NAPERVILLE, Ill. — After falling behind 20-7 at halftime, North Central capitalized on four second-half turnovers to storm back and claim a 35-26 victory over 18th-ranked Wheaton. The Cardinals improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin with the win. Wheaton fell to 3-1, 0-1.
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| Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com North Central's Lenny Radtke, Tim Bellazzini, Kam Kniss, Chuck Earnest and Eric Stuedemann hold the Little Brass Bell. |
It is the first time North Central has defeated Wheaton since 1997 and only the second time in the past 18 years the Cardinals have claimed a victory in the series.
North Central's second-half rally began late in the third quarter when Tyler Didier (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) capped a six-play, 57-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown catch from Kam Kniss (Lanark, Ill./Eastland) to make the score 20-14 in favor of Wheaton. On Wheaton's ensuing possession, the Thunder drove deep into North Central territory, only to cough up the football that linebacker Chris Bazant (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) recovered.
The Cardinals capitalized shortly thereafter when Kniss found Tyke Spencer (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Cental) over the middle for a 51-yard score. The 5-11 speedster made a beautiful cut back near the Wheaton 30-yard line to clear an open space to paydirt. Following Adam Pucylowski's (New Berlin, Wis./Catholic Memorial) PAT, North Central took a 21-20 lead. Not only was it Spencer's second TD of the game, but it moved him into first place on the all-time list for career TDs. Spencer now has 20 and holds every game, season and career receiving record in the books.
North Central increased the lead to 28-20 when Mario Smith (Chicago, Ill./Robeson) intercepted Wheaton quarterback Jeremy Chupp and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown with 5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Thunder mounted one last scoring drive, going 67 yards in seven plays capped by a 10-yard TD pass from Chupp to Brad Thornton to make it 28-26. On the two-point conversion, Chupp tossed a pass to Chris Fossum in the back of the end zone, but defensive back Jordan Hoffman (Dwight, Ill./Dwight) broke up the pass to preserve the two-point advantage.On the ensuing onside kick by Wheaton, the Thunder were penalized for illegal touching, setting up first-and-10 at the Wheaton 44. North Central sealed the victory when Kniss found Kory Williams (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) on a 5-yard TD pass. Kniss finished the day 24 of 35 for 279 yards and four TDs. His four TDs tied the single-game mark of held by three other players.
Eric Stuedemann (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) led the team in receptions with nine for 67 yards. Spencer totaled six catches for 106 yards, while Didier had four for 37 and Chuck Earnest (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) three for 57. Steve Holden (Chicago, Ill./Dunbar) paced the ground game with 106 yards on 18 carries.
Jeremy Chupp was 16 of 32 for 265 yards and three TDs for Wheaton. Joe Chupp had eight carries for 68 yards and Luke Bazacas 14 carries for 61 yards. Joe Chupp also led the receiving corps with four catches for 102 yards. Nate Mealy had five grabs for 41 yards.
Defensively for North Central, Lenny Radtke (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) had 12 tackles and one interception. Tim Bellazzini (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) had eight tackles and an interception. Also recording picks were Hoffman and Adam Pennington (Sandwich, Ill./Sandwich).
In the first half, Wheaton rolled up 293 yards of offense, averaging over 8 yards a play en route to a 20-7 halftime lead. The Thunder struck first when brothers Jeremy and Joe Chupp hooked up on a 66-yard play at the 10:26 mark of the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
North Central came right back on its ensuing drive, going 77 yards in nine plays in 3:43 to tie it at 7s. Spencer caught a 14-yard pass from Kniss for the score. After forcing Wheaton to punt on its ensuing possession. North Central drove deep into Wheaton territory. However, Wheaton defensive back Scott Ast intercepted Kniss' pass in the end zone, intended for Didier, to stop the drive.
Wheaton added a 41-yard field goal by Andrew Day to take a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. With 6:03 before the half, Chupp connected with Chris Fossum on a 35-yard pass play that increased the lead to 17-7. The Thunder concluded the half with time-consuming drive, going 54 yards on 10 plays, culminating with a 32-yard field goal by Day and a 20-7 halftime lead.