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.

Cardinals Bounce Back

After a disappointing loss at Illinois Wesleyan, the North Central Cardinals responded with a 45-26 victory over Augustana College this past Saturday in Rock Island, Illinois. Trailing 6-0 after the first quarter, the Cards ripped off twenty four points in the second quarter to take a 24-20 lead into the locker room for halftime. The Cardinals would never relinquish that lead as they would score another twenty one points in the second half of the game.

Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe turned out his best passing performance of the season completing 19-24 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, which included a forty six yard touchdown strike to receiver Steve Hlavac right before the halftime horn sounded.

On the ground the Cardinals were again led with an impressive performance from senior running back Butch Rossberg who earned every one of his 113 yards. On the day Rossberg averaged just over seven yards a carry and found the end zone on a fourteen yard scamper in the second quarter.

Leading the Cardinals aerial assault was Hlavac, who gave the Vikings secondary nightmares all afternoon. The junior wide receiver finished the day with seven catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively the Cardinals were led by junior linebacker Joe Schneiderbauer who posted eleven tackles, three of which were for a loss of yards. Sophomore defensive back Josh McLeod provided a key interception for the Cardinals in the second quarter that helped jump start the Cardinal offense.

The victory puts the Cardinals at 7-2 for the 2009 season. Ranked 16th in the nation by the latest D3Football.com poll, the Cardinals will look to finish the regular season 8-2 when the Elmhurst College Bluejays roll into town this Saturday. This last home game of the regular season and senior appreciation day is set for a 1 PM start. On Saturday the Cardinals will attempt to capture their forth consecutive CCIW Conference Championship.

JV Cardinals End Season on a High Note

The North Central JV football team completed their season on Sunday with a 35-14 victory over St. Ambrose University (IA). With the victory, the JV team ended their season with a 6-2 record, with both losses coming by only three points. Congratulations to the JV football team for compiling the best JV record in North Central College history.

Fanthorpe and Wild Honored

Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe and junior punter Shaun Wild were both honored by the CCIW as players of the week for their performances against the Wheaton Thunder this past Saturday. Fanthorpe went 16-28 for 218 yards passing and four passing touchdowns. He also led the Cardinals in rushing with 88 yards. This is Fanthorpe's third offensive player of the week honor.

Wild punted six times for a 36.7 yard average and landed two punts inside the Wheaton twenty yard-line to give the Cardinal defense excellent field position all afternoon. This is his first player of the week award this season.

The Cardinals are currently preparing to face the Illinois Wesleyan Titans this Saturday.

Thunder Silenced!

The Cardinals took sole possession of first place in the CCIW with their 27-7 victory over 3rd ranked Wheaton College on Saturday. In the annual "Battle for the Little Brass Bell" North Central ripped off twenty unanswered points in the second half to break the 7-7 tie at halftime. While the offense managed to produce 484 yards, it was the defense that turned out their best effort of the season, holding the potent Thunder offense to only seven points and 206 yards.

Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe connected on 16 of his 28 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. Fanthorpe also led the Cardinals in rushing with 88 yards on twelve carries that included a 34 yard scamper down the sideline that led to the final Cardinal score which all but sealed the victory.

Junior Steve Hlavac led the Cardinals in receiving for the second straight week with seven grabs for 67 yards and one touchdown. Junior tight end Kyle Fiedorowicz also chipped in with three catches for 39 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Nick Hicks served as a triple threat and kept the Thunder on their heels all afternoon. Hicks finished the day with 69 yards rushing, 58 yards receiving and 20 yards passing. He found the endzone on a fifteen yard catch late in the 3rd quarter.

In the absence of All-CCIW runningback Dominic Sulo, senior Pat Malek served as the teams primary back and contributed 66 yards on eleven carries and had one catch for twenty yards.

Defensively, the Cardinals were led by sophomore safety Josh McLeod, who totaled nine tackles and three pass breakups. Sophomore Willie Hayes continued his stellar play and totaled eight stops, which included a punishing hit in the backfield on 4th and goal, halting the Thunder's opportunity to score. As a unit, the defense totaled six sacks of the Thunder quarterback and picked him off twice.

