North Central again leads the pack as Division III football season kicks off
There's a downside to going 29-1 over the past two seasons.
In the case of North Central's Brad Spencer, he had to spend all summer with the bitter taste of his only loss as head coach, a 38-37 squeaker in the national championship game against SUNY-Cortland.
“You can't take back or do over what's happened,” Spencer said. “But you can certainly learn from it and become a better coach, player, program, and I like to believe that's what I've watched for the last eight months, really.”
Bad news has been rare at North Central lately. The Cardinals have been to the last four Division III title games, winning in 2019 and '22, and begins this season ranked No. 1 in the polls.
They're also in great shape heading into this season with senior quarterback Luke Lehnen, who has started every game for the past three years.
“Being able to have him back, second year as a captain, fifth year in the program, it doesn't get any better than that,” Spencer said.
North Central has six other players who are either returning all-conference or preseason All-America. The list includes leading rusher Joe Sacco (St. Edward), offensive guard Sam Pryor (Kaneland), offensive lineman Jeske Maples, tight end Bobby Behmer, linebacker BJ Adamchik and defensive lineman Martin Egbo,
“It's been a great off-season,” Spencer said. “I think we have the fastest team we've ever had, according to the technology they wear in practice.”
Once change in Division III this year is the playoffs expanded from 32 to 40 teams. That probably won't change anything for North Central, since 24 teams will get first-round byes. But now instead of three at-large bids, there will be 11.
Strength of schedule has been an issue for the Cardinals, since that plays into playoff seeding. They had to win two road playoff games to reach the championship last fall. With just one nonconference game to work with, North Central will open at No. 15 Aurora on Sept. 14. It would make sense to keep this matchup an annual event.
“We're excited to play Aurora,” Spencer said. “They're a conference champion, playoff team, top 15 preseason ranking. It's a great game for both squads to be playing another playoff team.”
Here's a look at some other area Division III football squads as the 2024 season kicks off this weekend:
No. 9 Wheaton
The Thunder have been to the playoffs four years in a row and will host North Central on Oct. 5 in the annual CCIW showdown. Wheaton has two preseason All-Americans, running back Giovanni Weeks and cornerback Max Wilson (Wheaton Warrenville South).
The top two receivers return, Ben Bonga and Seth Kortenhoeven (Wheaton North), but Wheaton needs to replace QB Ben Thorson. A challenging nonconference road game at Wisconsin-Oshkosh awaits Saturday.
No. 15 Aurora
Since former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe took over as head coach for the 2019 season, Aurora has gone 34-0 in the NACC and made the last four playoffs. The Spartans are the first area team to open the season, playing a road nonconference game at Dubuque on Friday.
Aurora returns preseason All-America offensive lineman Matthew Kickel (Benet) and QB Ian Luyando (Buffalo Grove). The Spartans lost running back Jhe'Quay Chretin, though, who ran for over 3,809 yards.
Elmhurst
Coach Mike Murray begins his second season trying to improve on last year's 2-8 campaign. Offense was an issue, as Elmhurst averaged just 11.6 points and 197 yards a game. Sophomore linebacker Jace Zeffiro (Lake Park) is one of the top returnees on defense.
Benedictine
The Eagles are in the NACC with Aurora and finished fourth last year with a 5-4 record. They return QB Evan Wydajewski (Lincoln-Way West) and open the season Saturday against Buena Vista in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Augustana
Augie is loaded with suburban players, went 8-3 last year and will try to close the gap with North Central and Wheaton in the CCIW. QB Cole Bhardwaj (Jacobs) is back for a fifth year. Running back Mike DiGioia (Schaumburg) is the top returning rusher, wide receiver Breyden Smith (Hersey) the top returning receiver and linebacker Rukkus Hunkins (Huntley) the top returning tackler.
Wisconsin-Whitewater
Ranked No. 3 in the polls, the Warhawks usually recruit well in the suburbs. Three of the top four receivers are from the area — Steven Hein (St. Charles North), Tyler Vasey (Prairie Ridge) and Nick Wind (Montini), along with four starters on defense.
Lake Forest
The Forresters rely heavily on out-of-state talent. They were rolling last year, then lost three of their last four games in the MWC to finish 7-3.