North Central College’s football team secured a spot in the NCAA Division III semifinals for the sixth consecutive year after defeating Bethel University 35-21 on Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The matchup featured the last two unbeaten teams in Division III.
Head coach Brad Spencer highlighted his team’s performance after halftime, stating, “The guys did a great job coming out of halftime, which is something we pride ourselves on. We did a great job holding onto the momentum that we gained at the end of the first half.”
North Central opened scoring with a 17-play drive capped by Donovan McNeal’s 1-yard touchdown run. Bethel responded in the second quarter with quarterback Cooper Drews connecting with Albert Rundell for a four-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7. McNeal scored again on a 33-yard run to restore North Central’s lead.
A key moment came just before halftime when Bethel appeared to score, but officials ruled that forward progress had stopped short of the end zone following a challenge by North Central. With eight seconds left in the half, Danny Nuccio stopped Drews at the goal line, preserving North Central’s 14-7 advantage at intermission.
“We can’t change whether or not that play was called a touchdown,” said linebacker Matt Janiak. “We had to keep the defense ready to go and regroup. As Jeff Thorne always said, we need to keep swinging.”
In the third quarter, North Central extended its lead as Jordan Williams ran for a five-yard touchdown and Zeb Rashid added another rushing score. By early in the fourth quarter, McNeal completed his third touchdown of the day to give North Central a 35-7 lead.
Bethel managed two late touchdowns—one by Drews on a quarterback run and another pass to Tyler Terry—but could not overcome North Central’s ground game and defensive stands.
“Seeing Jordan [Williams] and Zeb [Rashid] score means a lot,” McNeal said. “When given the opportunity, they take advantage of the moment.”
McNeal finished with 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Williams contributed 90 yards on 16 carries along with one touchdown. Quarterback Garret Wilson completed nine passes for 83 yards; Jack Rummell caught five passes for 45 yards.
Defensively, Janiak led all players with 16 tackles and recovered a fumble. Brayden Garrigan and Nuccio each recorded 11 tackles while Jahmar Daniel tallied six tackles along with an interception.
North Central outgained Bethel on the ground by more than double (312 rushing yards to Bethel’s 140), scoring all five touchdowns via rushing plays.
The Cardinals will face John Carroll University in their next semifinal matchup at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium; kickoff time has yet to be announced.
