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

Nov. 2, 2024 - Wearing down its opposition on both sides of the ball and enjoying a strong finish to both halves of play, the North Central College football team won its 40th straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) game Saturday with a 56-3 victory over Carroll University at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The Cardinals (8-0, 7-0 CCIW) established a season high in rushing yards for the second straight week, gaining 416 of their 586 yards on the ground while stopping all 10 of Carroll's third-down attempts and limiting the Pioneers (4-4, 3-4) to 27 yards on their final six drives.

North Central took the game's first possession to the end zone, as Luke Lehnen scrambled to avoid the Pioneers' pass rush and ran up the middle 20 yards across the goal line with 11:21 on the first-quarter clock. The Cardinals extended their lead to 14-0 after a 10-play, 94-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes and culminated in Lehnen's three-yard touchdown toss to Jacob Paradee with 9:46 left in the first half. 

Carroll converted a 31-yard field goal by Matthew Swink for its lone score of the contest, which the Cardinals answered with another 10-play scoring drive. Facing third down-and-12 at the Pioneers' 18-yard line, Lehnen delivered a 14-yard first-down pass to Myles Walton before pushing a shovel pass to Jordan Chisum for a four-yard score. 

The hosts owned a 21-3 advantage with 1:56 to play in the period, which turned out to be just enough time to put another touchdown on the board. North Central took possession near midfield following a punt with 36 seconds left, as Lehnen completed a 28-yard pass to Walton and broke free for a 19-yard run to set the Cardinals up at the Carroll four-yard line. Following a defensive holding penalty that moved the ball to the two-yard line, Lehnen rolled out to his right and found Thomas Skokna in the end zone on the final play of the half to send the Cardinals into the break with a 28-3 edge.

The Cardinals took possession at the Carroll 36 following a short punt to score their lone touchdown of the third period, as three straight Pioneer penalties moved North Central to the one-yard line and Chisum powered across the goal line. A 22-yard run by Charles Coleman and a 25-yard pass from Lehnen to Skokna on consecutive plays jumpstarted the home team's next drive before Chisum's 25-yard run moved the Cardinals into the red zone. With the ball at the three-yard line, Lehnen dropped back to pass and darted away from pressure, running for his second touchdown of the day and 10th of the season to leave the score at 42-3 with 12:57 to play.

North Central's final two scores came on lengthy running plays, as Jordan Williams ran 57 yards to the end zone with 5:21 to play before Donovan McNeal broke through the Pioneers' defense for an 87-yard touchdown run with 1:47 remaining. McNeal's run is the fifth-longest in the program's history and the longest play from scrimmage for the Cardinals this season.

The hosts gained 10.4 yards per rushing attempt and 9.0 yards per play, earning 19 of their 30 first downs on the ground, while restricting the Pioneers to 161 yards. Lehnen completed 16 of 24 passes for 170 yards, hitting Skokna five times for 46 yards, and gained 64 yards on five rushing attempts. McNeal led the Cardinals with 90 rushing yards on four carries, while Charles Coleman gained 87 yards on a career-high 12 rushing attempts. 

BJ Adamchik paced the North Central defense with eight tackles and moved into eighth place on the Cardinals' all-time list for tackles in a career (236). John Sullivan finished with five solo tackles, including a career-best four tackles for loss and a forced fumble, while Jahmar Daniel broke up two passes and Myron Lewis recovered a fumble.

North Central hosts Elmhurst University Saturday in the Cardinals' final home game of the regular season. The Bluejays are 2-6 (2-5 CCIW) following a 65-17 loss to Wheaton College. Senior Day festivities will be observed prior to kickoff at noon. Click HERE for the full 2024 schedule and live coverage options.

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