Football Second-Round Postseason Preview: Hanover

Game Notes

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Live Stats: https://www.ncaa.com/game/6529880

Setting the Scene: Playing in the postseason for the ninth straight season, the North Central College football team welcomes Hanover College to Benedetti-Wehrli for the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament as the Cardinals look to defend their 2024 National Championship.

Series History: Saturday marks the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs, with Hanover holding a slight 2-1 lead. North Central made quick work of the Panthers in 2018, winning 52-0 in the first round of the NCAA DIII Tournament.

The then No. 9 Cardinals raced to a 24-0 lead before the first quarter ended, fueled by two Panther interceptions and a pair of three-and-outs. QB Broc Rutter threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns while adding a 43-yard scoring run. Andrew Kamienski caught five passes for 107 yards, and RBs Dominick Muoghalu, Ethan Greenfield, and Terrence Hill combined for four rushing touchdowns.

Safety Matt Sutherland tied a school record with three interceptions, returning two deep into Hanover territory to set up scores. The defense forced four turnovers, blocked a punt, and limited Hanover to just 166 total yards, including only 31 after halftime. Greenfield led the ground game with 62 yards, while Adam Maluchnik paced the defense with seven tackles. The Cardinals posted their fourth shutout of the season, their first in postseason play since Division III’s creation in 1973.

Photos below from the 2018 game vs Hanover (L to R): DJ Warkenthien, Ethan Greenfield, Matt Sutherland

National Rankings: North Central is ranked No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division III Top 25 polls released by 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 44 consecutive AFCA polls and 53 of the last 55 D3football.com polls.

Scouting the Panthers: Hanover enters Saturday’s matchup with a 9-2 record, winning the Heartland Conference (5-0) to claim their automatic bid. The Panthers jumped out to a 17-0 lead before beating Grove City College 23-15 in the opening round of the playoffs. The Panthers average 40.0 points per game while allowing 12.82. Offensively, they generate 447.5 yards per contest, including 280.55 through the air.

Quarterback Eian Roudebush is Hanover’s leading passer with 2,788 yards over 11 games with 30 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Don Dunning leads the rushing attack with  428 yards and six TDs. Roudebush has scored eight times on the ground as well. His top target is Curbrian Shelby with 1,000 yards on the season with 10 touchdowns.

Brian Wall leads Hanover with 66 total tackles, along with two interceptions. Garron Jenkins has recorded 6.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. Saadiq Pasha leads the Panthers' defense with four interceptions, while Kane Powell-Smith has nine pass break-ups.

In the Region: The winner of North Central vs. Hanover faces the winner of Hope College vs the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the third round. The bottom of the North Central bracket sees UW-Platteville vs. Alma College and Bethel University vs Coe College. See the full bracket HERE.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 36-13 overall record in the Division III Football Championship, including trips to the national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, each of the last five seasons. North Central is 23-4 in postseason home games.

North Central won the 2019, 2022 and 2024 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.

Conference Honors: The Cardinals earned 19 All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin selections, including a record 13 First Team honorees. WR Thomas Skokna (Offensive Player of the Year), OT Cortez Jones (Offensive Lineman of the Year), DL John Sullivan (Defensive Player of the Year), and Brad Spencer (Coaching Staff of the Year) each were honored with specialty awards.

First Team selections: QB Garret Wilson, RB Donovan McNeal, WR Thomas Skokna, OL Jerred Durian, OL Cortez Jones, DL Bobby Medina, DL Maverick Ohle, DL Eli Renick, DL John Sullivan, LB Matt Janiak, LB Danny Nuccio, DB Ramareon Roby and K Aidan Ellison.

Second Team selections: WR Jack Rummell, TE Grant McAtee, OL Brock Nunez, OL Tyson Cramer, LB Ethan Groark

Regional Honors: Following the fifth straight unbeaten regular season, North Central head football coach Brad Spencer has been named the 2025 NCAA Division III Region 4 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the organization announced Tuesday.

Spencer becomes the second Cardinal football head coach to be named an AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year, joining Jeff Thorne HOF'25, who was honored with the award in 2016. C.C. Grant (U.S. Coast Guard Academy), Dan Wodicka (Johns Hopkins University), Tony Kunczewski (Berry University) and Mike McElroy (Bethel University) round out the Division III recipients.

This is Spencer's first AFCA coaching honor, but he earned D3football.com's Regional and National Coach of the Year last season. In his four-year career as head coach, Spencer is 54-1 overall. He is 36-0 against College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin competition and 40-0 in the regular season. He was named the CCIW's Bob Reade Coach of the Year for the fourth straight season.

This year's squad has excelled on both sides of the ball, ranking first in Division III in scoring offense with 54.2 points per game during the regular season. The defense is third in Division III with just 6.6 points allowed per game and is second with 198.6 yards allowed per game. North Central also ranked in the top five nationally in team passing efficiency (No. 1, 214.90), red zone defense (No. 2, 46.7%), red zone offense (No. 4, 94.0%), defensive touchdowns (No. 3, five) and third down conversion percentage defensively (No. 5, 25%)

The regional winners in each division are the finalists for the AFCA's National Coach of the Year Award. Each Regional Coach of the Year will be formally recognized Jan. 12 in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the AFCA's annual convention.

Broadcasting Note: 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.