The fifth-ranked Cardinals improve to 2-0 after getting an impressive 46-13 win over Washington University in St. Louis. At the time, the Bears were ranked 24th in the nation but have been knocked out, according to the recent D3Football.com rankings. Now, the cardinals are ready to take on homecoming this weekend.
The story of the night was wide receiver, Andrew Kamienski ’21, as he set a single-game record with 15 receptions. Kamienski also finished with 181 yards with two touchdowns thrown by quarterback Broc Rutter, ’20. Another wide receiver for the Cardinals, Blake Williams ’21, had his career-best in a game with 138 yards on eight catches. North Central Head Coach Jeff Thorne admires the work his receivers put in.
“Their performance is the testament to the time that they put in. Blake has worked his tail off since he got here as a freshman. Andrew and Broc have a chemistry between them that goes back to the high school seven-on-seven circuits. Their friendship and chemistry have just gotten stronger and stronger every year here,” said Thorne.
This week the Cardinals finally get their first home game of the season as they take on the North Park Vikings for homecoming. The Vikings are currently 0-2 after suffering a 34-21 loss to Anderson University (IN) and another to Millikin University 41-7 on their homecoming game. The Cardinals are excited to put on a show for their fans.
“It’s nice to be home after all the traveling we have been doing. Homecoming is always fun. The new scoreboard is going to be great. Hopefully, it’s up and running at that point, but we are very excited,” said Thorne.
One big thing that will be happening at the homecoming game is the rebranding launch of North Central College. This launch includes a new campus logo, new colors, a new slogan, and free Cardinals gear. Coach Thorne liked the idea.
“I think it’s pretty cool. I like the new slogan. We’ll see about the change in the colors if it impacts athletics because we have jerseys we’ve had for a long time and they aren’t cheap, so if we do need to change our uniforms it’s going to be a process.”
The Cardinals are set to kickoff against the Vikings this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium with homecoming festivities happening before the game.
