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Nov. 30, 2024 - Showing up ready to perform with a 21-point first-quarter, the North Central College football team seized control of Saturday's NCAA Division III Second-Round game against Whitworth University in the earliest of stages. 

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals defeated the No. 21/22-ranked Pirates, 42-17, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium to advance to a third-round home game next Saturday against No. 14/16 Hope College (Michigan).

"I'm proud of how the guys played," North Central head coach Brad Spencer '04 said. "It was tremendous to get out to the lead we got out to and sustain some momentum...we also came out and had a good second half. You always want to finish the second half playing strong football."

Whitworth (10-2) won the coin toss and took possession to open the game, but on the first play from scrimmage, Cardinal safety Will Vernon stepped in front of quarterback Ryan Blair's pass at the Pirates' 29-yard line and returned it to the end zone for an early 7-0 lead. 

"We knew they were going to run a lot of slants, and we were in the perfect coverage for it," said Vernon, who has returned both interceptions this season for touchdowns. "My instincts kicked in and I took it to the house."

The North Central offense marched 76 yards in 11 plays on its first possession and extended the lead to 14-0 with 8:16 on the first-quarter clock. Facing third down-and-five at the Pirate 17, Luke Lehnen tossed a short pass to Myles Walton. The junior raced through the  Whitworth coverage to the end zone for his fifth score of the season. 

BJ Adamchik's tackle for loss on third down-and-one forced the visitors off the field without a first down once again and the Cardinals ran for all 66 yards of an eight-play drive that led to a 21-0 advantage when Sean Allen crossed the goal line from eight yards out with 1:29 still to play in the opening period.

The Pirates got on the board with Jake Gaffaney's 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter but punted once again on their next drive, giving the hosts possession at their own 25. Joe Sacco, who rushed for a career-high 198 yards, found running room on the right side for a season-long 75-yard touchdown run, extending the Cardinals' lead to 28-3.

"It's the playoffs, so I felt I had to step it up in my mental prepration," Sacco said. "I watched a lot more film this week than I had in previous weeks, and it really helped me."

Sacco sparked North Central's first scoring drive of the second half with a 56-yard run. On the next play, the snap from center bounced into the air, but Lehnen collected the ball and delivered a five-yard scoring pass to Thomas Skokna. The Pirates' next drive consumed more than seven minutes and 15 plays, the last eight of which were run inside the North Central 20-yard line, but resulted in no points. A fourth-down pass into the end zone was broken up by Rahmareon Roby.

The Cardinals (11-0) crossed the goal line for the final time with 13:21 to play on Sacco's 12-yard run after tight end Isaac Banker hauled in a 54-yard completion from Lehnen. Sacco led an effort which saw North Central gain 350 of its 493 yards on the ground and average 9.3 yards per play.

Lehnen completed 10 of 13 passes for 137 yards and Skokna was the Cardinals' top receiver with four catches for 30 yards. Adamchik and Roby shared the team lead with seven tackles each, while Vernon made six stops and linebacker Danny Nuccio, in the lineup for the first time since Sept. 28, finished with five.

The Cardinals will take on Hope (11-0) at noon Saturday, with an exclusive live video broadcast on ESPN+ and live audio broadcast from 89.1-FM WONC. 

COVERAGE NOTE: Beginning in 2024, all games from the first round through the semifinal round of the Division III Football Championship will be broadcast live exclusively on ESPN+. A subscription is required to view the broadcast. Visit plus.espn.com to learn about subscription options. 

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