Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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Setting the Scene:  Set to take the biggest national stage ever afforded a Division III championship, the Cardinals head into a fifth straight Stagg Bowl intent on raising their third title trophy.

Series History: The teams’ previous four meetings have all occurred in the postseason. Mount Union won the initial bout, 41-40, in the 2013 national semifinals as the Purple Raiders drove 65 yards in three plays to score the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 to play.

The Cardinals returned to Mount Union Stadium for the second round, scoring 31 second-half points to defeat the Purple Raiders, 59-52, in a game which saw the teams combine for 1,397 yards of total offense.

North Central visited Alliance for the 2021 semifinals and delivered the most decisive victory in the series to date, a 26-13 triumph during which the Cardinals owned a 293-72 advantage in rushing yards and scored 26 unanswered points after yielding the game’s first touchdown.

The teams met at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the 2022 Stagg Bowl. The Cardinals owned a 21-0 lead early in the fourth quarter before fending off a Mount Union comeback attempt and winning their second national title, 28-21.

Luke Lehnen threw for three of the Cardinals’ touchdown passes, including a 94-yarder to DeAngelo Hardy which established new Stagg Bowl and North Central records.

National Rankings: North Central was ranked No. 1 nationally in the most recent NCAA Division III Top 25 Polls by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Mount Union was ranked No. 3 by the AFCA and No. 5 by D3football.com.

The Cardinals have been ranked No. 1 in the last 32 AFCA regular-season polls and 41 of the last 44 D3football.com regular-season polls.
 

Scouting the Purple Raiders: Mount Union advanced to the championship game with a 45-37 semifinal victory over Johns Hopkins, using a series of key defensive plays to separate itself in the fourth quarter.

Leading, 31-29, the Raiders came up with a quarterback sack on third down to force a punt, then drove 55 yards to score on Tyler Echeverry’s nine-yard run. Another sack, this time on fourth down, ended the Blue Jays’ next drive two plays before Echeverry scored again from 54 yards out.

Johns Hopkins owned a 531-518 advantage in total yards, marking the first time the Raiders have been outgained this season. Mount Union ranks ninth nationally in rushing offense (235.2 yards per game) and 15th in total offense (465.1 yards per game), while its defense has registered 52 sacks, the second-highest total in the nation.

Echeverry leads all Division III players in rushing touchdowns (29) while ranking fourth nationally in rushing yards (1,631). The senior has run for at least 100 yards in eight of the Raiders’ last nine games. TJ Deshields, Mount Union’s starting quarterback the last five games, has completed 66.7 percent of passing attempts for 1,344 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. 
Tyrell Sanders (61 catches, 990 yards, six TDs) leads a receiving corps.

Defensive end Rossy Moore has a team-high 106 tackles, including 20. tackles for loss. Moore, Kaleb Brown and Von Factor have combined for 34.5 of the Raiders’ 52 sacks.

This Week for the Cardinals: North Centralput it stamp on a semifinal win over Susquehanna in the very early stages Saturday, ravaging the River Hawks, 66-0, to achieve its largest margin of victory in a postseason game.

The Cardinals tied the Division III record for the largest margin of victory in a national semifinal and scored touchdowns on their first nine possessions. A 27-3 quarterfinal winner over Springfield, North Central has held consecutive playoff opponents without a touchdown for the first time.

North Central’s 638 yards of offense are its second-most this season, while the River Hawks’ 135 yards are the fewest allowed by the Cardinals in 2024.

After an early incomplete pass, Luke Lehnen completed 16 straight attempts and threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns. At 16-for-17 for the game, Lehnen tied Broc Rutter’s program record for single-game passing accuracy.

Jacob Paradee made two touchdown receptions while Joe Sacco ran for two scores. Jordan Williams gained a career-high 106 rushing yards to finish as the Cardinals’ top rusher. Brayden Garrigan and Jahmar Daniel intercepted passes while Kachi Ugwu recovered a special-teams fumble.

The Cardinals have forced eight turnovers in the last three weeks and have won the turnover battle each game of the postseason.

North Central owns a 37-game home winning streak dating back to 2018.
 

