Spencer to Coach All-Star Team

Cardinal receivers coach Brad Spencer was picked to be one of eight coaches for a Division III All-Star game in Mexico this December. The 2009 Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) will take place on Dec. 19 in Monterrey, Mexico and is sponsored by Global Football.

Spencer will assist coaching Team Stars and Stripes, which will consist of over 50 of the top Division III football players in America. The Stars in Stripes will take on Tec de Monterrey University at the Tec Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico. Tec Monterrey is the premier private university system in Mexico, with campuses in numerous locations around the country. Tec teams have captured eight of the past ten Liga Major football national championships.

This will be Brad Spencers forth time coaching a football team outside of the United States. Previously, Spencer has coached the North Central Cardinals against European competition on three separate occasions. In 2006 the team traveled to Italy and faced the Trieste Mustangs. In 2008 Spencer served as the Head Coach for the Midwest All-Stars. This team, which traveled to Ireland and took on the Dublin Rebels, consisted primarily of North Central College alumni. Finally, this past summer, Spencer and the Cardinals again traveled to Europe and faced the Landquart Broncos out of Switzerland. With a perfect 3-0 record against foreign competition, the Cardinal football program wishes Brad Spencer the best of luck in Mexico.

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.

Switzerland Recap

Now that we have been back (to reality) from Switzerland for almost a month, it has given us all time to look back upon our great trip. For me, it is the completion of an almost two year planning process, from the initial meetings with Leo and Patrick at Global Football, to being in Switzerland watching our players being catapulted from boats into a ragging river with class IV rapids!

There were a number of highlights on the trip, including: the first day "man's" hike up the Junfrau mountain range, Nick Hicks floating down the river while "rafting," the day excursions across Switzerland, all the way to the many memorable moments during the game including listening to our countries national anthem being played pregame.

But to me, the memories that last the longest are the friendships that formed and strengthened throughout our team, coaching staff, support staff, and family members....that is what these trips are all about! And if we can spread the American culture and one great piece of it (football!) to a small piece of the world then I will always view our trips as a great success.

Thank you to all those who made this trip happen, we can't wait to travel in three years!

Coach Spencer

Switzerland Day Five: Lucerne

The fifth day of their trip found the Cardinals touring the city of Lucerne.

After exploring the city for a few hours, the team was taken across Lake Lucerne on a boat and brought to the base of Mt. Pilatus, a renowned tourist attraction and one of the highest peaks in the alps.

After ascending to the top by way of train, we were greeted with one of the most beautiful views one could possibly imagine.

The descent down the mountain came by the way of cable car, offering even more sights for the Cards to capture while heading down into the valley.

With a few days remaining, the Cards look to enjoy the rest of their time in Switzerland by canyoning as well as other outdoor activities.

Switzerland Day Four: Bern

Day four of their trip found the Cardinals venturing into the Swiss capital of Bern.

The name Bern is German for bear, and the city itself, until recently, featured many bears in pits along the river.

The river Aare runs through the center of the city and contains water from melted glaciers that rest up in the alps.

The city provided a nice relaxing afternoon for the Cards fresh off of their victory.

Switzerland Day Three: Game Day, Cards Victorious in Europe!

After a full nights rest on Thursday, the Cardinals departed their hotel in Interlaken on Friday morning for the town of Chur. Overall the ride took about three hours and took us through numerous winding mountain trails and tunnels. The city of Chur consisted of two parts, a modern industrial half and a medieval, historic half.



Upon arriving in Chur we were greeted by the head coach of the Landquart Broncos and given a tour of the medieval district of Chur. Its narrow streets and numerous shops provided some nice sightseeing and shopping for the early afternoon. After being treated to a delicious team meal, the Cards headed to the athletic complex where the game would be played.



The Broncos, who are currently in first place in their Swiss league, featured an American head coach as well as a number of American players in skilled positions. After a hard fought effort, the Cardinals were able to handle the Broncos fairly soundly with a 29-7 victory on foreign soil.



