Sean Allen
Steve Woltmann
0
Carthage CAR 1-1 , 0-1
62
Winner North Central (IL) NCC 2-0 , 1-0
Carthage CAR
1-1 , 0-1
0
Final
62
North Central (IL) NCC
2-0 , 1-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
CAR Carthage 0 0 0 0 0
NCC North Central (IL) 14 13 21 14 62

Game Recap: Football |

Cardinals Dominate in 62-0 Win over Carthage in CCIW Opener

Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

Sept. 20, 2025 - Posting the eighth most total yards of offense (688) in program history while holding Carthage to just 100 total yards of offense, the sixth best defensive mark in school history, the North Central College football team rolled past Carthage, 62-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin opener Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. 

After the Cardinal defense forced a Firebird punt, the Cardinals marched down the field, highlighted by a 33-yard pass from quarterback Garret Wilson to wide receiver Thomas Skokna. Running back Sean Allen found the end zone on a 10 yard run to score the game's first points. 

On the following Firebird drive, linebacker Danny Nuccio forced a Dylan Salisbury fumble to give the ball back to the North Central offense. The Cardinals capitalized with a 37-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Jack Rummell. Aidan Ellison added his second extra point of the game to put the hosts ahead, 14-0.

North Central forced another Carthage turnover, this time Jack De Filippis fumbled the snap and defensive tackle Maverick Ohle pounced on the loose ball. The Cardinal offense was turned away as the Firebirds stopped the Cardinals on the one-yard line.

North Central forced a punt before Thomas Skokna caught a 21 yard pass from Wilson to tack on another touchdown. The point after attempt was blocked as the Cardinals took a 20-0 lead in the second quarter.

Carthage took advantage of a few costly North Central penalties, marching down to the North Central 35-yard line. On a fourth and six, Eli Renick sacked Easton Heafner to give the ball back to North Central. A Jalen Johnson 18 yard catch put the Cardinals in scoring position as Allen scampered nine yards to the end zone to put North Central on top, 27-0 at halftime.

Receiving the ball to start the third quarter, the Cardinals put together a 5:01 possession, capped off with Skokna's second touchdown catch of the game. After the Cardinal defense forced a three-and-out, Wilson found Rummell for his fourth TD pass of the afternoon to put North Central up 41-0. 

Quarterback Demir Ashiru found running back Donovan McNeal for an 11 yard gain before running for 18 yards. He found Grant McAtee on a nine-yard completion to bring the ball into Firebird territory. Wilson came back into the game and rushed for 25 yards before finding running back Jordan Williams on a 14-yard TD pass to give the Cardinals 48-0 advantage after three quarters.

Following a punt from Carthage, McNeal found the end zone on a 10-yard TD run to extend the Cardinal lead. A three-and-out from the Cardinal defense allowed Zeb Rashid to score his first collegiate touchdown, finishing off a 5:31 91-yard drive with a 28-yard run.

Wilson threw for 295 yards and five touchdowns on 20-of-27 passing. Allen scored twice while rushing for 85 yards. Rummel (76 yards) and Skokna (74 yards) led the receiving attack with two TD catches each. John Sullivan, Renick and Kamil Kokot recorded sacks while Nuccio forced a fumble. Matt Janiak led the Cardinal defense with eight tackles on the day.

As a team, the Cardinal offense racked up 339 rushing yards and 349 passing yards to total 688 yards of offense. North Central was 8-of-10 on third down while the Cardinals' defense held Carthage to a 0-11 mark on third down. In total, the Firebird offense totaled 100 yards with 84 yards through the air and 16 yards on the ground.

North Central plays its first road contest of the season, visiting Washington University of St. Louis for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Francis Field next Saturday. The Cardinals have won the last seven matchups and are 6-0 all-time in St. Louis.

 
Print Friendly Version