Jeske Maples, Sam Pryor and Jarod Thornton anchor the right side and center of the Cardinals' offensive line, except for Saturday at Mount Union, where Maples and Pryor's backups got the call. Photo by David Malamut, d3photography.com

By Greg Thomas
D3football.com

North Central ran through Mount Union in the national semifinal to the tune of 293 rushing yards to book their return trip to the Stagg Bowl. The impressive individual and team statistics — 190 rushing yards for Ethan Greenfield, more than 38 minutes of possession — that jump out in the aftermath of a dominant semifinal victory are not possible without one of the best offensive lines in the nation. 

Dominant line play is a prerequisite for national championships and North Central as a program has been intentional about prioritizing their big men. “We were on the road since Thursday this week and whenever we had meals it was ‘hey, O-line and D-line you’re going first,’ ” junior tackle Will Ebert said.

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“They’re making sure to take care of us because we as a team know that our games are won in the trenches. It’s not even just the coaches, it's your teammates. We all know that these guys need to be treated right, be comfortable, and feel good for these games.”

All Cardinals benefit from the success of this group, but some of those teammates most willing to make sure the big guys stay happy are quarterback Luke Lehnen and running backs Ethan Greenfield and Terrence Hill. 

“We take pride in playing hard for one another. And we have two great running backs in the backfield in Ethan Greenfield and Terrence Hill that run pretty mean,” center Jarod Thornton said. “We just have to get them to the second level and we know they aren’t getting tackled by one guy.”  

Luke Lehnen has stepped in for all-everything quarterback Broc Rutter in 2021, and despite their different playing styles, the job remains the same for North Central’s line. “They’re both phenomenal players,” three-time CCIW Offensive Lineman of the Year Sharmore Clarke said. “We understand that Luke can run the ball so if something breaks down, Luke will make something happen for us and get us out of bind, but overall we just have to protect. It’s the same thing as in 2019 we have to protect the quarterback to win.”

Greenfield, Hill, and Lehnen having great games in semifinal isn’t new if you’ve been watching North Central this season. What may surprise you is that they had their customary great games with backups playing at right guard and right tackle. 

Ebert has been a starter for North Central in 2018 and 2019, but has played a reserve role for the Cardinals in 2021. “I have to be ready for any position they put me in. This week it happened to be the right side,” Ebert said. “We all get prepared the same way, we all have the knowledge of the playbook so there wasn’t any lapse in execution.”

Will Ebert, a junior backup, was plugged into the starting lineup in the national semifinals. North Central athletics file photo by Steve Woltmann

Derek Murphy, however, found himself in the starting 11 for the first time in his Cardinal career. “It was very emotional,” Murphy said of his first career start. “I found out in the middle of the week.

“At first it’s nerves. It’s not a regular season game where you’re getting your first start. It’s a semifinal game against one of the purple powers.” 

It’s almost clichè to say that offensive lines are like families, but that closeness at North Central has a lot to do with their semifinal success. It’s one of our biggest games of the year and one of the biggest games in program history,” Murphy said. “Sharmore, Will, Zach (Fortier), and Jarod and the rest of the guys just gave me love and confidence and the support I needed. I don’t do what I did on Saturday without their belief in me.”

“Nothing changed for us up front,” Clarke said of playing with two new starters on the line. “They’re just ballers. They grind all season and put their head down and work for their opportunity. No matter if our coach calls on our third guy or fourth guy, I have confidence that we can get it done.”

“It’s that next man up mentality. A lot of that credit goes to (offensive line) Coach (Eric) Studemann and how well he prepares us for these moments,” Thornton added. “He talks about it all year. Be ready for that opportunity and be ready to take advantage of that opportunity if it presents itself. We knew guys like Derek Murphy and Will Ebert would be ready for that moment and it just so happened to present itself in the semifinal game.”

Zach Fortier and Sharmore Clarke clear a hole for Ethan Greenfield on the left side of the North Central offensive line. Photo by David Malamut, d3photography.com

Saturday’s semifinal win was just the beginning for this group. With one championship in hand, a 24-game win streak, and a second straight Stagg Bowl appearance confirmed, these Cardinals feel like they have a lot to prove and are playing with a pretty significant chip on their sizeable shoulders. 

 “Losing Broc (Rutter), people thought North Central is over,” Clarke said. “For us O-linemen, it was a slap in our face to think that just because we lost a couple of seniors that we were going to go down that easily. We’re not defending a national championship, we’re pursuing one.”

“I feel like the guys on the team are hungrier for this one,” Ebert said about defending the Walnut and Bronze. “We’re just trying to gain the respect of the whole country. We went on the road last week and I don’t think any of us thought we should have been on the road.” 

“We were picked to finish second in our own league and fourth in the nation coming back after a national championship,” Thornton said, stating only facts. “We want to leave no doubt that we are a team that is going to be here year in and year out.”

With a second consecutive trip to the national championship game, North Central’s staying power is unquestioned. On Friday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the Cardinals will square off against the only purple power they have yet to face. 

“Another great opportunity, another purple power,” Thornton said of Friday’s opponent. “It’s a team that’s been here a number of times just like Mount Union was and Whitewater was. It’s a great opportunity to play a team of that caliber.”

“I Love the challenge,” Clarke said. “We understand that these teams that are coming are going to be amazing, but we are just as good. We can be the next Mount Union.”