With the victory Saturday, the Cardinals climbed into the top ten in the national rankings. D3Football.com ranked the Cardinals 9th, their highest since falling from 3rd after the Ohio Northern loss. This Saturday, the Cardinals will travel to Bloomington, Illinois to take on the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan University. The Titans boast one of the top defenses in the nation and are currently 6-1. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 PM.

Player Perspectives: Tim Janecek

This edition of player perspectives features 2008 All-CCIW selection Tim Janecek. Janecek is a three year starter on the defensive line and provided a pivotal interception in the 2008 "Little Brass Bell Game" against Wheaton College. In his piece, Janecek discusses what the rivalry with Wheaton College means to him and the rest of the Cardinal football team. Janecek is a 2006 graduate of Argo High School and hails from Bridgeview, Illinois.

My freshman year, I knew that the Wheaton game was a big game only because of Coach Thorne’s speech in the beginning of camp. I really underestimated how much this game means to the program. Going into the week there was a buzz around the locker room and around campus. All of the upper class men just really had this different attitude. Until that point I had never seen a team or group of individuals that focused at one time. During our first meeting of the week, Coach Wienke sent a fiery message to the defense that just got everyone in the room fired up, and this was on Monday. Every player on the team was ready to play the game right then and there.

The whole week of practice leading up to the game is fun, whether it is the scout team or the starters, everyone is giving everything they have. Still, you won’t know how much fun the game really is until the first kickoff. From the first whistle until the final horn, every player that takes the field gives it their all and flies around. The best part about the game is the rivalry between the towns. The winner has the bragging rights for the rest of the year. The towns are so close and it’s awesome to see the crowds come out and get just as fired up as the players are for the game. The game means a lot to me because it always comes down to every player, playing all four quarters giving everything they have, and laying it all on the line to get the victory. There is so much preparation and time put in before the game from watching film lifting and going to practice. When that Saturday gets there, you just cant wait to take the field, and there is nothing more exciting than knowing it is going to be a battle for all four quarters. As an individual, you are going to have to put forth your absolute best effort so the team wins the game.

My first two years here the game was a blast, but the outcome wasn’t in our favor. My junior year it was awesome to see everyone on the offense and the defense on the same page and firing on all cylinders. It was the coolest game that I have ever played in. We won that game and witnessing how every fan and player was so excited was an amazing experience. This year is hopefully going to produce the same result, with the Cardinals coming out on top.

Cardinals Survive Shootout!

North Central had just enough fire power to defeat the Carthage Red Men 63-49 this past Saturday in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In a game that totaled 1152 yards of offense, the Cardinals biggest play of the night came on defense, when junior defensive back Kyle Haste returned an interception 80 yards to secure the victory late in the fourth quarter.

Despite facing a fierce pass rush, senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe produced another impressive performance going 20-37 for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Steve Hlavac had nine grabs for 117 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cardinals in receiving, while senior Hank Johnston provided some late game heroics with two fourth quarter touchdown receptions. The Cardinal offense line, anchored by senior tackles Zach Baldacci and Josh Delancy, paved the way for the ground game, which totaled 337 yards on fifty attempts. Fanthorpe was also well protected and sacked but once on the night.

The runningback trio of Butch Rossberg (SR), Pat Malek (SR) and Nick Kukuc (FR) gave the Red Men defense nightmares, as they broke tackle after tackle throughout the night. Malek led the Cards with 120 yards on sixteen carries, while Rossberg also topped the one hundred yard mark with 113 yards on seventeen carries. Kukuc totaled 54 yards on seven carries and proved to be a weapon on special teams as well, totaling 178 yards on five kickoff returns, while providing the offense with excellent field position all night. He also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

The Cardinal defense made plays when it counted and caused seven turnovers (4 ints, 3 fumbles). Aside from Hastes' pick six, defensive backs Scott Hogan (SR), Scott Skuteris (SO) and Josh McLeod (SO) all intercepted the Red Men quarterback, who threw the ball eighty four times on the night. Hogan also led the Cardinals in tackles with eight, while McLeod blocked a punt. Sophomore linebacker Willie Hayes contributed to the defensive effort with five tackles and a sack.

Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals JV squad defeated the Aurora University Spartans 35-6. With the weekend victories, both North Central teams improved their season record to 5-1.

Riding their five game winning streak, the Cardinals look to face their toughest opponent of the season this Saturday, when the Wheaton Thunder rumble into Naperville. The Cardinals defeated the Thunder last year 44-21 in the annual "Battle for the Little Brass Bell". This rivalry game dates back to 1946 and will also serve as the Cardinals 2009 Homecoming game. The Thunder are currently ranked 4th in the country in the D3Football.com Top 25 Poll, while the Cardinals moved up to 13th with their victory this past Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 PM.

Cardinals move to to 4-1

The Cardinals clicked on all cylinders this past Saturday with an 83-7 victory over the Vikings of North Park University. The offense exploded right out of the gate scoring thirty four points in the first quarter on only ten plays. Defensively, the Cardinals suffocated the Viking offense all night allowing only seven points and 152 yards.

Quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe put on a passing clinic going a perfect 12-12 for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Fanthorpe had all night to throw as the Cardinal offensive line, led by senior tackle Josh Delancy, kept the North Park pressure to a minimum. Leading the Cardinals in receiving was junior Steve Hlavac who totaled three grabs for sixty three yards and a touchdown.

On the ground, the offense took the running back by committee approach and pounded out 401 yards and eight touchdowns, with six different players finding the end zone. Senior running back Dominic Sulo rushed for eighty eight yards on fourteen carries and led the team with three touchdowns. Freshman Nick Kukuc led the Cards in rushing yardage with 104.

Defensively, the Cardinals were led by sophomore linebacker Jim Bardusk, who totaled six tackles and a sack. Linebacker Willie Hayes scored his second defensive touchdown of the season on a forty yard fumble recovery that put the Cards up by two scores early in the first quarter. On the night, North Park was only able to manage forty nine yards rushing on thirty three attempts.

On special teams, the Cardinals played fast and physical, giving both the offense and defense great field position all night. Sophomore kicker Morgan Sheridan was perfect kicking for the Cards and broke a school record with eleven extra points made throughout the game.

Sunday afternoon, the JV Cardinals squeaked by Elmhurst College 19-18 and completed the season sweep of the Blue Jays. This weekend’s victories brought both squads to 4-1 on the season.

This Saturday, the Cardinals look to remain perfect in CCIW play when they travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin to face the Carthage College Red Men. The Red Men are also 4-1 on the season and posted a 45-38 victory over Elmhurst this past Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM.

Fanthorpe Honored

Senior Quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe received his second CCIW Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance this weekend against the Millikin Big Blue. In the game, Aaron completed 12-19 passes for 229 yards and set a school record with six touchdown passes in a single game. Previously, Fanthorpe earned co-player of the week honors for his performance against Benedictine University, where he was 12-19 for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns. Congrats to Aaron!

On a Roll!

The North Central College football team continued their recent dominance this past weekend with a 58-0 pounding of Millikin University. With a 42-0 lead at halftime and the defense allowing just 190 yards of offense, the Cardinals outplayed the Big Blue in every facet of the game for a complete team victory. Quick scoring and field position played key roles throughout the game as the Cardinals were able to score 42 points in only seven minutes and forty one seconds of possession in the first half. The defense and special teams provided the Cardinal offense with short field for most of the game.

Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe turned out another impressive performance completing 12-19 tosses for 229 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdown passes broke a school record for touchdown passes in a single game. The recipients of those passes were senior wide receiver Hank Johnston with two, junior tight end Jeff Grunwald with two, junior wide receiver Steve Hlavac and sophomore wide receiver Joe Antonacci.

On the ground the Cards had another solid outing, rushing for 191 yards on 35 carries. Freshman running back Nick Kukuc led the Cardinals with 69 yards on three carries, which included a 56 yard touchdown scamper.

Defensively, the Cardinals gave up only 190 yards of total offense on their way to a shutout of the Big Blue. Recently converted linebacker Joe Schneiderbauer led the Cardinals with eleven tackles. Junior defensive lineman Robert Champion pressured the Millikin quarterback all day and finished the game with 2.5 sacks. Sophomore linebacker Willie Hayes had an interception and a fumble return for a touchdown.