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 35-13 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including trips to the national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the last four seasons. North Central is 23-4 in postseason home games.

North Central won the 2019 and 2022 national championships and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 and 2023. The Cardinals first qualified for the national quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2013.

North Central vs. the OAC: North Central is 6-5 all-time against opponents from the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Cardinals’ most recent encounter with an OAC team other than Mount Union was in the second round of the 2010 postseason, when they defeated Ohio Northern, 28-9.

Pryor Earns Coaches’ All-America Selection: Sam Pryor was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches’ All-America First Team, becoming the eighth Cardinal offensive lineman and 17th North Central player overall to be so honored.

Pryor has started 53 games at right guard the past four seasons, earning four All-Conference selections and this year’s CCIW Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year award.

Record-High Number of Cardinals on All-Region Teams: North Central set a new program record with 12 selections to the D3football.com All-Region Teams.

Lehnen was voted the Region 5 Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season while John Sullivan was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Brad Spencer ‘04 was voted the Region 5 Coach of the Year for the first time.

Lehnen and Sullivan were joined on the All-Region Teams by First Team selections Sam Pryor, Jeske Maples BJ Adamchik, Zack Orr and Rahmareon Roby. Second Team honorees Brayden Garrigan and Cortez Jones, and Third Team picks Bobby Behmer, Nick Fehrle and Joe Sacco.

Cardinals Sweep CCIW Individual Awards: North Central claimed each of the CCIW’s annual individual awards last week after closing out its fourth straight CCIW championship.

Lehnen was recognized as the Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, marking the eighth consecutive time a Cardinal has claimed the distinction. Sullivan shares this year’s Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honors. A North Central defensive lineman has won or shared the award each of the last three seasons.

Pryor’s selection as Offensive Line Student-Athlete of the Year extends the Cardinals’ string of six straight honorees since the award was introduced in 2018. Running back Donovan McNeal was selected as the First-Year Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year, an honor presented for the first time last season.

Behmer received his third straight CCIW Elite 26 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average among the top two teams in the final CCIW standings.

Spencer was named the CCIW Coach of the Year, becoming just the second coach in the conference’s history to be so recognized three straight years.

All-CCIW Teams: A total of 19 Cardinals received All-CCIW accolades, 11 of which were voted to the First Team.

First Team Offense selections include Lehnen, Skokna, Pryor, Maples and Ryan Kennelly (offensive line). Making the Second Team are Behmer, Fehrle, Sacco and Jack Rummell.

The Cardinals’ six First Team Defense honorees are Sullivan, Jones, Adamchik, Garrigan, Orr and Roby. Second Team selections are Jacob Vincent, Angelo Cusumano and Jahmar Daniel.

Lehnen Establishes National Records: Lehnen is the national all-divisions active leader in passing efficiency (211.8) and is on pace to establish a new collegiate career record.

The current record (202.6) is held by Mount Union’s D’Angelo Fulford (2016-19).

Lehnen has already established new all-divisions records for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (58) and touchdowns responsible for (208).

Lehnen has increased his career total offense yardage total to 15,632, bettering the previous standard of 14,568.

Cardinals’ Career TD Passes Record Vanquished: Lehnen has thrown for 158 touchdown passes as a collegian, tying Mount Union’s Braxton Plunk (2019-23) for the all-time Division III record (158).

Lehnen ranks third in college football history behind John Matocha of the Colorado School of Mines (162, 2019-23) and Tyson Bagent of Shepherd College (159, 2018-2022).

Adamchik Takes Place Among Top Tacklers: Adamchik’s team-high 69 tackles thus far this season have pushed his career total to 265, ranking him fourth in the Cardinal’s history in total stops. Adamchik has the most tackles of any active CCIW defender.

Ryniec Chasing Records for PAT Accuracy: Sean Ryniec has made 101 of 101 extra-point attempts this season. The Division III single-season record of 102 is held by North Central’s Tanner Rains (2022) and Mount Union’s Edward Ruhnke (2014). Rains also holds the record for most PAT attempts in a season (107).

The best perfect season by a Division III kicker is 100 of 100, set by Mount Union’s Mike Zimmerman in 2007.

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