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

KENOSHA, Wis. (Sept. 16, 2024) - Opening College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play in similar fashion to last year's squad, the North Central College football team dictated terms throughout a 63-0 rout of Carthage College at Art Keller Field Saturday.

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 CCIW) won their 34th straight conference game in a shutout of the Firebirds for the second straight campaign, defeating Carthage for a 19th straight meeting and posting a 10th consecutive win in Kenosha.

North Central opened the scoring on the fifth play from scrimmage, as Joe Sacco ran across the goal line from six yards out. Following a Firebird punt, the Cardinals threatened to score again before being stopped on fourth down-and-two at the Carthage 20-yard line. The hosts advanced to the North Central 34 before facing a fourth down-and-one just after the second period began. The Cardinals, however, stood tall and denied the Firebirds at the line of scrimmage.

Luke Lehnen opened the ensuing drive by completing two passes to Trey Madsen and another to Sacco before keeping the ball on a draw on third down-and-10 at the Carthage 37, racing through the Firebird defense for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 12:45 to play in the first half. The Cardinals got the ball back just eight seconds later, as linebacker BJ Adamchik intercepted Firebird quarterback Bryce Lowe's pass at the Carthage 30. Sacco ran for 12 yards on the next play, then covered the remaining 18 yards on another run to boost the visitors' lead to 21-0.

North Central stuffed another Firebird fourth-down attempt with 7:40 on the first-half clock, taking possession at its own 33. The Cardinals put up their final score of the first half three plays later, as Lehnen followed a 19-yard completion to Sacco with a 41-yard downfield pass to Jacob Paradee. The Cardinals headed into halftime with a 28-0 advantage, having outgained the hosts, 305-110, in the opening two quarters.

Carthage took possession to begin the second half and traveled backward 14 yards, as Zack Orr and John Sullivan each made tackles for loss before Sullivan followed with a quarterback sack on third down. The Cardinals took possession at their own 48-yard line following a punt and scored two pays later, as Lehnen fired a 47-yard pass down the left sideline to Jack Rummell to put North Central ahead, 35-0, just over three minutes after play resumed.

Danny Nuccio ended the Firebirds' next drive with an interception near midfield and Lehnen completed passes to Sacco and Bobby Behmer, then handed off to Jordan Chisum for a one-yard scoring run with 6:40 to play in the third quarter. The Cardinals forced a punt on the next drive, then embarked on a nine-play, 60-yard jaunt that culminated in a second one-yard touchdown run by Chisum early in the fourth period.

North Central tacked on four-yard touchdown runs by Chris Hughes and Jordan Williams before the final horn sounded, capping off an afternoon which saw the guests compile a 629-146 advantage in total offensive yards, allowing the Firebirds to gain just 36 after halftime. The Cardinals gained 329 yards through the air and 300 on the ground.

Lehnen completed 16 of 25 passes for 294 yards while gaining 58 yards on just four rushing attempts. Sacco ran for 96 yards on 16 carries and caught a career-high four passes for 48 yards, while Thomas Skokna gained 67 yards on two receptions and Madsen made four grabs for 43 yards. Nuccio posted a team-high seven tackles while Brayden Garrigan made six and Sullivan totaled four. 

The Cardinals open the home portion of their schedule Saturday, hosting Washington University in St. Louis. Kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium is scheduled for 12:00 noon. Click HERE for the full 2024 schedule and live coverage options.

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