On Sunday, the Cardinals JV team completed the season sweep of Carthage with a 28-6 victory over the Red Men. This weekend, the Cardinals outscored their opponents 86-6 over two contests. With the victories, both squads improved their season records to 3-1. The team remains ranked 14th in the country in the D3Football.com Top 25 poll.

This Saturday, the Cardinals continue CCIW play and host the North Park University Vikings. Kickoff is set for 6 PM.

Player Perspectives: Zach Baldacci

This edition of player perspectives features senior captain Zach Baldacci. Zach has started at left tackle the last two years for the Cardinals and made the switch from the defensive to the offensive line prior to his junior season. In his piece, Zach discusses the season thus far, how the Cardinals prepared for Millikin this weekend and what he and the team hopes to achieve the rest of the season. Zach, a native of Tinley Park, is a 2006 graduate of Andrew High School.

The season didn’t start exactly perfect for us. We lost our opening game of the season to a good Ohio Northern team that we felt like we should have beat. That was definitely a tough loss to swallow, but, it doesn’t mean we can’t achieve the goals we have set as a team for this season. I think as a team we learned our lessons from that game and have been better since. We gained back confidence the next two games with wins over Benedictine University and Olivet College. It was nice to get these wins at home for our fans. This upcoming weekend we start our conference play with Millikin University and we are all looking forward to this part of the season. This is what the team has worked so hard for on a daily basis through the whole off-season. Millikin will definitely be a great challenge for us as our first conference opponent. They are a tough team that plays hard. It is a game that we like because a physical game is our style of play and it will take a total team effort to get the victory. This week of preparation for Millikin went very well. Both sides of the football have put a lot of time in the film room to look at the strengths and weaknesses of this team and have transferred the knowledge to the field. I also think our scout team guys have been doing an awesome job simulating Millikin’s offense and defense all week. We had three good practices this week and are very much ready to start our CCIW conference schedule.

Our most important goal right now is to win the CCIW for the fourth year in a row. The CCIW is a very strong conference and it will not be an easy task for us. Most of our road games in the conference this year will be long distance. We will see how the team handles the heavy traveling. I don’t think it will be much of a problem as we play pretty well on the road. Another important factor is for us to stay healthy. We have absorbed some pretty big blows on the defensive side of the ball with Matt Wenger and Derek Sulo being out. I feel confident in the younger guys stepping up and believe we won’t have a problem playing at a high level for the rest of the year.

I would like to say thanks to all of our fans coming out so far to our first two home games and we will need your support throughout conference play. We look forward to seeing you out there for the rest of the year. GO CARDS!

Offensive Explosion!

This past weekend found the Cardinals on the winning end of two games once again, each with explosive offense and sturdy defense.

On Saturday North Central played host to Olivet College (Michigan) and amassed over 600 yards of offense for a total of 69 points. Senior running back Dominic Sulo eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third straight game rushing for 127 yards, and found the end zone three times, giving him a total of nine touchdowns in three games. Senior backs Pat Malek and Butch Rossberg also contributed greatly to the ground effort with Malek earning 96 yards and Rossberg gaining 52 yards. Both backs found the end zone, with Malek scoring on a 65 yard scamper. In all, the Cards carried the ball 44 times for 342 yards and seven scores.

In the passing game, senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe had another precise performance completing fourteen of sixteen throws for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Junior tight end Jeff Grunwald caught both scores.

Defensively, the Cards were led by sophomore linebacker Willie Hayes for the second straight week with seven tackles. Freshman linebacker Joey Michals contributed six tackles. In all, the defense allowed only 234 yards on 60 plays and surrendered a mere 18 points.

On Sunday, the JV Cardinals traveled to Carthage College (Wisconsin) and defeated the Red Men 34-13. This gave the Cardinals a total of 103 points for the second consecutive week, while both defenses gave up a combined 31 points.

This Saturday the Cardinals will travel to Decatur to face a tough Millikin University team who is 3-0 on the season. This will open the Cardinals 2009 CCIW schedule.

Season Update

After a disappointing loss to Ohio Northern on September 5th, the Cards looked to get their season back on track with a win against the Eagles of Benedictine University this past Saturday. The Cardinals dominated the game in all phases and posted a 55-0 shutout to bring their season record to 1-1. Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe dissected the Eagles secondary with a 15 for 19 passing performance that resulted in 245 yards and two touchdowns.

