FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
Nov. 29, 2008 - The North Central College football team was unable to slow down one of the most prolific passing attacks in NCAA Division III on Saturday, as the No. 2-ranked Cardinals saw their season end in the second round of the Division III Playoffs at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
The Franklin College (Ind.) Grizzlies shook off an early 14-3 deficit and rallied to defeat the hosts, 38-28, and move on to host Wheaton College (Ill.) in the North Region final next Saturday.
The Cardinals (11-1) took the ball to open the contest, and were able to move 66 yards in seven plays to post the first score of the afternoon. Aaron Fanthorpe (Jr., Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Steve Hlavac (So., Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) after 3:54 had elapsed, providing the hosts with an early 7-0 advantage.
Franklin countered with its first scoring drive of the day, though the Grizzlies were unable to punch the ball into the end zone. Kicker Machy Magdalinos booted a 34-yard field goal with 8:45 to play in the opening quarter, narrowing the gap to 14-3.
Fanthorpe and Hlavac connected for the Cardinals' second score on the ensuing possession, covering 60 yards in six plays. Fanthorpe found Hlavac, this time from 22 yards away, to move North Central ahead, 14-3, with 6:17 still to play in the first period. The Grizzlies (11-1), however, answered with a touchdown of their own, as quarterback Chad Rupp completed 5 of 6 passes on the next drive, including a five-yard TD throw to Kevin Lynch with 4:36 on the clock. The first quarter ended with North Central in front, 14-10.
Franklin took its first lead of the day shortly before halftime. Rupp completed two passes, totaling 55 yards, to leave the Grizzlies just two yards from the goal line. Fred McMoore ran in for the score on the next play, putting the visitors ahead, 17-14, with just 1:42 left before the break. North Central, however, still had enough time to post a final first-half score. A 27-yard pass from Fanthorpe to Michael MacIntosh (Sr., Decatur, Ill./Mt. Zion), coupled with a Franklin personal foul penalty, set the Cardinals up just 18 yards from the end zone. Dominic Sulo (Jr., Oak Forest, Ill./Mt. Carmel) ran the rest of the way on the next play, and North Central carried a 21-17 edge into the intermission.
The Grizzlies took the lead once again on the first possession of the third period, as Rupp completed 5 of 8 passes in moving Franklin down the field. After a 26-yard toss to Logan Deffner put Franklin inside the 10-yard line, Rupp threw a seven-yarder to Tony Gregory, leaving the score at 24-21 in the Grizzlies' favor. Early in the fourth quarter, Franklin moved ahead by two scores, as Rupp connected with Neil Craig for a 10-yard score, and after the Cardinals went three-and-out, Rupp capped off a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a seven-yard TD pass to Deffner. With 7:19 left in the game, Franklin owned a 17-point lead at 38-21.
Kyle Kniss (Sr., Lanark, Ill./Eastland-Pearl City), taking over at quarterback for an injured Fanthorpe, valiantly attempted to rally the Cardinals for a comeback attempt, leading the offense down the field for a touchdown on the following drive. He engineered an 11-play, 74-yard trek, throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Joe Sosinski (Sr., New Carlisle, Ind./New Prairie) with 5:22 left.
An interception by Matt Wenger (Jr., Davis, Ill./Dakota) gave North Central one more chance to cut into the lead with 2:34 remaining, but an interception by Franklin defensive back Scott Martin cut the drive short.
Rupp completed 31 of 52 passes for 411 yards, and was also Franklin's top rusher with 83 yards on 15 carries. Deffner caught six passes for a team-high 103 yards, while Martin led the Grizzlies' defense with nine tackles.
Fanthorpe threw for 215 yards, completing 15 of 25 throws. Sulo ran for 83 yards on 19 carries, and Hlavac caught nine passes for 138 yards. Joe Schneiderbauer (So., Sterling, Ill./Sterling) and David Treglown (Sr., Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) led the Cardinals with eight tackles each.
Sulo now has 212 career points, making him the Cardinals' all-time leading career scorer, and became the first player in school history to record three straight seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards (1,070). Wenger's interception was his eighth of the season, tying the North Central College single-season record.
