FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Oct. 25: North Central College Cardinals (5-1, 3-0 CCIW) at Wheaton College Thunder (6-0, 3-0 CCIW)

Kickoff: 7 p.m., McCully Stadium
Video: portal.stretchinternet.com/wheaton/
Radio: 89.1-FM WONC
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/wheaton/football
Game Updates: www.twitter.com/NCC_Athletics
Series History: 48-41-3, Wheaton

Setting the Scene: North Central's oldest football rivalry is renewed this week, as a game circled on both team's calendars looms on the horizon with first place in the CCIW standings once again on the line.

Series History: This is the 93rd football meeting between the two schools. Wheaton owns a 48-41-3 lead in the all-time series and a 45-19-1 advantage since the introduction of the Little Brass Bell, the traveling trophy between the two teams. Wheaton snapped a four-year losing streak to the Cardinals in 2012, though North Central reclaimed the Bell last season with a 35-16 victory, also at McCully Stadium.

After heading into halftime with just a 14-13 lead, the Cardinals broke the game open in the third quarter as Spencer Stanek hit Peter Sorenson and Chad O'Kane for touchdown passes on consecutive drives. North Central put the game away with a 16-play, 75-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes of the fourth quarter and culminated in a 19-yard scoring pass to Sorenson on fourth down-and-seven.

Both North Central and Wheaton are ranked in the national top 25 heading into their annual head-to-head matchup for the seventh consecutive year.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 12 in the most recent D3football.com National Top 25 poll as well as the latest Top 25 Poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association. Wheaton is ranked 11th by the AFCA and 17th by D3football.com.

Scouting the Thunder: Wheaton remained unbeaten on Saturday with a 28-3 victory at Millikin. Despite holding just a 396-374 advantage in total yards, the Thunder were able to keep Millikin out of the end zone all day by forcing a pair of turnovers and turning away four fourth-down conversion attempts.

Sophomore quarterback Johnny Peltz, in his first collegiate start, accounted for Wheaton's first two touchdowns by throwing a 28-yard scoring pass to Keegan Kemp before scoring on a one-yard run. Tailback Jesse Geary scored Thunder's final two TDs on runs of two and four yards. Peltz completed 13 of 23 passes for 156 yards while gaining 93 rushing yards on 20 carries. Geary gained 103 yards on 16 rushes, while Kemp caught four passes for 84 yards.

Mikey Swider led Wheaton's defense with 17 tackles and Adam Dansdill added 11 tackles and three pass breakups. Dansdill's 82 tackles this season are the most in the CCIW. Wheaton enters this week's game as the CCIW leader in scoring defense (12.8 ppg), first downs (138), quarterback sacks (18) and red-zone defense (53.8%).

Last Week for the Cardinals: North Central celebrated Homecoming with a win over Carthage for the second straight year on Saturday, finding the end zone three times in the first quarter en route to a 53-23 victory and its second straight 50-plus point outing.

Dylan Warden threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in addition to a career-high 115 rushing yards. Peter Sorenson caught two of Warden's TD throws, giving him a North Central-record 29 for his career. Matt Randolph scored the first touchdown of the game on a pass from Warden, and Zack Pattat added his fourth rushing TD of the campaign near the end of the opening period.

Kicker Dom Zavaglia connected on all four of his field-goal attempts, tying the North Centrla single-game record for field goals made set by Nick Dace against Augustana last season.

North Central forced five turnovers, including four interceptions. The Cardinals' last interception was returned 86 yards for a touchdown by Brandon Kibby. North Central has returned three interceptions for scores this season along with two fumbles. The Cardinals' five defensive scores match the total posted by the rest of the CCIW's teams combined.

North Central Career Rankings: In addition to the career record for receiving touchdowns, Sorenson also currently ranks third all-time in receiving yards (2,107), fourth in receptions (137) and sixth in total touchdowns (27).

Kent, meanwhile, ranks fourth in rushing yards (2,316), fifth in all-purpose yards (2,856) and seventh in rushing touchdowns (24). Tyler Dicken sits ninth in career touchdown passes (12), completed passes (118) and passing yards (1,754).

John Skokna has moved into seventh place all-time in punt return yards (277) and punt return attempts (30), and Jordan Dean ranks eighth in kickoff return yards (617).

CCIW Rankings: North Central leads the CCIW in scoring offense (44.0 points per game), kickoff return average (25.8 yards per return), turnover margin (+1.50 per game), rushing offense (225.3 yards per game), rushing defense (95.5 ypg), total offense (435.7 ypg), passing efficiency (153.9), defensive passing efficiency (107.2), red-zone offense (93.1%) and field goals made (9) heading into this week's game.

Dylan Warden is the CCIW's leader in passing efficiency (166.5), while Sorenson is the conference leader in receiving yards (99.0 per game) and total touchdowns (8) and Dom Zavaglia leads in field goals (9) and points scored by kicking (58).
 
Around the CCIW: Also entering this week unbeaten in conference play is Elmhurst, which travels to Illinois Wesleyan. Other CCIW games feature Millikin at North Park and Augustana at Carthage.

CCIW Players of the Week:  Dom Zavaglia was named one of the CCIW's Players of the Week on Monday, joining Elmhurst's Joe Camiliere and Wheaton's Mikey Swider.

Zavaglia went five-for-six on PAT attempts and finished with three punts for 121 yards (40.3 yard average) in addition to his four made field goals.

Camiliere accounted for 307 yards of offense during the Bluejays' 28-0 win over North Park on Saturday. He completed 17-of-24 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 45 yards on 10 carries and one rushing TD on an 11-yard run.

Swider led the Thunder with 17 tackles (nine solo) during a 28-3 win at Millikin on Saturday.