By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
It's "Big Game" week in the Midwest and hunting doesn't get any bigger than No. 3 Wheaton against No. 13 North Central in Naperville, Ill.
The suburban Chicago rivals seem to always be playing for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title and neighborhood bragging rights when this game comes up, in addition to the Little Brass Bell trophy. But few would argue there will be playoff implications abound.
"We've certainly have had some exciting games over the past several years," said North Central coach John Thorne.
The 5-1 Cardinals haven't exactly been flying under the radar this season, but some may have not paid as much attention after North Central's opening season road loss to No. 20 Ohio Northern 28-19.
Since then, North Central has been putting up astounding numbers on offense behind last year's CCIW player of the year Aaron Fanthorpe.
How astounding?
Since the Ohio Northern game, the Cardinals have scored 328 points in their five ensuing games, an average of 65.6 points per contest. Last week North Central beat a good Carthage team 63-48 without one of its best offensive players. Running Dominic Sulo was injured on the first series of the game and didn't play the rest of the contest. He may not play against Wheaton, Thorne said.
The week before, the Cardinals beat North Park 83-7. Thorne said it was a score he felt comfortable with.
"We played 90 players in that game and we called the same two running plays the entire second half," Thorne said. "Our third- and fourth-string kids were still making yards and making plays."
Now comes Wheaton, undefeated at 6-0 and ranked among the best five Division III football teams in the country all year. Thorne said he realizes the Thunder will be a much different test than the last five contests.
"When you get down to it, football's about blocking and tackling," Thorne said. "Wheaton is almost always at the top of the conference in blocking technique and being sure tacklers and always have good speed. If we don't tackle well, it could be a problem for us. We had some missed tackles against Carthage that gave them some second chances."
Thorne said one of his biggest concerns is the injury bug his team is facing on the defensive side of the ball. North Central lost All-CCIW linebacker and defensive player of the year Matt Wenger in the Ohio Northern game. Later, the Cardinals lost preseason All-American defensive back Derek Sulo.
Defensive lineman Robert Champion, who was leading the conference in sacks, didn't play in the Carthage game because of an injury.
"Matt was our emotional leader and a kid would you get over 100 tackles a game," Thorne said. "That's a tough guy to lose. Then we lost Derek and Robert two weeks ago. It's another reason why the Carthage quarterback was able to get into a comfort zone against us because we didn't have that pressure inside."
Thorne said, though, he's been pleased how other players have stepped up to fill the void. Linebacker Willie Hayes leads the Cardinals in tackles with 33 while defensive back Joe Schneiderhauser has 23.
North Central, though, has made it name this year on offense with Fanthorpe completing 67.7 percent of his passes and averaging 204 passing yards per game. His favorite targets, Steve Hlavac (22 catches) and Hank Johnston (20 catches) carry the load, but Fanthorpe as completed passes to 14 different receivers this year.
Thorne said the offensive line, as a unit, has been the guys who have allowed those numbers to happen and is one of the strongest units on his team.
"This is the most returning offensive linemen we've had in the eight years we've been trying to get this program going," Thorne said. "That's so important to have mature, strong, physical guys with a lot of game experience. Of course, Aaron is very special and is having a good season."
Thorne said another change that may have gone unnoticed is his son and offensive coordinator, Jeff, becoming full time at North Central. He said that has paid off handsomely in preparation and game planning.
"This is his first year actually being full time," Thorne said. "He's been able to study film more and meet more with other coaches and players. Add that together everything else and we've been able to execute better than we've had than in the first seven years."
Thorne said it won't get any easier for North Central after Wheaton either, with Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana and Elmhurst rounding out the Cardinals' schedule.
"We've lost several of our superstar players due to injuries but it's been fun watching the young guys get better each week," Thorne said. "It will be good to see how they hold up in a really big games. Wheaton's got some really good athletes who will test them."
The first of that four-part final exam begins Saturday.
On the offensive
It's worth to take one more look at North Central's 63-48 victory over Carthage just to comprehend what went down in Kenosha, Wis. last weekend. Both teams combined for 111 points, 1,152 in total offensive yards and 63 first downs. North Central collected 571 total yards while Carthage had 581 yards in the losing effort. Carthage quarterback Evan Jones threw 84 passes (yes, his arm is still attached to his body), completing 47 of them for 562 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Fanthorpe completed 20 of 37 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Hlavac caught nine passes for 117 yards. Pat Malek rushed for 120 yards on 16 carries, while Phillip Rossberg ran for 113 yards on 17 carries.
"It was one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of," Thorne said, who of course came out on the winning end. "It really kept the fans entertained. Their receivers made some incredible catches. There were some catches we were applauding and patting them on the back for."
Carthage's Jeff Koeneman caught a school record 15 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns, while Nick Merchut caught 12 passes for 210 yards.
Stretching the field
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference also has its "big game" this week as well with No. 22 Franklin (5-1) hosting undefeated Mount St. Joseph (6-0). Franklin's only loss has come at the hands of Division I-AA Butler the second game of the season. Either Franklin or Mount St. Joseph has won the HCAC since 2004 with, Franklin beating the Lions the past two seasons. The Grizzles won 40-35 in 2008 in a closely fought match.
On the line is Franklin's 21-game HCAC win streak, while the Lions have won their last six in a row dating to last year. There's no reason to think this one won't live up to its billing.
