Football Week 3 Preview: North Park

Setting the Scene: Opening College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play, the North Central College football team visits North Park University, hoping to win its league-record 52nd straight conference contest.

Series History:  The Cardinals are riding a 29-game winning streak against the Vikings, the longest streak against any CCIW opponent. All-time, North Central is 53-10-2 over North Park.

Last season, North Central College recorded its third shutout of the year and highest scoring output since October 2023, defeating North Park University 75-0. The Cardinals matched the seventh-largest margin of victory in program history.

Garret Wilson led the offense, completing 11 of 17 passes for 139 yards and four touchdowns after tying the program record with six touchdown passes a week earlier. Thomas Skokna continued his stellar season with six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns, while Jack Rummell hauled in two touchdown receptions. Zebulon Rashid paced the rushing attack with 85 yards on 10 carries, and Sean Allen added 65 yards and a score.

The Cardinal defense dominated throughout, limiting North Park to just 76 total yards, five first downs, and minus-three rushing yards. North Central recorded three sacks, forced two interceptions, and collected a defensive touchdown on Matt Janiak's pick-six. Bobby Medina totaled two sacks and three tackles for loss, while John Sullivan led the team with five tackles. The Cardinals also received a boost from special teams when David Ballard III blocked a punt that set up a touchdown before halftime.

National Rankings: North Central remains the No. 1 team in Division III, earning all of the possible first-place votes in the D3football.com poll and 52 of the possible 53 first-place votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25. 

Scouting the Vikings: North Park is 0-2 on the season, falling in a pair of competitive games to Franklin College (34-31) and the University of Olivet in double overtime (43-41). 

As a team, the Vikings run a balanced offense, averaging 208.5 yards through the air and 194 yards on the ground. The offense has been able to convert its chances, posting a 9-9 mark in the red zone, with eight of those scores being touchdowns. Defensively, North Park gives up 38.50 points per game, allowing nearly 250 passing yards per game. 

Paul Palmer has thrown for 388 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions over the first two games. He has added 144 rushing yards and a team-high three rushing touchdowns. Aidan Delisi is the lead running back, averaging 88.5 yards per game with a pair of touchdowns. Bryce Black is the top pass catcher, hauling in seven passes for 90 yards and a score. 

On defense, Armando Martinez paces the Vikings in tackles with 23, including two for a loss. Martinez and Kory Pradia each have a sack on the season, with Gregory Spires Jr. at 2.5 tackles for loss. Darrius Whiters has the lone interception for the Vikings defense.

Weekly Honors: Matt Janiak was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for this clutch interception vs. No. 9 Wartburg College last week. He joins kicker Sean Ryniec as the second North Central player to earn D3football.com Team of the Week recognition this season.

Around the CCIW: Augustana hosts Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Eau Claire hosts Carthage in the 1 p.m. kickoff slate. At night, Elmhurst hosts Carroll while Wheaton hosts Millikin

Around Division III: Wartburg finds itself in another key top-10 matchup as they host No. 4 UW-River Falls. No. 13 Johns Hopkins looks to bounce back over No. 24 Susquehanna. Mary Hardin-Baylor hosts No. 20 Endicott to round out the top 25 matchups.