Oct 18, 2014
The North Central College football team continued to show it knows how to celebrate a Homecoming on Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, rolling to another large early lead and putting a dent in the record book in a 53-23 victory over Carthage College.
The 12th-ranked Cardinals (5-1, 3-0 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) scored 28 of the game's first 31 points, added their fifth defensive touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter and saw senior wide receiver Peter Sorensonestablish a new North Central career record for touchdown receptions (29) as they defeated the Red Men on Homecoming weekend for the second straight year.
"Everything was hard today," said North Central head coachJohn Thorne. "We had to work really hard. I think Carthage did a wonderful job, they were fired up and ready to play. Our guys stuck with it and kept driving until the big plays happened."
North Central quarterback Dylan Warden opened the game by throwing touchdown passes on the Cardinals' first two possessions, shooting a shovel pass to Matt Randolph for an eight-yard score before Sorenson's one-handed grab for a six-yard score left the hosts with a 14-0 advantage with 9:56 still left in the first period. After Carthage got on the board with a 31-yard field goal from kicker Thomas Brannen, the Cardinals tacked on a third first-quarter touchdown. Sorenson was tackled just short of the goal line on a 22-yard reception andZack Pattat ran in from a yard away to extend the lead to 21-3.
The Cardinals' final first-half touchdown drive began on their own 13-yard line midway through the second quarter. Oshayne Brown broke loose for runs of 36 and 16 yards, and Warden scrambled the final 30 yards for his first collegiate rushing touchdown with 5:44 before halftime. Carthage (2-4, 1-2 CCIW) countered with their first touchdown of the day on quarterback Nick Anzelmo's three-yard run with 1:36 left. P.J. Crotty blocked the extra-point kick, leaving the score at 28-9.
"Dylan made a lot of huge plays," Thorne said. "The quarterback runs in our offense, so we need him to make those kinds of plays while continuing to make sure he stays healthy."
Warden had just enough time to tack on three more points before the break, passing to Pattat for a 22-yard gain and Randolph for another 23 yards to set up a 32-yard field goal forDom Zavaglia, who split the uprights as time expired to give North Central a 31-9 advantage as the teams left the field.
Zavaglia connected on field goal attempts of 24 and 39 yards to start the second half, which the Red Men answered with Anzelmo's 10-yard touchdown pass to Derek Bellamy. Sorenson's 35-yard TD reception on the following possession was the 29th of his North Central career, giving him sole possession of the school record previously held by Tyke Spencer '06.
"The main thing to take away from this game is it's a big conference win," Sorenson said. "Individual accomplishments are great, but it's not our main focus. I know Tyke pretty well, he coached me my freshman year and we've maintained a good relationship and we'd been talking about it. I'm really grateful to everyone on the team. I've been fortunate to play with a lot of great players."
With 13:18 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Zavaglia knocked in a 34-yard field goal for his fourth successful try of the game, tying him with Nick Dace '14 for the Cardinals' single-game record. North Central's final score of the day came on defense, as Brandon Kibby intercepted a pass and raced 86 yards to the end zone. The return was the third-longest of an interception in school history and the Cardinals' fifth defensive touchdown in six games this season.
North Central forced five turnovers during the afternoon, including four interceptions. Crotty picked off two passes andJordan Dean added another while recording a team-high eight tackles, forcing a fumble and recording a quarterback sack.Chase Taphorn recovered a fumble which was forced by Brian Wilson on another sack, one of five the Cardinals tallied on the day.
"Our defense did great today," Crotty said. "My interceptions were a result of other people doing their job, and I was just in the right place at the right time. We played physical and got a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and that made it really fun to be out there today."
Warden completed 10 of 23 passes for 163 yards and ran 10 times for a game-high 115 yards, connecting with Sorenson six times for 95 yards. Brown provided 84 rushing yards on just seven carries.
Anzelmo completed 16 of 25 passes for 201 yards. James Cobbs was Carthage's top receiver with four catches for 89 yards and Bellamy led the Red Men's ground game with 64 yards on 18 carries. Will Fairchild led the visitors with nine tackles.
North Central travels to face CCIW co-leader Wheaton College next Saturday for the annual 66th annual Battle for the Little Brass Bell. Kickoff at McCully Stadium is set for 7:00 p.m.