The ground game churned out an impressive 304 yards at eight yards a carry. Two senior running backs, Dom Sulo and Butch Rossberg, eclipsed the 100 yard mark with Sulo gaining 104 yards and Rossberg gaining 137. Sulo found the end zone three times and Rossberg once on a ninety six yard scamper which set a North Central College record as the longest play from scrimmage in school history.

In the absence of All-American Matt Wenger, the defense was led by sophomore linebacker Willie Hayes who posted nine tackles, two of which were for a loss of yards.

An equally impressive outing came this Sunday afternoon with the Cardinal Freshman/JV team notching a 48-26 victory over Elmhurst College. In all, the Cardinals managed 103 points on offense this weekend, while the defense surrendered only twenty six.

For his efforts Saturday, quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe earned CCIW co-offensive player of the week honors. The Cardinals climbed their way back to 12th in the D3football.com rankings this week after dropping from 4th to 15th due to the loss in Ohio. With a bye this weekend, the Cardinals look to use the extra practice time to prepare themselves for Olivet College (Michigan) on September 26th and the start of their CCIW schedule.

Kickoff Around the Corner!

With the completion of their 2009 camp earlier this week, the North Central College football team finally gets their regular season underway this Saturday against the Ohio Northern Polar Bears. The kickoff is set for 1:30pm (EST) in Ada, Ohio.

With a strong turnout this fall, the Cards look to open their season while maintaining a roster of over 130 players. The 2009 camp saw the Cards remain healthy on all fronts and ready to compete during their long season. With the team 100% the Cardinals are focused on having a strong showing throughout the course of their season in both non-conference and CCIW play.

This years camp was highlighted by a number of activities over the course of two long and grueling weeks. Among these was yet another team organized trip to Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, where the Cards packed enough food to feed over a hundred hungry children for a year. Camp culiminated in a scrimmage against Harper Junior College where the team looked strong in all facets of the game.

The team and coaching staff extends its sincere gratitude to all the faculty and staff of North Central College who helped to make this years camp a success. We would not have success on the field if it wasn't for the wonderful support that the college provides.

With the season only two days away, the Cardinals look to make North Central College and the city of Naperville proud of their efforts on and off the field.

Camp is Here!

The Cardinals opened their 2009 camp Saturday in Naperville with just under 140 players on the roster. Over the next two weeks, the team looks to rigorously prepare for their 2009 campaign and their season opener against the Polar Bears of Ohio Northern University on Saturday September 5th. Coming off of last years undefeated regular season, North Central looks to continue their success in the CCIW and in the national playoffs.

Stay tuned for more posts from camp including player profiles, coach reports and highlights of camp activities that the Cards will be participating in.

Another Preseason Honor!

Yesterday D3Football.com released their 2009 Preseason rankings. The list found the Cardinals ranked 4th in the nation behind only National Champion Mount Union College, national runner-up Wisconsin Whitewater University and perennial powerhouse Mary Hardin-Baylor. This is the third separate publication that has ranked the Cardinals in the top ten nationally for the upcoming season.

Cardinals Honored

Four Cardinals were honored earlier this week as D3football.com announced thier annual Preseason All-American teams. Senior quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe was named a first team selection on offense and senior linebacker Matt Wenger was named a first team defense selection. Both Fanthorpe and Wenger were honored as CCIW players of the year for their efforts during the 2008 season. It was Fanthorpe's second consecutive year winning the award.

Senior defensive back Derek Sulo was picked as a second team defensive selection and junior offensive lineman Kyle Antos was also named to the second team on offense. Both Sulo and Antos notched places on the All-CCIW team last fall with Sulo earning a first team defense selection and Antos a second team selection on offense.

The Cardinals report to training camp on August 15th and open their 2009 season in Ada, Ohio against the Ohio Northern Polar Bears on September 5th.

Cards Ranked Nationally

In two separate publications, the Cardinal football team has been ranked nationally for the 2009 preseason. The Cardinals are ranked third in the Lindy's Sports Preseason Division III Top 25 Poll, along with a No. 8 preseason national ranking by The Sporting News. The team opens its 2009 campaign in Ada, Ohio against the Ohio Northern Polar Bears on September 5th.