North Central College Cardinals

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

Sept. 5, 2026 - In a showdown between the top two teams in NCAA Division III, the No. 1 North Central College football team reigned supreme in a convincing 44-21 victory over No. 2 Bethel University behind four forced turnovers from the Cardinal defense on Saturday at a hot Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The Royals won the opening coin toss and chose to start with the ball. Bethel drove down the field, but Kaden Hartnett recorded a third-down stop to force a field goal attempt. Zach Bengston's 30-yard kick was no good.

On the second play of the season for the Cardinal offense, Garret Wilson found David Ballard III for an 80-yard touchdown to give North Central a 7-0 lead following a Sean Ryniec extra point. Ballard caught the ball at the Cardinals' 29-yard line and ran 71 yards for the opening score.

Bethel responded with a five-play, 79-yard drive capped by a passing touchdown from Cooper Drews to Teagan Viebrock to even the score at 7-7.

A three-and-out from North Central gave the ball back to the Royals. The visitors drove into Cardinal territory, but Drews' pass was intercepted by Kyler Green at the 25-yard line to keep the game tied.

Following another Cardinal punt by Boyd Dose, Maverick Ohle forced a Taye Manns fumble that was recovered by Troy Kashul, who returned the ball to the Bethel 7-yard line. The Cardinals capitalized as Ryniec knocked in a 21-yard field goal to put the hosts back on top, 10-7, at the end of the first quarter.

On third and 13, Ohle stopped Drews' rushing attempt short to force a Royals punt. Both teams' next drives came up empty as the defenses held firm.

Back-to-back chunk plays by Ballard moved the ball deep into Bethel territory midway through the second quarter. Wilson's pass on second and 13 found Jack Rummell in the end zone after a deflection as North Central extended its lead to 17-7.

After a fourth-down conversion by the Royals, Ethan Groark intercepted Drews' pass near midfield to give the ball back to the Cardinals. Bobby Medina's pressure hurried Drews on the play.

North Central again took advantage. A methodical 10-play, 47-yard drive wound the clock late in the second quarter as Ryniec hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to send the Cardinals into the locker room up 20-7.

Coming out of halftime strong, Jake Vitel hauled in a 17-yard pass from Wilson before the junior quarterback hit Jordan Williams on a screen pass for a 54-yard touchdown less than three minutes into the third quarter.

Bethel answered with an 11-play drive that reached the red zone, but hurried again by Medina, Drews threw his third interception as Hartnett jumped in front of a pass in the end zone.

Taking over at the 20-yard line, Duke Guenther's first carry went for 11 yards as the Cardinals' rushing attack picked up steam. Zebulon Rashid found a seam on the right side for a 21-yard gain down to the 3-yard line. Wilson connected with Ballard for his fourth touchdown of the contest, and Ryniec added the extra point as North Central pushed its lead to 34-7.

Bethel put together a scoring drive late in the third quarter as David Geebli scored a 3-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 34-14.

Entering the fourth quarter, the North Central offense stalled at the Bethel 40-yard line. Ryniec trotted out to attempt the longest field goal of his career, and the senior buried a 56-yard kick, tying the second-longest made field goal in program history.

Following a turnover on downs for the Royals, North Central's 34-yard drive ended with a Rashid 1-yard score, pushing the lead to 44-14.

Bethel added a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but its onside kick attempts were unsuccessful as the Cardinals clinched a 44-21 victory in the first-ever season-opening matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Division III.

Ballard finished with 160 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Rummell and Williams each added 56 yards. Wilson set a career high with 325 passing yards and four touchdowns and was the Cardinals' leading rusher with 37 yards. The offensive line did not allow a sack.

Defensively, Hartnett, Green and Groark recorded interceptions, while Ohle forced a fumble. Linebackers Matt Janiak (13) and Phillip Carlton Jr. (12) led the Cardinals in tackles. Medina recorded four quarterback hurries along with a sack and seven tackles.

North Central hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Waverly, Iowa, to face No. 9 Wartburg College at Walston-Hoover Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Cardinals and Knights last met in 2023, when North Central secured a national semifinal victory, 34-27.

Postgame Press Conference