Last year the North Central football team rolled through the regular season as they finished 9-1. Their only loss was against Wheaton College. The Cardinals made the NCAA Division III Playoffs with a win in the first round against Hanover College 52-0 but lost in the next round 27-24 to #11 Bethel University.
For the 2019 season, the Cardinals have high expectations. According to D3Football.com, the Cardinals will start the season ranked fifth in the nation. North Central was predicted by the CCIW coaches’ preseason poll to win their third-straight CCIW. Head Coach Jeff Thorne has acknowledged the praise from the rankings.
“With the high expectations, there comes a target that teams are coming after us and we are going to get their best. We have to show up every week and play Cardinals football that we have established for the last 15 years,” said Thorne.
The Cardinals return a lot of notable players like Tommy Hyland, ’21, Andrew Kamienski, ’21, Jake Beesley, ’21, Ben Wong, ’21, Bryan Beauchamp, ’20, Ethan Greenfield, ’22, Terrance Hill, ’22, Sharmore Clarke, ’21 and much more. The most impactful player that returns is senior quarterback Broc Rutter. The All-American quarterback threw for 3,539 yards, 30 TD, 3 INT and ran for four TD.
“He keeps rewriting the record books,” said Thorne. “It’s a reassuring feeling that you have one of the best quarterbacks in the country for the past four years … he helps put a great offense on the field since he fixes a lot of things with his physical tools and his mind.”
This year the Cardinals open up the season in Norfolk, Virginia, as they take on Christopher Newport University for the first time.
“They’re very talented. They’re a really good team and they’ll be a great test for us. They have a lot of speed and all-around good players” said Thorne.
The Captains finished in fourth place in the NJAC with a 7-2 record as they scored an average of 26.4 points and allowed an average of 12.4 points.
Thorne is entering his fifth year as the Cardinals football head coach, but this year he has a clear philosophy for the team.
“Run to the roar. Some people run away from adversity, but we want our players to know it’s okay to runs towards adversity. It’s what eagles do; they fly towards a storm,” said Thorne.
Ironically enough, that’s what the Cardinals will be doing this weekend as they fly to Virginia as Hurricane Dorian could be hugging the East coast. As of now, the game is still scheduled for Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. (CT).
