‘Time to move on’: WR Madsen makes jump from Aurora to North Central
Trey Madsen is Aurora University's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He was one of the key players in the Spartans rise to becoming a Division III power.
So why did he transfer as a graduate student to North Central this season? Well, that's an interesting story.
“Last year, a lot of my close buddies and guys I hung out with, they all graduated,” Madsen said after his North Central debut last Saturday. “It was kind of one of those, 'Maybe it is time to move on.'”
Before Aurora U., Madsen attended Aurora Christian and played for Dave Beebe, brother of Spartans head coach (and former Aurora Christian boss) Don Beebe. So he'd spent a long time in the same neighborhood of Aurora.
“I had a wonderful, successful career at Aurora,” Madsen said. “I was put in a wonderful position by coach Beebe to have the success that I did. I figured it would be nice to get kind of new perspective and work in a different offense and things like that. So that's what made the decision.”
He considered a variety of options before deciding to move a few miles down the road to Naperville. Madsen attended a pro day and if he'd gotten an invite to an NFL rookie camp, he would have taken it.
He also considered moving up to a higher level of college football and heard from FCS power Villanova at one point.
“I wanted to go higher, but I think when I entered the portal it was a little too late,” he said. “When North Central kind of eased their way into the conversation, I was just like, 'Maybe I'll check it out.' They are right now the powerhouse of D-III.
“And I knew DeAngelo Hardy and Lambo (Joey Lombardi) were graduating last year. So it was a good opportunity to walk into a place where they do need some receivers.”
It just happened that No. 1-ranked North Central played its opening game at Madsen's old home last Saturday. He had 6 receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals beat No. 14 Aurora 48-21.
“We pulled onto campus and it was like, 'This is weird, I'm not playing with the team I played with on the field I've always played on,'” Madsen said.
Then again, change is the norm at all levels of college football these days. North Central should challenge for another national title this year and landing an experienced wide receiver in the portal is a nice boost.
“That's not an easy thing to do, to make a decision for yourself, to go and explore something new,” North Central coach Brad Spencer said. “I give him a lot of credit for it because he's handled it really well. He's been very mature through the whole thing.”
Madsen mentioned curriculum as another reason for the move. He majored in sports management and is now working on a master's in sports leadership.
“What I'd really like to do is help coaches understand their impact on players lives, from the Christian perspective of life and whatnot,” Madsen said. “Helping them understand they are role models and what they do really makes a difference in players' lives.”
Local player of the week
Running back Josh Lim (Marmion) got just 4 carries as a freshman at Augustana. He opened his sophomore season with 121 yards on 11 carries in a 30-13 victory over Simpson (Iowa) last Saturday. The 5-foot-9 Lim went for a 67-yard TD and got support from Mike DiGioia (Schaumburg), who added 82 rushing yards.
The Vikings are loaded with players from the suburbs, including QB Cole Bhardwaj (Jacobs). They'll be in town Saturday night to take on CCIW rival Wheaton College, which should be an interesting game. Augustana went 8-3 last season, while the Thunder opened year ranked No. 9 in Division III before losing its opener on the road at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Quick hitters
QB Tommy Rittenhouse (St. Francis) threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another, leading Illinois State to a 51-34 victory over Western Illinois. One of those TD passes went to Daniel Sobkowicz (Rolling Meadows). … No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater made a visit to the suburbs last weekend and beat Roosevelt 24-14 in Arlington Heights. Whitewater's Tyler Vasey (Prairie Ridge) celebrated the occasion with a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown.