Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
KENOSHA, Wis. (Sept. 17, 2022) - Its big-play potential through the air and on the ground on full display for a second straight week, the North Central College football team opened its College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) schedule with a show of force Saturday, rambling to a 59-7 victory over the Carthage College Firebirds at Art Keller Field.
The Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 CCIW) totaled 671 yards of offense, the seventh-highest single-game total in the program's history. North Central ran for 412 yards and seven touchdowns after scoring six times on the ground in last week's season opener at Wabash.
North Central's first drive of the day ended in a missed field-goal attempt, and the Firebirds (0-2, 0-1) embarked on a 12-play drive which drove Carthage to the Cardinals' 17-yard line. That possession would also end without a score, as quarterback Cristian Beltran's third-down pass was intercepted by Julian Bell at the goal line.
Two plays later, Cardinal signal-caller Luke Lehnen jumpstarted his team's first scoring drive by calling his own number for a 48-yard run. With 1:20 on the first-quarter clock, Terrence Hill darted up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown run, the 25th of Hill's collegiate career.
Carthage, which was held scoreless in its season opener against Albion College (Michigan), got on the board just before the first period ended, as Beltran fired the ball deep over the middle to Alex Jarvis for a 73-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds to play in the quarter. The game was tied at 7-7 for just 47 seconds, as Lehnen dialed up Peter Braithwaite from long distance for a 65-yard touchdown pass after 13 seconds of the second period. The touchdown is Braithwaite's first at the collegiate level.
The Cardinals' ensuing possession ended with a lost fumble in Carthage territory, but the Firebirds coughed the ball up three plays later and BJ Adamchik recovered the fumble at the hosts' 29-yard line. Lehnen completed a 26-yard pass over the middle to DeAngelo Hardy before handing off to Ethan Greenfield for a three-yard touchdown run.
Lehnen increased North Central's lead to 28-7 with 5:37 left in the first half, again breaking free through the middle of the line for a 54-yard scoring run. With 3:12 on the clock, the Cardinals took possession at their own 21, and Lehnen directed a 12-play drive which culminated in Tanner Rains' 37-yard field goal with just six seconds left.
The Cardinals ran for all four of their second-half touchdowns, getting a one-yard score from Greenfield, a four-yarder from Hill, a one-yard plunge by backup quarterback Jake Johnson and a 10-yard TD by Kyle Franklin. North Central averaged 8.7 yards per play and punted just once, while the Cardinals' defense limited Carthage to 295 total yards (78 rushing, 217 passing) and registered six quarterback sacks.
Lehnen completed 12 of 26 passes for 205 yards and gained a game-high 107 rushing yards on just seven attempts. Jordan Chisum ran four times for 88 yards, including a 75-yard scamper, while Greenfield finished with 75 yards on 16 carries and Hill gained 64 yards on seven rushes. Joey Lombardi caught a team-high four passes for 43 yards, while Hardy made three grabs for 59 yards and Braithwaite gained a team-best 70 yards on two receptions.
Adamchik led the Cardinals with six tackles, while Tyler Rich totaled five tackles and made three sacks, tying the third-highest single-game total in North Central history, and Dan Lester recorded two sacks.
The Cardinals open a stretch of three home games in four weeks Saturday, hosting Elmhurst University at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Bluejays (0-2, 0-1) are coming off a 34-16 loss to Augustana College. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2022 schedule.
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