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

Box Score

Nov. 27, 2021 - Passing its first postseason test with a gritty, determined effort, the North Central College football team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship Saturday by overpowering the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 34-20, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (11-0) scored the first 20 points of the contest and never trailed, though the 11th-ranked Eagles rallied to make it a one-possession game twice before the hosts took control in the fourth quarter. In the quarterfinals, North Central will host 18th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York), a 21-14 winner over the 13th-ranked State University of New York at Cortland in the second round.

The game's first drive saw the Cardinals travel 75 yards in 10 plays and claim the game's first touchdown. Facing fourth down-and-14 at the La Crosse 32, quarterback Luke Lehnen fired over the middle to DeAngelo Hardy for a 25-yard completion. On the next play, Ethan Greenfield shook off would-be tacklers Jack Anderson and Elijah Alt and rambled for a seven-yard touchdown run.

The hosts extended their lead on their next possession, which commenced at the North Central two-yard line following an expertly directed 40-yard punt by the Eagles' Sean Parker. Within six plays, the Cardinals worked their way to their own 42-yard line before Terrence Hill took care of the rest with a 58-yard scoring run. 

The Eagles' next drive ended at the North Central 35 as Dan Gilroy stopped tailback Joey Stutzman for a loss on fourth down. Lehnen completed 4 of 4 passes on the resulting possession, capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Hardy for the sophomore's 10th TD catch of the season. La Crosse (9-3) got on the board shortly before halftime, as quarterback Jakob Parks closed an eight-play, 70-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Matthij Enters.

During the third period, the Eagles possessed the ball for more than 11 minutes across two drives, but came away with just six points as La Crosse turned to kicker Ryan Beirne for field goals of 40 and 32 yards. The Cardinals extended their lead to 27-13 early in the fourth period, as Andrew Kamienski won a battle in the air with Alt for a 34-yard reception to the La Crosse four-yard line. One play later, the North Central offensive line drove the Eagles to their collective heels and carved a wide path for Greenfield's second touchdown of the day and 21st rushing score of the season.

Parks got the Eagles' next series going with a 57-yard completion to Jake Simuncak, then hit Cameron Sorenson for a nine-yard score while taking just 1:40 off the clock and narrowing the gap to 27-20. The pivotal play came on the next North Central drive. The Cardinals faced third down-and-19 from the 50-yard line and turned to Greenfield, who caught a screen pass from Lehnen and cut upfield for a 25-yard gain. Hill ran 10 yards for his second rushing TD of the afternoon with 6:07 to play, capping a possession which chewed up nearly six minutes of game time.

The Cardinals put matters to rest by ending La Crosse's final drive on downs near midfield. North Central finished with 484 yards of offense, 291 of which came on the ground, and maintained possession for 12 minutes in the fourth period. Greenfield ran for 198 yards on a season-high 30 carries, while Hill covered 80 yards in just five attempts. Lehnen completed 13 of 23 passes for 193 yards, as Hardy caught six passes for 71 yards and Kamienski made five grabs for 81. Dakota Cremeens, Braden Lindmark and Ben Wong finished shared team-high honors with six tackles each, while Gilroy made three tackles for loss and Nic Rummell intercepted a pass in the Cardinals' end zone.

Parks completed 19 of 38 passes for 323 yards for the Eagles, hitting Simuncak seven times for 156. Alt and Ryan Daines made 12 tackles apiece.

Saturday's quarterfinal game at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for a 12:00 noon kickoff.

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