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

Sept. 28, 2024 - Putting on a final surge that included four touchdowns in the final 17 minutes of play, the North Central College football team closed its 29th consecutive home victory with a flourish Saturday, defeating the Washington University in St. Louis Bears, 49-9, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The No. 1-ranked Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) owned a 14-2 advantage at halftime before putting the game out of reach with a 35-point second half. The North Central defense frustrated the Bears all afternoon, allowing the visitors to gain only 74 yards in the first three periods of play.

The hosts took the game's opening possession 75 yards in 10 plays and scored the game's first touchdown on Joe Sacco's 10-yard run, the senior's sixth rushing score of the young season. After forcing a punt on the opening WashU drive, the Cardinals saw their second trip down the field ended early by linebacker Riley Merrigan's interception at the Bears' 38-yard line.

North Central starting quarterback Luke Lehnen left the game following a sack by Bears' Gyvnn Mendenhall late in the first period. Two plays later, an errant Cardinal snap on a punt attempt was recovered in the home team's end zone for a safety, the first scored by a North Central opponent since Oct. 30, 2021 at Millikin University. 

The Cardinals' next scoring drive started at their own 44 after Kenny Rutherford's tackle of receiver Collin Goldberg forced a turnover on downs. Backup signal-caller Calvin Lavery lofted a deep pass to Jack Rummell for a 51-yard touchdown with 3:40 to go in the half. North Central threatened to tack on another score just before the half ended, bringing on kicker Sean Ryniec for a 19-yard field-goal attempt, but the kick was blocked by the Bears' Brady Willmer. 

WashU (2-1, 1-1 CCIW) took possession to begin the second half but turned the ball over on the first play from scrimmage, as Zack Orr intercepted quarterback Levi Moore's pass at the Bears' 37-yard line. Facing fourth down-and-one at the WashU 20, Charles Coleman kept the drive alive with a 17-yard run. Coleman covered the remaining three yards on the next play for his first touchdown of the campaign, extending the lead to 21-2 with 9:31 on the third-quarter clock.

Merrigan's second interception of the day set the Bears up at the North Central 30-yard line, but the visitors were unable to move the sticks and turned the ball over on downs at the 31. On the third play of the ensuing drive, Lehnen returned to the field and handed off three times to Jordan Chisum and twice more to Coleman before deftly executing a play-action fake and delivering a 37-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Skokna with 1:52 to play in the third quarter. Lehnen opened the hosts' next drive with a 27-yard completion to Skokna before finding Myles Walton for a 41-yard scoring strike with 13:57 left in the game.

The Bears notched their lone touchdown of the contest on the following possession, as backup quarterback Luke Johnston connected with Zachary Ginsburg from 15 yards out. A penalty on the ensuing kickoff return left North Central at its own eight-yard line to start the next drive, but Lehnen jumpstarted the offense with a 27-yard completion to Rummell and a 15-yard run to get the Cardinals into WashU territory. Chisum took the ball for the final three plays of the 11-play, 92-yard journey, scoring from six yards out to make it a 42-9 game with 4:02 left. The game's final touchdown came from North Central cornerback Jahmar Daniel, who stepped in front a Johnston pass and returned it 29 yards to the end zone with 3:03 to play.

The Cardinals finished the day with 556 total yards. Lehnen completed 9 of 14 passes for 192 yards and gained a team-high 70 rushing yards on just six attempts, while Lavery completed 11 of 15 throws for 126 yards. Rummell made six catches for 123 yards and Skokna turned in seven grabs for 102 yards, both topping 100 yards in a game for the first time. 

The North Central defense yielded just 145 yards in the contest and permitted the Bears only eight first downs. Brayden Garrigan made a team-high eight tackles, including two tackles for loss, while John Sullivan turned in 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 

The Cardinals make the brief trip to Wheaton College Saturday for the annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell. The Thunder, ranked 19th by D3football.com and 24th by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) this week, are 2-1 (2-0 CCIW) following a 22-10 victory at Carroll University. Kickoff at McCully Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2024 schedule and live coverage options.

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