Cardinals' playoff run comes to end

WHITEWATER, Wis. -- Two-time national runner-up UW-Whitewater ended North Central College's football season with a 59-28 victory Saturday in the second round of the NCAA III playoffs but not before the 20th-ranked Cardinals gave the second-ranked Warhawks all they could handle.

North Central finished with a 9-3 record while UW-Whitewater improved to 11-1 and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Trailing 24-14 at halftime, North Central scored on its first possession of the second half to close the deficit to only three points at 24-21 at the 9:34 mark of the third quarter. However, the good times didn't last long as the Warhawks needed only one play, a 70-yard TD reception by Matt Gifford, to score on their next possession and surge ahead 31-21.

UW-Whitewater put the game out of reach at 38-21 with 2:49 left in the third quarter after Justin Beavers galloped 47 yards for a touchdown.

"We had them on their heels," said North Central quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe (Naperville North) in referring to the 3-point deficit.

"Our goal was to be in the game in the fourth quarter," said North Central coach John Thorne, "and we almost did it. But they're a great football team and you can't make mistakes against great teams. They capitalized on all three of the mistakes we made in the first half."

North Central dug itself a huge hole early, falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter as everything that could possibly go wrong seemingly did. On the game's second play from scrimmage, Beaver raced 74 yards to paydirt for a 7-0 lead just 57 seconds into the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, an unintentional squib kick was recovered by the Warhawks' Anthony White. Although the Cardinals defense held and forced a punt, North Central's first offensive possession of the game also went sour.

Forced to punt, Adam Pucylowski mishandled the snap and was tackled at the Cardinals 35-yard line.

UW-Whitewater capitalized on the short field, scoring on a 2-yard bootleg by quarterback Danny Jones with 6:25 to play in the first quarter.

"We graduate 20 seniors and they've had a great run," Thorne said. "But we're a young football team and hopefully we'll be right back in this same position next year but we'll come out with a win."