North Central football team wins third Division III national title, finishes season a perfect 15-0

HOUSTON (AP) — The North Central football dynasty has reached rarified air.

So has quarterback Luke Lehnen.

The graduate student from Chatham, just south of Springfield, accounted for five touchdowns Sunday night, and North Central — located in west suburban Naperville — beat Mount Union (Ohio), 41-25, to win its third NCAA Division III national championship and second in three years.

The Cardinals, who also finished their season 15-0 for the second time in three years, were playing in their fifth consecutive Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the name of the D-III championship game.

By winning it Sunday, North Central became the fifth program to win three or more D-III national titles, joining Mount Union (13), the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (six), Augustana, Ill. (four), and Ithaca (three).

Lehnen threw two of his four touchdown passes to Jacob Paradee on Sunday and finished with 162 in his collegiate career, tied with John Matocha (D-II Colorado School of Mines, 2019-23) for college football’s all-divisions record. Lehnen also broke the D-III record of 158 set by Braxton Plunk (Mount Union, 2019-23).

On Friday night, two days before the Stagg Bowl, Lehnen was announced as the winner of the Gagliardi Trophy — the top award in D-III football — for the second straight year. He became just the second repeat winner of the award, joining Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke in 2013 and 2014.

Last month, Lehnen was named the Offensive Player of the Year and first-team quarterback on The Associated Press D-III All-America team.

North Central senior Sam Pryor (offensive line) joined Lehnen with first-team honors, while senior Jeske Maples (defensive line) received second-team honors.

Incredible run

It’s been an incredible five-season run for the Cardinals, who’ve compiled a 71-3 overall record during that timespan, with national titles in 2019, 2022 and 2024 and national runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023. The 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic.

The first part of that run came under head coach Jeff Thorne, then Brad Spencer took over following the 2021 season when Thorne departed to join a Division I coaching staff. The Cardinals haven’t missed a beat under Spencer. They’ve won more national titles (two) than they’ve lost any game (one) under Spencer.

“I’m extremely humbled and proud to be in this position,” Spencer, who graduated from North Central in 2004, said on the program’s website.

“These seniors — there are 38 of them — have believed in our culture and what we were trying to become. That took a lot of trust and belief, and they went to work. As coaches, we just put good plans in place and put them in a position to succeed.”

Cardinals pull away

To get their third national title, the Cardinals had to beat Mount Union, the most decorated program in D-3 III history. Sunday was also a rematch of the 2022 Stagg Bowl, which North Central won, 28-21. The Purple Raiders (75) and Cardinals (47) have won a combined 122 consecutive regular-season games.

Mount Union’s Tyler Echeverry ran 29 yards untouched to open the scoring Sunday, the first time North Central trailed all season.

But Lehnen, who went 57-2 over his college career, countered quickly, throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Myles Walton to make it 7-7 with 4:35 left in the first quarter. That one gave Lehnen 159 career touchdown passes, breaking Plunk’s D-III record.

After the Purple Raiders failed to convert on fourth down deep in North Central territory, Lehnen scored on a 16-yard run about 7 minutes into the second quarter to make it 14-7, and the Cardinals led the rest of the way.

Mount Union (14-1) made trips into the red zone on four consecutive possessions but scored just once, a 30-yard field goal by Ivan Maric with 3:57 remaining in the first half.

Lehnen finished the game with 298 passing yards and 55 rushing yards, while Thomas Skokna caught three passes for 94 yards, Paradee finished with seven catches for 84 yards and the two scores, Jack Rummell caught a touchdown pass and Charles Coleman added a 66-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Brayden Garrigan totaled eight tackles, Bobby Medina had a sack, and Rahmareon Roby and Danny Nuccio each broke up two passes.

Echeverry, who had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries in the first quarter, finished with 20 carries for 83 yards for Mount Union.