Bethel Beats St. John’s For First Time Since 2022
October 6, 2025
It has been a little over three years since Bethel (Minn.) has beaten conference rival St. John’s (Minn.), but that all changed this past Saturday. In a close game that was knotted up at 10 apiece after three quarters, Bethel’s Taye Manns broke loose for a 23-yard touchdown run with six minutes left to go in the game to give the Royals a 17-10 win. The win vaulted Bethel into the top 10 to No. 8 in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl, while the Johnnies dropped seven spots to No. 11.
North Central, Mount Union and Johns Hopkins all won big and remain in the top three spots. They are now followed by UW-La Crosse at No. 4, who had to use two overtimes to beat then-No. 10 UW-Whitewater, 23-20. The loss only dropped Whitewater two spots to No. 12. Salisbury moves up one to No. 5 after beating TCNJ, 55-10.
The AFCA poll might get another shakeup next week because of three top 25 matchups this coming weekend. First is No. 3 Johns Hopkins hosting No. 15 Carnegie Mellon while No. 6 UW-Platteville will travel to No. 17 UW-River Falls. The third and final matchup is a big one in the American Southwest Conference as No. 6 Hardin-Simmons plays host to No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Week 5 Next Game
1 North Central (51) 4-0 1275 1 D. No. 15 Wheaton, 35-0 Oct. 11 vs. Millikin
2 Mount Union 4-0 1224 2 D. Otterbein, 62-7 Oct. 11 at Wilmington
3 Johns Hopkins 4-0 1160 3 D. Dickinson, 55-10 Oct. 11 vs. No. 15 Carnegie Mellon
4 UW-La Crosse 3-0 1109 5 D. No. 10 UW-Whitewater, 23-20 2OT Oct. 11 vs. UW-Eau Claire
5 Salisbury 4-0 1021 6 D. TCNJ, 55-10 Oct. 11 vs. Kean
6 Hardin-Simmons 4-0 973 7 D. Howard Payne, 69-14 Oct. 11 vs. No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor
7 UW-Platteville 4-0 970 8 D. UW-Stevens Point, 52-0 Oct. 11 at No. 17 UW-River Falls
8 Bethel (Minn.) 4-0 950 11 D. No. 4 St. John’s (Minn.), 17-10 Oct. 11 at Augsburg
9 Wartburg 5-0 880 9 D. Luther, 36-3 Oct. 11 vs. Dubuque
10 DePauw 5-0 754 13 D. Oberlin, 75-0 Oct. 18 vs. No. 18 John Carroll
11 St. John’s (Minn.) 3-1 686 4 Lost to No. 11 Bethel (Minn.), 17-10 Oct. 11 vs. Macalester
12 UW-Whitewater 3-1 685 10 Lost to No. 5 UW-La Crosse, 23-20 2OT Oct. 11 at UW-Stevens Point
13 Trinity (Tex.) 4-0 655 14 D. Southwestern (Tex.), 65-14 Oct. 11 at Berry
14 UW-Oshkosh 3-1 643 17 D. No. 12 UW-River Falls, 21-17 Oct. 11 at UW-Stout
15 Carnegie Mellon 3-1 523 16 D. McDaniel, 56-7 Oct. 11 at No. 3 Johns Hopkins
16 Central (Iowa) 5-0 497 18 D. Loras, 45-27 Oct. 18 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan
17 UW-River Falls 3-1 448 12 Lost to No. 17 UW-Oshkosh, 21-17 Oct. 11 vs. No. 7 UW-Platteville
18 John Carroll 4-1 446 19 D. No. 25 Wabash, 31-28 Oct. 11 at Wittenberg
19 Cortland 4-1 318 20 D. Utica, 28-13 Oct. 18 vs. Alfred
20 Hope 4-1 242 23 D. Trine, 55-35 Oct. 18 vs. Kalamazoo
21 Christopher Newport 4-0 230 24 D. Rowan, 49-41 2OT Oct. 11 at Castleton
22 Mary Hardin-Baylor 2-2 207 22 D. East Texas Baptist, 42-28 Oct. 11 at No. 6 Hardin-Simmons
23 Muhlenberg 4-0 157 NR D. Ursinus, 39-36 Oct. 11 at Franklin & Marshall
24 Wheaton 2-2 143 15 Lost to No. 1 North Central, 35-0 Oct. 11 at Illinois Wesleyan
25 Randolph-Macon 4-1 69 NR D. Roanoke, 35-17 Oct. 11 vs. Averett
Dropped Out: Hampden-Sydney (21), Wabash (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Linfield, 48; Maryville, 43; Berry, 40; Hampden-Sydney, 22; Wabash, 22; Baldwin Wallace, 19; Alma, 17; Stevenson, 13; Lewis & Clark, 12; Adrian, 9; Washington (Mo.), 9; Western Connecticut, 9; Plymouth St., 8; U.S. Merchant Marine, 6; Cal Lutheran, 4; Ursinus, 4; UW-Stout, 4; Coe, 3; Southern Virginia, 3; Calvin, 2; Endicott, 2; Rensselaer, 2; Springfield, 2; Susquehanna, 2; UW-Eau Claire, 2; Ithaca, 1; UW-Stevens Point, 1; Wesleyan, 1.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
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It has been a little over three years since Bethel (Minn.) has beaten conference rival St. John’s (Minn.), but that all changed this past Saturday. In a close game that was knotted up at 10 apiece after three quarters, Bethel’s Taye Manns broke loose for a 23-yard touchdown run with six minutes left to go in the game to give the Royals a 17-10 win. The win vaulted Bethel into the top 10 to No. 8 in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl, while the Johnnies dropped seven spots to No. 11.
