North Central marches into national semifinals for fourth consecutive season
LA CROSSE, Wis. - Operating with precision on offense and contributing a series of impact plays on defense, North Central College prevailed in Saturday's NCAA Division III football quarterfinal, winning 55-42 over 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) next Saturday at a site to be announced.
"You learn a lot in these games," said North Central coach Brad Spencer. "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. Luke Lehnen connected with DeAngelo Hardy on a crossing route for a 7-yard touchdown pass after less than two minutes. The Eagles (11-2) responded with a score of their own when quarterback Keyser Helterbrand scrambled 28 yards to tie the game at 7-7.
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 its 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."
The Cardinals gained 509 total yards, 323 of which came on the ground. Sacco ran for a personal 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 9 passes for 87 yards and Lombardi finished with 89 yards on 3 grabs. BJ Adamchik made 10 tackles and Bell finished with 8.
The Cardinals have 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.
The site and start time of Saturday's semifinal game is to be announced.