North Central College wins Division III national football title
It will be difficult for any quarterback at any level to top what North Central College's Luke Lehnen has accomplished over the last four years.
The four-year starter capped off his record-setting career by leading the Cardinals to a 41-25 Stagg Bowl LI win over Mount Union Sunday night at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
Lehnen passed for four touchdowns and ran for another as the Cardinals claimed their third Division III national championship and second during their brilliant quarterback’s college career. Lehnen, who also guided North Central to a pair of national runner-up finishes, closes his career with 162 touchdown passes, the most ever in college football.
On Sunday he had plenty of help. The offensive line gave him the time he needed to find his deep group of talented receivers. Charles Coleman busted off a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and the defense frustrated the Purple Raiders three times in the red zone to hold them off in a battle of 14-0 teams.
Jacob Paradee had a pair of touchdown catches for NCC and Jack Rummell and Myles Walton each had scoring catches in the title game.
After Mount Union failed to convert a first-and-goal opportunity late in the half, the Cardinals maintained their 14-10 lead and third-year head coach Brad Spencer kept alive his perfect streak of never trailing at the half in his three years in charge.
North Central did fall behind 7-0 after a lost fumble led the way to a 24-yard score by Raiders running back Tyler Echeverry, whose 30th rushing score leads the country.
But Lehnen, who was named the 2024 John Gagliardi Trophy recipient for a second straight season on Friday, answered in an impressive fashion.
Lehnen led a 62-yard drive by going 4 of 4 including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Walton that tied the game at 7-7 with 4:35 left in the opening quarter. Lehnen added a 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and the Cardinals’ defense stopped Mount Union twice in the red zone to lead 14-10 at the half
Individually this season, Mount Union has been led by Echeverry, who led all Division III players in rushing touchdowns (29) while ranking fourth nationally in rushing yards (1,631) entering Sunday’s play. The senior had run for at least 100 yards in eight of the Raiders’ previous nine games.
The two schools entered the title game with impressive resumes, with the Purple Raiders making their NCAA-record 23rd Stagg Bowl appearance on Sunday and having won an NCAA-record 13 National Championships. The Purple Raiders have competed in the Stagg Bowl six times in the past 10 seasons.
North Central's dominance has been briefer but rather amazing in its own way, with four total Stagg Bowl appearances in the past four seasons. The No. 1-ranked Cardinals claimed Division III titles in 2022 and 2019, and last season lost a heartbreaking 38-37 title game against Cortland for the program’s second runner-up finish. NCC brought a 35-13 overall record in the Division III Football Championship into this year’s finale against third-ranked Mount Union.