North Central to face UW–River Falls for NCAA Division III football championship
North Central College’s football team will play in its sixth consecutive NCAA Division III national championship game on Sunday, aiming for its first back-to-back title. The Cardinals will face the University of Wisconsin–River Falls at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This matchup marks the first time these two programs have met on the football field.
North Central has a strong record against teams from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) this season, with victories over UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse. Historically, North Central is 13-6 against WIAC opponents.
The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 1 nationally in both the D3football.com and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) polls. They received all first-place votes in each poll and have maintained the top position in 44 straight AFCA polls and 53 of the last 55 D3football.com rankings. Their opponent, UW–River Falls, is ranked No. 4 by AFCA and No. 3 by D3football.com.
UW–River Falls enters the championship with a 13-1 record, having outscored their opponents by a wide margin throughout the season. Quarterback Kaleb Blaha leads Division III with 4,680 passing yards and also tops his team in rushing yards. Running back Trevor Asher has contributed nearly 900 rushing yards this year while receivers Blake Rohrer and Austin Rush have combined for over 1,700 receiving yards.
Defensively, UW–River Falls allows an average of under 20 points per game. Gage Timm leads their defense with more than one hundred tackles this season.
In postseason play, North Central holds a cumulative record of 40-13 in NCAA Division III competition and has reached the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl five years running. The program previously won national titles in 2019, 2022, and 2024.
Several members of North Central’s roster received postseason honors: John Sullivan was named to multiple All-America teams and selected as AP Defensive Player of the Year; Thomas Skokna earned his fourth All-America honor; head coach Brad Spencer collected his third National Coach of the Year award after leading North Central to four championships during his tenure.
Six players from North Central were recognized as D3football.com All-Americans this season across various positions including kicker Aidan Ellison—who made a program-record field goal—and defensive back Rahmareon Roby who led his team with four interceptions.
Statistically, North Central leads Division III in several categories such as scoring offense (49.4 points per game), scoring defense (allowing just over nine points per game), defensive touchdowns scored (seven), team passing efficiency (204.50), winning percentage (undefeated), individual passing efficiency by Garret Wilson (207.0), punt return touchdowns by Jalen Johnson (two), receiving touchdowns by Thomas Skokna (23), longest field goal by Aidan Ellison (57 yards), and most touchdown catches in a single game also by Skokna (five).
The championship game will be broadcast live on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET with trophy ceremonies airing on ESPN+.