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In a battle of two of the nation's most potent rushing offenses, the North Central College football team took the fight to Springfield College from the opening kickoff Saturday, keeping the Pride out of the end zone throughout a 27-3 victory at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The Cardinals (13-0) advance to the NCAA Division III national semifinals for the fifth straight season. North Central will host Susquehanna University (Pennsylvania), a 24-21 quarterfinal winner over Bethel University (Minnesota).
North Central, which entered the game ranked third nationally in rushing yards at 307 yards per contest, owned a 328-260 edge in total yards and a 232-227 edge on the ground against a Springfield team that led Division III in rushing (443 ypg) for the season.
The hosts took possession first and called seven straight running plays to advance to the Springfield two-yard line before Luke Lehnen rolled to his left and connected with Thomas Skokna for a two-yard touchdown pass. After being forced to punt on their first drive, the Pride (12-1) recovered a fumble in North Central territory, but a fourth-down conversion attempt was stopped at the 25-yard line by Brayden Garrigan.
The Cardinals' offense churned out a second run-heavy drive, going 13 plays in 66 yards, and extended the lead to 10-0 with Andre Casas' 26-yard field goal early in the second quarter. North Central forced a pair of Springfield punts before its next scoring drive, a nine-play, 91-yard trek that gave it a 17-0 edge with 1:47 left in the half. Lehnen found Jack Rummell downfield for a 31-yard completion and handed off to Sean Allen for 21 yards to get the Cardinals to the doorstep before Allen covered the remaining distance for his sixth rushing touchdown of 2024.
The Pride covered 49 yards in 10 plays in the final seconds of the half, posting their lone score of the afternoon on a 37-yard field goal by Ian Wernik with 8.3 seconds left before halftime. The Cardinals went to halftime having held Springfield to just 92 total yards.
North Central ended the first drive of the second half by forcing a turnover, as Bobby Medina forced a fumble that was recovered by John Sullivan at the Springfield 40-yard line. The ensuing drive resulted in a punt, but a 26-yard run by Allen helped set the Cardinals up for a 35-yard field goal by Casas, sending the hosts into the fourth quarter with a 20-3 advantage.
Springfield had an apparent touchdown called back on a personal foul penalty, resulting in a fourth down-and-20 at the Cardinals' 29. Wide receiver Logan Schenck's pass attempt was broken up by Trevon Hunter, giving North Central possession. On the following drive, North Central advanced 27 yards on two Pride unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before Lehnen lobbed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jack Rummell just inside the front left corner of the end zone.
The Pride drove to the North Central 14 where they faced another fourth-down attempt. Matt Janiak broke through the line to tackle quarterback Drew Heenan for a three-yard loss to end the possession. BJ Adamchik closed out the contest by intercepting a pass from halfback Drew Vasquez. Janiak finished with a game-high 17 tackles, the most by any Cardinal this season, while Sullivan and Danny Nuccio each made 10 stops and Adamchik totaled nine.
Allen rushed for a career-high 94 yards on 15 carries. Lehnen ran for 49 yards on nine attempts while completing 10 of 20 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Skokna caught a team-high five passes for 31 yards.
North Central will face the sixth-ranked River Hawks (12-1) Saturday, Dec. 21 at a time to be determined. The game will feature an exclusive live video broadcast on ESPN+ and live audio broadcast from 89.1-FM WONC.
North Central Defense Stands Tall in Defeat of Springfield
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241214_ago6.xml
2024
Springfield
3
North Central (Ill.)
27
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Springfield (12-1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 1 North Central (Ill.) (13-0) | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
Dec 14, 2024