Wheaton College romps in first round of Division III playoffs

Wheaton College routed Crown College in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs on Saturday afternoon at McCully Stadium, advancing with a 76-14 victory.

The 76 points scored by Wheaton is the most by the Thunder in the program’s 32 NCAA Division III playoff games, and the 62-point margin of victory is also the most.

The Thunder victory moves Wheaton into the second round. No. 19-ranked Wheaton will travel to Waverly, Iowa, next Saturday to take on fifth-ranked Wartburg University.

Mark Forcucci (Wheaton North) passed for 214 yards, completing 14 of his 16 attempts, along with three passing touchdowns. Seth Kortenhoeven (Wheaton North) led all receivers in catches today with six for 51 yards and a touchdown. Ben Juska (Westmont) recorded three catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Juska had 39 yards on four attempts, punching in two touchdowns on the ground as well.

As a unit, the Wheaton defense forced three turnovers and recorded six quarterback sacks. Zeke Harris led the Thunder defense in tackles with 10. Defensive end Peter Johanik (Wheaton Academy) recorded three of Wheaton’s 13 tackles for loss. Johanik improved his first-place standing on Wheaton’s all-time list with 57.5 career tackles for loss.