Season Recap

With their victory over Elmhurst College by the score of 49-24, the North Central football team concluded its 2009 campaign on November 14th. With the victory, the Cardinals took home a share of the CCIW crown as co-champions with Illinois Wesleyan University. This CCIW title gave the Cardinals their forth consecutive title, something that has only been achieved twice before in the history of the CCIW. Despite being ranked in the top 20 in two final season polls, the Cardinals were left out of playoff contention by the NCAA.

The season itself was marked by a number of outstanding individual performances by a number of Cardinals. Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe led the Cardinal offense with his outstanding play for the third year straight. Due to his and the rest of the offenses efforts, North Central was the highest scoring college football team in America this past season with an average of 49 points per game. During his career, Fanthorpe managed to climb high in the North Central record books in every passing category and finished with the highest career completion percentage in school history (60%). Last week, Aaron was named the Art Keller Offensive Player of the Year in the CCIW. This is his third time winning the award and he stands as the only player in the 63 year history of the conference to do so. In all, twelve Cardinals received All-CCIW honors. These players are:

Offense
Aaron Fanthorpe, SR, QB, First Team, CCIW OPOY
Butch Rossberg, SR, RB, First Team
Kyle Fiedorowicz, JR, TE, First Team
Steve Hlavac, JR, WR, First Team
Josh Delancy, SR, OL, First Team
Kyle Antos, JR, OL, First Team
Hank Johnston, SR, WR, Second Team
Zach Baldacci, SR, OL, Second Team

Defense
Joe Schneiderbauer, JR, LB, First Team
Josh McLeod, SO, DB, First Team
Robert Champion, JR, DL, First Team
Tim Janecek, SR, DL, Second Team

The Cardinals' nine First Team selections were the most in the conference this season and the largest haul in the history of the North Central program, topping the 2007 squad's eight First Team honorees. Congratulations to all of these players and to the entire team for their hard work and success this past season.

The team would also like to thank all of the fans, staff and faculty of North Central College for their continued support throughout the season. It was always comforting to know that whether the Cardinals played at home or on the road, the fans provided a great atmosphere that felt like a home field advantage. Please continue your support for the team as it looks to improve during the off season and the 2010 season.