outing and allowing 145.9 yards on the ground per game. The Blue Raiders average 236.8 in the air while opponents are averaging 219.4 passing yards against the Raider defense.

Bethel is 158-192 all -time in overall play in the modern-day era.

Coaches:

Bethel:

Coach Chris Springer is in his first season as Head Football Coach at Bethel University in
2024-25. He is in his ninth year on the Bethel football staff, having previously served as
Defensive Coordinator, Associate Head Coach, and Recruiting Coordinator. Over the course of his tenure, Springer has helped the Wildcats break multiple team and school defensive records, establishing Bethel as one of the premier defensive programs in the NAIA.

LWC:

Phil Kleckler begins his fourth season as the Lindsey Wilson football head coach in 2025. He became the second head coach in Lindsey Wilson football history on December 14, 2021. He had previously spent five years as the Blue Raiders' defensive coordinator, helping the team to an impressive 53-6 record.

Last season, the Blue Raiders went 5-4 with a pair of victories over Top 25 teams, defeating Campbellsville (Ky.) 16-10 and Cumberland 20-17. In 2023, the Blue Raiders just missed the NAIA Football Championships Series following a 7-3 campaign. All three Lindsey Wilson losses came to top 10 teams.

During his first season at the helm of the program in 2022, Kleckler led Lindsey Wilson to its seventh consecutive appearance in the NAIA Football Championship Series quarterfinals with an overall record of 10-2.

Bethel University athletics extends a special thanks to its Golden Sponsors this year:

Nicky Joe Stafford Real Estate

West Tennessee Public Utility District

Smith and Smith Optometry

Carroll Bank and Trust

Anchor Transportation

Centennial Bank

Carroll County Lumber Company

Hometown Health Care

Joe Mahan Ford of Paris

Hometown Health Clinic

PESPI MIDAMERICA/ DR. PEPPER