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

2024 D3football.com All-Region 5 Teams

Dec. 11, 2024 - The North Central College football team has been honored with 12 selections to the 2024 NCAA Division III All-Region 5 Teams, as selected by D3football.com. This year's selections were announced on Wednesday.

First, Second, and Third Team selections from each of the six Division III regions were announced Wednesday, as well as Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year. A total of 79 players received All-Region 5 recognition, selected from 178 total nominations by sports information directors at each of the region's institutions. Region 5 includes institutions from the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), American Rivers Conference (A-R-C), the Midwest Conference and the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC).

The Cardinals established a new single-season program record for All-Region selections and swept the Region 5 major individual awards. Quarterback Luke Lehnen was voted the Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year, while defensive tackle John Sullivan was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Brad Spencer '04 received his first D3football.com Regional Coach of the Year selection.

Lehnen and Sullivan are among seven First Team All-Region honorees, joined by offensive tackle Jeske Maples, guard Sam Pryor, linebackers BJ Adamchik and Zack Orr, and cornerback Rahmareon Roby. Making the Second Team are defensive tackle Cortez Jones and safety Brayden Garrigan, with running back Joe Sacco, tight end Bobby Behmer and guard Nick Fehrle.

Lehnen is the second North Central player, joining quarterback Broc Rutter '20 to receive two straight Region Player of the Year awards. The Cardinals have won the last three Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year honors and five of the last six. Also the CCIW Art Keller Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year for the second time in 2024, passing for 2,589 yards and 33 touchdowns while running for 845 yards and 13 scores to lead the CCIW in touchdowns rushing and passing. Lehnen leads all Division III quarterbacks in passing efficiency (212.9), yards per completion (17.0) and yards per pass (11.8) this season and has set an all-divisions collegiate career record for touchdowns responsible for (201) and a Division III record for career total offensive yards (15,182). Lehnen's current streak of 56 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, encompassing his entire collegiate career, is also an all-divisions record.

Sullivan is the Cardinals' third D3football.com Region Player of the Year and the first since current defensive coordinator Shane Dierking '14 in 2013. A co-winner of this year's CCIW Don Larson Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year award, Sullivan has recorded 50 tackles this season, including team-high totals in tackles for loss (13.5) and quarterback sacks (5), and has forced one fumble while recovering another. 

Maples and Pryor are First Team honorees for the second straight season. Both earned First Team All-CCIW accolades, Maples for the fourth time and Pryor the third. Pryor, the Cardinals' right guard, was recognized as the CCIW Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year, while Maples, North Central's right tackle, was the CCIW's selection in 2022 and 2023. The Cardinals rank second nationally in scoring offense (54.5 points per game) and total offense (549.4 yards per game) while sitting third in rushing offense (307.3 ypg).

Adamchik is also a returning First Team pick, currently leading the Cardinals in tackles (58) and earned his third straight First Team All-CCIW selection this season. Orr, North Central's third-leading tackler (49), and Roby, the team's co-leader in interceptions (3), receive All-Region status for the first time after earning First Team All-CCIW nods.

Jones has started all 12 games alongside Sullivan at defensive tackle, while Garrigan has started nine gmes and ranks fourth on the team in tackles (41) while sharing the team lead in interceptions with Roby. Both were First Team All-CCIW selections. Sacco, a second-time All-Region honoree, leads the team with 1,017 rushing yards and has scored 11 touchdowns on the ground while catching 15 passes for 129 yards and another score. Behmer makes an All-Region team for the first time after catching 13 passes for 139 yards and three TDs as the Cardinals' starting tight end, while Fehrle was North Central's starting left guard throughout this season.

Each All-Region honoree is eligible for consideration for the 2024 D3football.com All-America Teams, which will be announced Thursday, Jan. 2.

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (12-0) host No. 20/23-ranked Springfield College (Massachusetts) Saturday in a national quarterfinal. Kickoff is set for 12:00 noon. The game will feature 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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