North Central College’s football team ended its season as the NCAA Division III national runner-up after a 24-14 loss to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the Stagg Bowl held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This marked North Central’s sixth consecutive appearance in the national championship game.
The Cardinals started strong, with quarterback Garret Wilson connecting on a 16-yard pass to Jack Rummell and Donovan McNeal finishing the opening drive with a 48-yard touchdown run. The team took an early 7-0 lead. North Central’s defense responded by forcing a quick three-and-out from UW-River Falls, but a fumble on their next offensive possession allowed the Falcons to score a field goal.
McNeal scored again in the second quarter, giving North Central a 14-3 advantage. The Falcons answered with a touchdown pass from Kaleb Blaha to Blake Rohrer, narrowing the gap to 14-10 before halftime. A key interception by UW-River Falls in their own end zone kept North Central from extending its lead before the break.
In the second half, UW-River Falls quickly advanced into scoring position but was stopped on fourth down by Bradyen Garrigan’s defensive play. After regaining possession, UW-River Falls put together another scoring drive to take a 17-14 lead going into the fourth quarter.
A tipped pass led to another interception for Wilson, which set up Blaha’s rushing touchdown and extended UW-River Falls’ lead to 21-14. North Central struggled offensively late in the game and failed to convert on crucial downs as time ran out.
Despite McNeal rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns—his fifth straight game surpassing 100 yards—the Cardinals could not overcome turnovers and missed opportunities. Wilson finished with 195 passing yards but threw two interceptions. Thomas Skokna led receivers with 77 yards, while Rummell had 75 yards receiving.
On defense, Matt Janiak and Danny Nuccio each tallied 12 tackles. Bobby Medina and John Sullivan recorded sacks, while Janiak and Graham Wight combined for another sack.
North Central concluded its season with a record of 14-1 and secured its fifth consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin title while making its sixth straight Stagg Bowl appearance.
