NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The top-ranked North Central College football team found itself in an unfamiliar situation during Saturday’s NCAA Division III national semifinal against third-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) College — for the first time all season, they trailed in a game.
“The message was to keep swinging,” junior quarterback Luke Lehnen said. “We had a stretch there where we had like five three-and-outs in a row. Obviously, you don’t want that as an offense.
"But the big interception from Zack Orr (in the third quarter) really helped our confidence, and we were like, 'OK, the defense is getting stops for us. We've got to go out there and respond,' because we hadn’t responded the entire third quarter."
The Cardinals trailed by a point early in the fourth quarter, but their deficit wasn’t for long. Junior running back Joe Sacco’s touchdown run with just under 6 minutes left put NCC back in front, and two huge defensive stops helped close out its 34-27 win at Wartburg and a trip to a fourth straight Stagg Bowl — the name of the Division III national title game — at 6 p.m. Friday in Salem, Va., against 11th-ranked Cortland (N.Y.).
According to NCC's website, Friday's Stagg Bowl will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN+.
NCC is seeking its second consecutive Division III national championship and its third in four seasons, going back to 2019 (the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic). The Cardinals are 14-0 this season and have not lost since the 2021 Stagg Bowl, a streak of 29 consecutive games that they can stretch to an even 30 with a win on Friday.
“Really fortunate to be a part of (the Stagg Bowl) four times,” NCC head coach Brad Spencer said. “It never gets any easier. Certainly, it helps to have some experience. You understand you’re on a short week and how to prepare for that and how to get your bodies back. You never get sick of it, and you’re thankful.”
For the seniors who have been at NCC since 2019, all they’ve known is playing for championships. Now they can cement their legacy at North Central with a 30th consecutive win and become the fifth Division III school to win three national titles and just the fourth to repeat.
“It’s mind-blowing what our class has done, what we’ve overcome,” senior wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy said. “We are just here to show the younger guys how it’s done, the hard work and time it takes, and preparation, and what it means to be a champion.”
So, does the team talk about this being a dynasty?
“That’s been thrown around here and there, but we've just got to finish,” Hardy said.