ARDEN HILLS, Minn - This Saturday the 11-1 Royals will face off against 12-0 St. Thomas in the quarter-finals of the NCAA DIII football playoffs. The game will be a hard hitting rematch of the game the two played on October 23rd. In that first meeting the Tommies escaped, winning 10-6, handing the Royals their only loss of the season.  Last weekend the Royals defeated Wheaton College 15-10 to advance, while St. Thomas defeated Linfield College in double overtime 24-17. This matchup is receiving a large amount of attention from local media as this is only the second time in NCAA DIII history that 2 teams from the same conference have made it to the final 8. Saturday's game will be broadcast live both over the air and online by WCCO radio.

Game Notes:

The Bethel Royals 2010 football campaign has a memorable one to say the least. This is the Royals 6th playoff berth in the last 11 years. The Royals have gone 11-1 to this point. The team has been lead in large part by senior running back Logan Flannery (Lakeville, Minn.), and junior quarterback Josh Aakre (Dawson, Minn.). The abilities of these two players have been made evident thanks to a tremendous year by the Bethel offensive line.

The 2010 season also marked a significant milestone for Head Coach Steve Johnson. On October 16th the Royals defeated Gustavus Adolphus College in front of a large homecoming crowd. The win gave Coach Johnson his 150th career win. In his 22 year tenure at Bethel Johnson has accumulated an overall record of 155-73-1.

Flannery has run this year for a total of 1,657 yards. That mark that brings Loagan's career total to 5,053 yards. Each year Flannery's career he has ran for over 1,000 yards. The only other Royal to have a career with a bigger mark was Phil Porta who was a part of the Royals 2007 playoff team. Porta accumulated 5,235 total rushing yards in his 4 years.

Aakre has been a dual threat for the Royals this year, being capable of both throwing the ball while being mobile outside of the pocket. Aakre has thrown for 1,412 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games, while rushing for 594 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Royals defense has been lead by junior Billy Morgan (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) who has 78.5 total tackles on the season. Ross Petterson (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) has been right there as well, accumulating 63.5 total tackles. David Vavra (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) and Ethan Anderson (Jr., Mapleton, Minn.) have also made huge contributions as well snagging a combined 9 interceptions for 71 yards. The Royals have on average only allowed opponents to score 11.6 points per game, while putting up 29.6

The will now face off against the only opponent to deliver a loss to the Royals this year. The St. Thomas Tommies, a team ranked 4th in the country and first in the west region were held to a season low 10 points when they faced the Royals earlier this year. No other opponent has held the Tommies to less than 24 points and on average the Tommies have scored 40.6 points per game.

GAME Information and links:
Ticket Prices: Adults - $8, Students - $4, Children under 3 free
The game will be broadcast live on WCCO Radio 830AM, both over the air and online
Live Stats
Live webcast
Interactive Playoff Bracket
St. Thomas Campus Map
St. Thomas Visitors Guide



Don't forget to vote for Coach Johnson!
Bethel has been approached by Liberty Mutual to participate in its Football Coach of the Year contest. Bethel's Coach Steve Johnson is a clear, quality candidate for this award!

We want to promote Coach Johnson because of his strong Christ-like character and the amazing quality of Bethel's football program. Recognition like this also helps to spotlight Bethel on a national level and aid in marketing, promotion, and fundraising.

If Coach Johnson wins, he can give $50,000 to a charity of his choice, and Bethel's alumni association receives $20,000!

This is where you come in. Vote for Coach Johnson!

How to vote:

Go to:
http://www.coachoftheyear.com/

Click on VOTE NOW.
Follow the three simple steps provided:
1) Enter your email.
2) Enter “Your Coach”: Steve Johnson - Bethel University
3) Complete the word verification.
Click on VOTE NOW.

You can vote EVERY DAY.
The first round of the contest ends December 4.

If Coach Johnson makes it into the top fifteen vote-getters, he goes on to the next round.