With the conclusion of the game and yet another victory in Europe under their belts, the Cardinals settled down for a post game barbecue with the host Broncos and their fans, who were more than welcoming and accommodating. The team itself would like to thank the countless number of people who have helped support this trip and given the Cardinals an opportunity to play overseas. The events of yesterdays game will be something that the players, coaches, and family members in attendance will never forget. After arriving back at their hotel late last night, the team will travel to the Swiss capital of Bern today for what should be another day of amazing sights and experiences!

Switzerland Day Two: A Day on the Water

The second full day of their trip found the Cardinals exploring the lakes and rivers of Interlaken. After a morning practice, several of the players and coaches opted to go whitewater rafting with the guides from Outdoor Interlaken, a company that specializes in extreme sports. The town itself has been dubbed the "outdoor sports capital of Europe" and is known for its many adventurous activities that test the bravery of tourists. Aside from rafting, Interlaken offers sky diving, hang-gliding, para-sailing, canyoning (which many of us will be partaking in on Monday), and the perhaps the most unique of all zorbing. Zorbing places a person inside a giant rubber ball and has them bounce down a slope of a mountain. Once everyone returned to the hotel and cleaned up, the Cards were treated to a sunset cruise of Lake Brienz, one of the two lakes that Interlaken sits between.



Over the course of the three hour cruise, we enjoyed the scenery of the towns and chateaus that lined the picturesque shores of Lake Brienz. Aside from the scenery, the food on the cruise was outstanding. Dinner included fresh vegetables and barbecued steak and bratwurst. The lake itself had the clearest water that one could ever imagine and was a beautiful sight to behold once the sun started to set and the clouds cleared for a brief moment. Tomorrow is game day and all are excited to have the opportunity to play against European competition!



The game against the Lanquardt Broncos will be played at 6:30 PM in a small Swiss town called Chur, which is about two and a half hours outside of Interlaken.

Switzerland Day One: "The Top Of Europe"

After what seemed to be days of traveling, we finally arrived to our Swiss destination of Interlaken on Tuesday at about 7 PM, which is around 1 PM local time. The first night was spent settling ourselves in and becoming adjusted to the time change. Our first full day had us taking a short train ride to the base of the alps and then another train ride up to the town of Wengen, a small village that can only be reached by train.



Wengen, which sits at the base of the Swiss alps, was a small and quaint village and provided great opportunities for breathtaking photos of the alps. Splitting into two different groups, we then proceeded to hike a long trail up the Kleine Scheidegg mountain. While our tour guides Leo and Yurick warned us that the trail was somewhat difficult, I think a majority of our group was surprised at just how difficult a hike in the alps can be. The high altitude and thin air made it a struggle to climb more than a hundred yards or so without having to stop due to fatigue. In all, the hike took around two and a half hours, much of which was up a steep incline.



The hike ended with another small tourist friendly village with an absolutely stunning backdrop of the snow capped alps. Words cannot describe just how immense and majestic the Swiss alps are. I think the hike served as a great team bonding activity and gave our team an appreciation for mother nature. The Swiss have been extremely friendly and welcoming thus far and I am looking forward to what the rest of the trip has in store.

Cardinals Arrive in London!

After an overnight flight from O'Hare airport, the Cards spent a five hour layover in London's enormous Heathrow International Airport. After the layover, they will be on their way to Switzerland and Zurich Airport.

Switzerland is here!

After over a year of planning and coordinating by Coach Spencer, the Cards are finally ready to embark on their trip to Switzerland. Over the course of the next seven days the Cardinals will be travelling the cities, lakes and mountains that the country has to offer, highlighted by their exhibition football game against the host Swiss team the Landquart Broncos. Be sure to follow along as we provide day to day updates and photos of the trip.

Countdown to Switzerland

Only 3 Days until Switzerland!

Countdown to Switzerland

Only 10 days until we leave for Switzerland!

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.

Countdown to Switzerland

Now just 17 days until Switzerland!

Countdown to Switzerland

Just 23 days until Switzerland!