North Central, Mount Union and Johns Hopkins all won big and remain in the top three spots. They are now followed by UW-La Crosse at No. 4, who had to use two overtimes to beat then-No. 10 UW-Whitewater, 23-20. The loss only dropped Whitewater two spots to No. 12. Salisbury moves up one to No. 5 after beating TCNJ, 55-10.
The AFCA poll might get another shakeup next week because of three top 25 matchups this coming weekend. First is No. 3 Johns Hopkins hosting No. 15 Carnegie Mellon while No. 6 UW-Platteville will travel to No. 17 UW-River Falls. The third and final matchup is a big one in the American Southwest Conference as No. 6 Hardin-Simmons plays host to No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor.
| Rank | School (1st votes) | Rec. | Pts. | Prev. | Week 5 | Next Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Central (51) | 4-0 | 1275 | 1 | D. No. 15 Wheaton, 35-0 | Oct. 11 vs. Millikin | |
| 2 | Mount Union | 4-0 | 1224 | 2 | D. Otterbein, 62-7 | Oct. 11 at Wilmington | |
| 3 | Johns Hopkins | 4-0 | 1160 | 3 | D. Dickinson, 55-10 | Oct. 11 vs. No. 15 Carnegie Mellon | |
| 4 | UW-La Crosse | 3-0 | 1109 | 5 | D. No. 10 UW-Whitewater, 23-20 2OT | Oct. 11 vs. UW-Eau Claire | |
| 5 | Salisbury | 4-0 | 1021 | 6 | D. TCNJ, 55-10 | Oct. 11 vs. Kean | |
| 6 | Hardin-Simmons | 4-0 | 973 | 7 | D. Howard Payne, 69-14 | Oct. 11 vs. No. 22 Mary Hardin-Baylor | |
| 7 | UW-Platteville | 4-0 | 970 | 8 | D. UW-Stevens Point, 52-0 | Oct. 11 at No. 17 UW-River Falls | |
| 8 | Bethel (Minn.) | 4-0 | 950 | 11 | D. No. 4 St. John’s (Minn.), 17-10 | Oct. 11 at Augsburg | |
| 9 | Wartburg | 5-0 | 880 | 9 | D. Luther, 36-3 | Oct. 11 vs. Dubuque | |
| 10 | DePauw | 5-0 | 754 | 13 | D. Oberlin, 75-0 | Oct. 18 vs. No. 18 John Carroll | |
| 11 | St. John’s (Minn.) | 3-1 | 686 | 4 | Lost to No. 11 Bethel (Minn.), 17-10 | Oct. 11 vs. Macalester | |
| 12 | UW-Whitewater | 3-1 | 685 | 10 | Lost to No. 5 UW-La Crosse, 23-20 2OT | Oct. 11 at UW-Stevens Point | |
| 13 | Trinity (Tex.) | 4-0 | 655 | 14 | D. Southwestern (Tex.), 65-14 | Oct. 11 at Berry | |
| 14 | UW-Oshkosh | 3-1 | 643 | 17 | D. No. 12 UW-River Falls, 21-17 | Oct. 11 at UW-Stout | |
| 15 | Carnegie Mellon | 3-1 | 523 | 16 | D. McDaniel, 56-7 | Oct. 11 at No. 3 Johns Hopkins | |
| 16 | Central (Iowa) | 5-0 | 497 | 18 | D. Loras, 45-27 | Oct. 18 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan | |
| 17 | UW-River Falls | 3-1 | 448 | 12 | Lost to No. 17 UW-Oshkosh, 21-17 | Oct. 11 vs. No. 7 UW-Platteville | |
| 18 | John Carroll | 4-1 | 446 | 19 | D. No. 25 Wabash, 31-28 | Oct. 11 at Wittenberg | |
| 19 | Cortland | 4-1 | 318 | 20 | D. Utica, 28-13 | Oct. 18 vs. Alfred | |
| 20 | Hope | 4-1 | 242 | 23 | D. Trine, 55-35 | Oct. 18 vs. Kalamazoo | |
| 21 | Christopher Newport | 4-0 | 230 | 24 | D. Rowan, 49-41 2OT | Oct. 11 at Castleton | |
| 22 | Mary Hardin-Baylor | 2-2 | 207 | 22 | D. East Texas Baptist, 42-28 | Oct. 11 at No. 6 Hardin-Simmons | |
| 23 | Muhlenberg | 4-0 | 157 | NR | D. Ursinus, 39-36 | Oct. 11 at Franklin & Marshall | |
| 24 | Wheaton | 2-2 | 143 | 15 | Lost to No. 1 North Central, 35-0 | Oct. 11 at Illinois Wesleyan | |
| 25 | Randolph-Macon | 4-1 | 69 | NR | D. Roanoke, 35-17 | Oct. 11 vs. Averett | |
Dropped Out: Hampden-Sydney (21), Wabash (25)
Others Receiving Votes: Linfield, 48; Maryville, 43; Berry, 40; Hampden-Sydney, 22; Wabash, 22; Baldwin Wallace, 19; Alma, 17; Stevenson, 13; Lewis & Clark, 12; Adrian, 9; Washington (Mo.), 9; Western Connecticut, 9; Plymouth St., 8; U.S. Merchant Marine, 6; Cal Lutheran, 4; Ursinus, 4; UW-Stout, 4; Coe, 3; Southern Virginia, 3; Calvin, 2; Endicott, 2; Rensselaer, 2; Springfield, 2; Susquehanna, 2; UW-Eau Claire, 2; Ithaca, 1; UW-Stevens Point, 1; Wesleyan, 1.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
