Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
LA CROSSE, Wis. (Dec. 2, 2023) - Operating with familiar precision on offense and contributing a series of impact plays on defense, the North Central College football team prevailed in Saturday's NCAA Division III Championship quarterfinal, 55-42, over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at Veterans Memorial Field.
The Cardinals (13-0) advance to the national semifinals for the fourth consecutive season, taking on Wartburg College (Iowa) Saturday, Dec. 9 at a site to be announced.
"You learn a lot in these games," said North Central head coach
Brad Spencer '04. "You learn a lot about yourself, your coaches, where you're at. I'm sure we're going to turn on the film and find things we can be better at next week. Overall, I'm just really proud of our guys for how they played for four quarters.
"We're thrilled to be back in the semifinals. You never want to take a win for granted. We'll have some critiques and things to work on, and I'm sure the players are just as interested in that as the coaches."
The visitors needed only four plays to open the scoring, as
Luke Lehnen connected with
DeAngelo Hardy on a crossing route for a seven-yard touchdown pass after less than two minutes of play had elapsed. The Eagles (11-2) responded with a score of their own, as quarterback Keyser Helterbrand scrambled 28 yards to tie the game at 7-7 with 10:58 still on the first-quarter clock.
After forcing a North Central punt, the hosts advanced deep into the Cardinals' territory before a turnover near the goal line turned the tide. La Crosse running back Gabe Lynch was stripped of the ball by the Cardinals'
Julian Bell just before reaching the end zone, and the ball rolled out the back of the end zone for a touchback to give North Central possession at their own 20-yard line.
Bell's effort took on more significance on the next play, as running back
Joe Sacco shook off a would-be tackler near the line of scrimmage and broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run to nudge the Cardinals back in front, 14-7.
"Something our coaches preach is never giving up on a play and refusing to lose," Bell said. "I felt that was an opportunity not to give up on a play and give my teammates what they deserve, and that's my best.
"I didn't even know the touchdown happened because we were making adjustments on the sideline with our defensive coordinator. It was good to see not giving up on a play pay off for our whole team."
North Central forced punts on the next two Eagle possessions and turned the resulting drives into touchdown runs of five yards and one yard by
Charles Coleman to take a commanding 28-7 lead with 4:11 to play in the first half. Helterbrand uncorked an 80-yard scoring pass to Jack Studer on the first play of the next possession to narrow the gap to 28-14. The hosts attempted an onside kick but were unable to recover the ball, setting North Central up at its own 47-yard line with 3:47 on the clock.
The final score of the half was orchestrated by
DeAngelo Hardy, who took a direct snap from center and launched a 21-yard touchdown pass to
Joey Lombardi with under a minute to play. Hardy, who tied North Central's career record for touchdown receptions (57), is now 3 for 3 passing this season with three touchdown throws. The Cardinals carried a 35-14 advantage into halftime, having gained 372 yards in the first two quarters of play.
La Crosse took the first possession of the second half 69 yards in 10 plays, scoring on Lynch's 11-yard run, though the Cardinals countered with a 34-yard TD pass from Lehnen to Lombardi. Helterbrand scored his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon from one yard out late in the third period, closing the gap to 41-28, before another one-yard scoring plunge by Helterbrand left the hosts with just a 41-35 deficit with 11:19 remaining.
Lehnen took matters into his own hands on the next drive, running the ball five times in an 11-play drive and calling his own number for a four-yard touchdown run, diving for the corner of the end zone and extending the Cardinals' lead to 48-35 with 5:02 to play.
"I think that was more acting on the fly," Lehnen said. "I wanted to win the game so bad so I was willing to do whatever it took. I saw the opportunity and I took it."
The Eagles kept the pressure on after a short North Central punt gave them the ball at the Cardinals' 42-yard line with 1:47 left. Helterbrand found Studer once again for a two-yard scoring pass with 32 seconds left, bringing the hosts within a touchdown at 48-42. La Crosse kicker Michael Stack attempted a second onside kick, and the ball fell into the hands of Hardy, who saw a clear path in front of him and raced 45 yards for a touchdown to put the contest out of reach.
The Cardinals gained 509 total yards, 323 of which came on the ground. Sacco ran for a career-high 187 yards on 17 carries, and Lehnen gained 86 yards on 11 attempts while completing 12 of 15 passes for 165 yards. Hardy caught nine passes for 87 yards and Lombardi finished with 89 yards on three grabs.
BJ Adamchik made 10 tackles and Bell finished with eight.
The Cardinals have now scored 808 points this season, breaking the previous program record of 786 set in 2022. North Central also broke its single-season record for touchdowns (110 in 2022), scoring 116 thus far.
Helterbrand completed 21 of 32 passes for 301 yards while rushing 26 times for 135 yards. Studer caught 10 passes for 204 yards.
The site and start time of Saturday's semifinal game will be announced later this weekend.
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