Steve Woltmann

Football Week 10 Preview: Illinois Wesleyan

11/13/2025 2:16:00 PM

Setting the Scene: Looking to win a record 51st straight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) game and the league title outright, the North Central College football team hosts Illinois Wesleyan University for senior day. The pregame festivities honoring the program’s 32 seniors will begin at 11:25 a.m. at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

Series History: Saturday will mark the 75th all-time meeting between North Central College and Illinois Wesleyan, with the Titans owning a 38-33-3 advantage in the all-time series. However, North Central has dominated the rivalry as of late, winning 14 games in a row over the Titans.

Last year, the Cardinals closed their regular season with a commanding 42–20 victory, securing a fourth consecutive unbeaten campaign. Quarterback Luke Lehnen led the charge, passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 127 yards, including a career-long 95-yard touchdown run. That play ranked as the second-longest in program history and sixth-longest in Division III last season. Lehnen also set new NCAA Division III and CCIW records for career total offensive yards, 14,686 overall and 10,160 in conference play.

The Cardinals struck first with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Lehnen to Jake Lynch, then added rushing scores from Charles Coleman and Sean Allen. Lehnen connected with Thomas Skokna for a 51-yard touchdown before halftime, and Coleman capped the day with his second score, finishing with 98 rushing yards.

North Central’s defense delivered in key moments, including a red zone interception by Rahmareon Roby and fourth down stops by Bobby Medina and John Sullivan. The Cardinals amassed 573 total yards, including 374 on the ground, continued their dominant stretch of rushing performances, averaging 369.3 yards per game over their final four regular season games. Zack Orr led the defense with 11 tackles, the most by any Cardinal last season.

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division III Top 25 polls from D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

The defending national champion Cardinals earned all 25 first-place votes in the D3football.com poll and swept all 52 first-place votes in the AFCA rankings. North Central has now held the top spot in 43 consecutive AFCA polls and 52 of the last 55 D3football.com polls.

Scouting the Titans: Illinois Wesleyan enters Saturday’s matchup with a 4-5 record, with all four wins coming in CCIW play. The Titans average 32 points per game while allowing 30.4. Offensively, they produce 399.0 yards per contest, including 277.67 through the air.

Quarterback Dermot Smyth is the Titans’ leading passer and rusher, though he did not play last week. The expected starter, Chase Mackery, has thrown for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in his three games. Danny Kent has rushed for 283 yards and two touchdowns, with Will Nazha catching 63 passes for 870 yards and seven touchdowns. Nazha leads the Titans with 54 points scored on the year.

Joey DeMaio leads Illinois Wesleyan with 75 total tackles. Ian Whitaker has recorded three sacks and seven tackles for loss. Lucas Lappin and Nathan Frank have each caught two interceptions this season.

A few players from the 1997 North Central College Football Team

1997 vs Wheaton: North Central’s 20-7 victory over Wheaton was a defining moment, reclaiming the Little Brass Bell for the first time since 1987 and marking the final game for 11 seniors and Head Coach Bill Mack. Senior Jeff Studnicka led the offense with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown, finishing second on the school’s all-time rushing list. He ran behind standout guard Jim Witte, a co-CCIW Offensive Player of the Year. Jake Hubert added two touchdowns, while the defense dominated, intercepting Wheaton’s top passer five times. Junior Jason Freewalt had two picks and led the team in tackles despite missing two games. Ryan Passaglia earned First-Team All-CCIW honors, while several others, including Brian Lee and Devin Gordon, were named to the second team. Coach Mack praised the defense and the leadership of the senior class, calling them a special group. The win capped a 5-4 season and a memorable end to Mack’s coaching tenure.

This Week in the CCIW: North Central enters Saturday as the CCIW’s only unbeaten team at 8–0, looking to continue its dominance after claiming the last four conference titles with perfect 9–0 records each season. Wheaton sits in second place with a 7-1 conference mark.

This week’s College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin schedule features a full slate of daytime games. Millikin hosts Elmhurst, North Park hosts Wheaton, Augustana hosts WashU, Carthage hosts Carroll and North Central hosts Illinois Wesleyan.

Conference Recognition: The CCIW selected Thomas Skokna as its Special Teams Player of the Week after his 79-yard punt return touchdown in North Central's 58-point shutout of Elmhurst University this past weekend.

This is Skokna's third conference recognition of the season and his career. He's been tabbed as the CCIW Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, but this week marks his first special teams award.

Late in the first quarter, Skokna watched the punt fly over his head and watched it take a high bounce on the Elmhurst turf. Skokna, running towards his own goal line, fielded the punt, turned 180 degrees and followed a legion of Cardinal blockers to the endzone for the seventh-longest punt return in program history.

Skokna scored three total touchdowns in the contest, with receptions of 40 yards and three yards, respectively. He finished with three receptions for 56 yards and ended the afternoon with 135 all-purpose yards.

On six punt returns this year, Skokna has accumulated 139 yards and a touchdown, averaging just over 23 yards per return.

Looking Ahead: The NCAA Division III Postseason begins Saturday, Nov. 22 with eight first-round games. Winners of those contests advance to a 32-team bracket on the road to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, set for Jan. 4, 2026 in Canton, Ohio.

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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