Steve Woltmann

Football Week 9 Preview: Elmhurst

11/6/2025 4:00:00 PM

Setting the Scene: Looking to win at least a share of its 19th College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship, the North Central College football team visits Elmhurst University on Saturday for a noon kickoff at Langhorst Field.

Series History: Saturday marks the 86th all-time meeting between North Central College and Elmhurst University, with the Cardinals holding a 62-22-1 advantage in the all-time series. However, North Central has dominated the rivalry since Carroll rejoined the CCIW in 2016, winning all eight matchups.

Last season, North Central concluded its home regular season with a 70–7 win over Elmhurst University at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, clinching its fourth consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship. The Cardinals (9–0, 8–0 CCIW) built a 63–7 halftime lead and finished with 708 total yards of offense, the fourth-highest single-game total in program history.

Quarterback Luke Lehnen accounted for four touchdowns—three passing and one rushing—while setting multiple records. His performance gave him 193 career touchdowns responsible for, the most in college football history across all divisions. He also broke North Central’s record for career touchdown passes with 146, ranking fifth in Division III history. Lehnen’s 83-yard touchdown run on the game’s third play was the sixth-longest in school history. He completed 15 of 16 passes for 347 yards, his highest total of the season.

Charles Coleman ran for three touchdowns, while Myles Walton, Jake Lynch, Jordan Chisum, and Donovan McNeal each added one. Jacob Paradee led receivers with 132 yards on three receptions. The Cardinals gained 412 yards through the air and 296 on the ground.

Defensively, North Central recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks. Kaden Hartnett had an interception, and Jacob Vincent forced a fumble recovered by John Sullivan. Myron Lewis, Vincent, Sullivan, Zack Orr, and several others each recorded three tackles. Elmhurst (2–7, 2–6) scored its only touchdown in the second quarter.

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 42 consecutive AFCA polls and 51 of the last 54 D3football.com polls.

Scouting the Pioneers: Elmhurst enters Saturday with a 1-7 record, beating Rockford University 34-30 in their season opener. Since then, the Bluejays have lost all seven conference contests.

Quarterback John Odom leads the Bluejays with 1,046 yards through the air with five touchdowns. He has thrown 10 interceptions and has a 54.55% completion percentage. On the ground, Jeffrey Elms has racked up 459 yards with three scores on 100 carries. Odom has carried the ball 73 times for 151 yards. Odom’s top target is A.D. Russell has hauled in 27 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown.

Defensively, Malakai Correa leads the team with 69 tackles, followed by Jace Zeffiro (61) and Ryan Burton (50). Mason Allen and Etor Agbenya have each recorded 1.5 sacks, while Jonathan Wells has notched three interceptions.

As a team, Elmhurst scores 8.38 points per game and allows 39.25. They record 441 yards of total offense, averaging 4.2 yards per play.

1986 vs Elmhurst - North Central College secured a 24-16 victory over Elmhurst College on Nov. 8, highlighted by two fourth-quarter interceptions and a 6-yard touchdown pass from Marc Browning to Rick Thorgesen. A Dad’s Day crowd of 2,000 watched the Cardinals rally from a 10-7 deficit, tying the game with a third-quarter field goal before dominating the final period. Clint Mobley led the offense with 95 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards, while Keith Viggers sealed the win with a 15-yard touchdown run. Defensively, Tom Schager and Kyle Brown each intercepted Elmhurst quarterback Mike Wagner, who threw for 282 yards but was picked off three times. Ron Selby recovered two fumbles and added an interception. The win gave North Central its first winning season since 1982, finishing 5-3-1 overall and tied for fourth in the CCIW.

This Week in the CCIW: North Central enters Saturday as the CCIW’s only unbeaten team at 7–0, 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 6-1 conference mark.

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

National Recognition: North Central College football has been honored by the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin with two player of the week honors as running back Donovan McNeal has earned the CCIW Offensive Player of the Week and wide receiver Myles Walton has been named the CCIW Special Teams Player of the Week for their performances in the Cardinals' 54-7 win over Carroll University.

McNeal racked up a career-high 125 yards on 16 carries (7.8 yards per carry), scoring two touchdowns on the day. This marks his fourth game of 100+ yards on the ground this season. McNeal leads the CCIW with 726 rushing yards through eight games played.

Walton returned a punt back 51 yards in the third quarter for his first return touchdown of the season, giving North Central a 58-0 lead. In total, he returned three punts for 76 yards, the most in the CCIW this week.

McNeal and Walton join Thomas Skokna, Bobby Medina, Aidan Ellison and Garret Wilson as Cardinals to earn a CCIW weekly award.

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