FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
ELMHURST, Ill. (Nov. 15, 2008) - Taking the best shots from yet another upset-minded opponent, the North Central College football team recorded another historic win on Saturday, withstanding a frantic comeback effort by Elmhurst College to defeat the Bluejays, 35-28, at Langhorst Field.
The victory completes the No. 2-ranked Cardinals' unbeaten 7-0 run through its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin schedule this season, and makes them a perfect 10-0 for the first time in the history of the North Central football program.
The Cardinals put their stamp on the contest with a 10-play, 83-yard scoring drive on the first possession of the afternoon. Joe Rubin (Sr., Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) ran for 27 yards on a reverse play and Mike Mucha (Jr., Orland Park, Ill./Univ. of Illinois) ran for 18 yards before Aaron Fanthorpe (Jr., Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Mike MacIntosh (Sr., Decatur, Ill./Mt. Zion) with 10:56 on the first-quarter clock.
Taking over at their own 28-yard line after an Elmhurst punt, the Cardinals ventured 72 yards in 10 plays for a second first-period score, as Fanthorpe connected with Joe Sosinski (Sr., New Carlisle, Ind./New Prairie) for an 11-yard TD pass, doubling the visitors' lead to 14-0 with 2:30 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Bluejays (7-3, 4-3 CCIW) lit up the scoreboard for the first time early in the second period, as Chris Kudyba threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Holmer with 12:00 left before halftime. The score capped an 11-play, 71-yard possession.
North Central countered with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, as Fanthorpe completed 3 of 3 passes, including a 10-yard TD throw to MacIntosh, to increase his team's edge to 21-7. The hosts made a bid for another score just before the end of the half, but Kudyba's pass into the end zone was tipped by David Treglown (Sr., Naples, Fla./Barron Collier), leaving the ball in the air long enough to be picked off by Matt Wenger (Jr., Davis, Ill./Dakota) with just 15 seconds left.
The Cardinal defense stalled Elmhurst's opening drive in the second half, and the offensive unit needed seven plays to advance 58 yards and tack another touchdown on the board. With 11:26 on the clock in the third quarter, Phillip Rossberg (Jr., Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) carried the ball across the goal line from five yards away. North Central's next score came from its defense, as Wenger intercepted another pass on the ensuing drive and returned it 51 yards to the end zone. With 7:59 left in the third period, the Cardinals owned a 35-7 advantage.
Elmhurst was able to respond with a score of its own on the next drive, putting together a 14-play, 75-yard possession which consumed nearly six minutes. Kudyba completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Matt D'Angelo with 2:20 left, and the Bluejays headed into the fourth quarter trailing, 35-14.
North Central was forced to punt on the following drive. Nick Swanson (Sr., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) put a halt to the hosts' next trip down the field with an interception deep in Cardinal territory, but the Cardinals ended up punting once again. Elmhurst followed with a 12-play drive, consisting entirely of passing plays, including a nine-yard scoring strike from Kudyba to Matt Long with 4:45 to play.
North Central fielded the Bluejays' onside kick attempt and threatened to score a game-sealing touchdown, but Elmhurst's Ryan Keeton came up with an interception in the end zone. The home team called 16 straight pass plays to post one final TD with 12 seconds left, as Mitch Holmer caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Kudyba.
Fanthorpe finished the day 10 of 20 passing for 133 yards. Mucha was the Cardinals' top rusher with 86 yards on 15 carries, and Rossberg gained 71 yards on 14 rushes. MacIntosh was the team's leading receiver, making four grabs for 40 yards. Wenger tallied a game-high 13 tackles (nine solo), while Eric Stanish (Jr., Tinley Park, Ill./Providence) made a career-high 11 stops and Swanson recorded six tackles.
Kudyba carried most of the load for the Elmhurst offense, completing 36 of 70 passes for 419 yards. Sean Seroka caught 10 passes for 67 yards, while Holmer hauled in nine balls for 135 yards and D'Angelo snared eight passes for 141 yards. Randy Wright totaled a team-best 11 tackles for the Bluejays.
Pairings for the 2008 NCAA Division III Playoffs will be announced Sunday between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. on ESPNews. Immediately following the announcement, a copy of the tournament bracket will be available at www.ncaa.com.
