North Central advances past UW-La Crosse into NCAA Division III football quarterfinals
North Central College advanced to the NCAA Division III football quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive season after defeating the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 35-27 on Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Illinois.
The game saw North Central take control with a 21-point second quarter, highlighted by a key defensive play from Rahmareon Roby. With just 32 seconds left in the first half, Roby intercepted a pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown, giving North Central a 28-7 lead at halftime.
"That is why he is a captain," said head coach Brad Spencer. "The interception before the half was a huge play. You're looking at potentially a 14-point swing if UW-La Crosse scores on that possession."
Roby commented on his performance: "I am grateful to be able to make a play for my teammates. We picked the offense up when they need it and they pick the defense up when we need it."
UW-La Crosse opened the scoring with an early touchdown pass from Kyle Haas to Marko Rajkovic. North Central responded with running back Donovan McNeal’s five-yard touchdown run, tying the score at 7-7. The Cardinals then took their first lead after quarterback Garret Wilson connected with Thomas Skokna for a 42-yard touchdown.
McNeal contributed significantly to North Central's offense, rushing for 149 yards on just 12 carries and scoring one touchdown. Sean Allen added another rushing score in the fourth quarter as North Central extended its lead to 35-14.
Despite trailing by three touchdowns entering the final quarter, UW-La Crosse mounted two late scoring drives led by Haas and Rajkovic but could not overcome North Central’s advantage. The Eagles recovered an onside kick late in the game but were stopped by North Central’s defense on downs.
John Sullivan led North Central defensively with nine tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack. Roby finished with two interceptions during the game.
"This was our toughest test this season," said Sullivan. "Credit to the UW-La Crosse offensive line and coaching staff."
Haas completed 34 of 58 passes for UW-La Crosse, throwing four touchdowns—three of them caught by Rajkovic—and two interceptions.
North Central will host Bethel University in next week’s quarterfinal matchup. Bethel was last team to defeat North Central at home in 2018.
"We came into the game wanting to win on third down and in the red zone, and we did that," Spencer said. That is usually going to equal wins in December."
"We are excited to have seven more days with this group," Spencer added about facing Bethel University next week. "Bethel is well-coached and is a good football team. We have had some wild matchups with them in 2013 and 2018. It's going to be a lot of fun."