Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
Dec. 13, 2025 - In a battle of the only two remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division III, the North Central College football team used a clutch stop at the Royals' 1-yard line as time expired in the first half before scoring three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to earn a 35-21 victory over No. 3/4 Bethel University on Saturday in the quarterfinals at Benetti-Wehrli Stadium.
"The guys did a great job coming out of halftime, which is something we pride ourselves on," head coach Brad Spencer said. "We did a great job holding onto the momentum that we gained at the end of the first half."
Following punts from each side, the Cardinals methodically made their way down the field, into Bethel territory. Donovan McNeal capped off a 17-play, 81-yard drive with a 1-yard score to give North Central a 7-0 advantage in the first quarter.
On the Royals' first possession of the second quarter, quarterback Cooper Drews moved the sticks on a 4th & 1 to keep the drive alive. At the North Central 31, Drews lost control of the football on a pass attempt to give the ball back to the Cardinals.
Bethel forced a three-and-out, taking over at their own 35-yard line. Taye Manns highlighted a 12-play, 65-yard drive for the Royals. Drews found wide receiver Albert Rundell for a four-yard touchdown catch to even the contest at 7-7.
North Central responded with a scoring drive of their own as McNeal moved the ball into Bethel territory before finishing off the possession with a 33-yard touchdown rush, his second of the day. Aidan Ellison drilled the extra point to put the hosts ahead by seven, 14-7.
The Royals moved the ball quickly into Cardinal territory. On 4th & 6 from the 14-yard line, Drews found Rundell for a six-yard gain. As Brayden Garrigan and Jahmar Daniel held up Rundell, offensive lineman Jaegar Ash grabbed the ball and scored a touchdown. After a North Central challenge, the officials determined that Rundell's progress had stopped, nullifying the score. That play did pick up a first down. With eight seconds left in the half, Danny Nuccio stopped a quarterback draw as Drews was tackled for no gain. North Central held a 14-7 lead at the break.
"We can't change whether or not that play was called a touchdown," linebacker Matt Janiak said. "We had to keep the defense ready to go and regroup. As Jeff Thorne always said, we need to keep swinging."
Rahmeroen Roby and Daniel each broke up a pass as the Cardinal defense forced a three-and-out. The North Central offense took over at the Bethel 40-yard line following a short punt. Quarterback Garret Wilson found Jack Rummell before Jordan Williams ran up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown, extending the Cardinal advantage to 14, 21-7.
After a Bethel first down, three straight incompletions, highlighted by a Bobby Medina deflection at the line of scrimmage, North Central took over following another Royals' punt. A 13-play drive, which took five minutes off the clock, was ended on a Zeb Rashid three-yard touchdown, adding to the Cardinal lead, 28-7.
John Sullivan and Maverick Ohle combined for a sack of Drews on third down, forcing another three-and-out for Bethel. The Cardinals took over at their own 40-yard line as the game moved into the fourth quarter. Wilson connected with McNeal through the air before McNeal scored a career-high third touchdown on a 3-yard score to give North Central a 35-7 advantage.
Drews hit Tragan Viebrock for a 52-yard completion as the Royals moved deep into Cardinal territory. Daniel jumped in front of a screen pass at the 8-yardline for his second interception of the season, to keep Bethel from scoring. North Central's offense fumbled the ball back to the Royals. Sullivan batted another pass down on a 4th & 4 to give the ball back to the Cardinals.
Following a North Central punt, Drews found Viebrock for a 33-yard completion before Drews ran it up the middle for a touchdown from the 1-yardline, cutting into their deficit. The ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful.
The Cardinals kept the ball on the ground to milk the clock, ultimately punting the ball back to Bethel with 2:43 left to play with no timeouts. Drews moved the ball down the field, connecting with Tyler Terry on a 20-yard touchdown pass, closing the gap to 14, 35-21.
North Central ran two plays in victory formation to secure the 35-21 win and advance to the Division III semifinals for the sixth straight season. The Cardinals out-rushed Bethel 312-140 on the day, with all five touchdowns coming on the ground.
"Seeing Jordan [Williams] and Zeb [Rashid] score means a lot," said McNeal. "When given the opportunity, they take advantage of the moment."
McNeal led all rushers with 144 yards on the ground and three scores. Williams added a season-best 90 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. Wilson was 9-of-17 through the air for 83 yards. His top target, Rummell, caught five passes for 45 yards.
Janiak recorded a season-high 16 tackles with a fumble recovery. Brayden Garrigan and Nuccio each added 11 tackles, while Daniel recorded six tackles with an interception and a pass breakup. Sullivan and Ohle combined for the lone Cardinal sack.
North Central moves on to face No. 8/9 John Carroll University for the first time in program history. The 2025 NCAA Division III semifinal will take place at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium with a kickoff time to be determined.
See the full postgame press conference comments from Spencer, offensive lineman Cortez Jones, McNeal and Janiak HERE.
