Bethel Beats St. John’s For First Time Since 2022
WACO, TEX.– 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.
2025 AFCA Division III Coaches’ Poll – October 6, 2025
|
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.
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