BOXSCORE

Chicago, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder football team, ranked fourth in this week's D3football.com Top-25 poll, earned a 41-6 victory at North Park University on Saturday afternoon. Today's game was played under wet and occasionally rainy conditions at North Park's Holmgren Athletic Complex. Wheaton is now 4-0 overall and opens conference play with a 1-0 league record. North Park is 1-3 overall and 0-1 in CCIW action. The Thunder will host Augustana (3-1/0-1 CCIW) next Saturday at 1 PM for Wheaton's homecoming activities.

Senior quarterback Sean Norris completed 13 of his 24 passing attempts for 283 yards and four touchdown passes. Danny Hindman caught four passes for 135 yards with two touchdown receptions, including an 87 yard touchdown catch. Freddy Ellis caught four passes for 64 yards, with two touchdowns, including a 44-yard touchdown reception. Sophomore tailback Charlie Velling carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards, with two touchdown runs.

Linebackers Ryan Hoyt and Richard Jacobson each recorded five total tackles for the Thunder, and Jacobson recovered a fumble. Linebacker Jordan Chapman made four solo stops, including a quarterback sack and he intercepted a Viking pass. Senior safety Brian Hollett also snagged an interception.

North Park quarterback Shelby Wood was 8-for-20, with 95 passing yards and one touchdown toss. Rakim Jones ran for 56 yards on eight caries and Chris Anton caught four passes for 42 yards. Viking linebacker Rod Ojong made a game-high 13 total tackles and Nick Pantaleo recorded 10 stops.

Wheaton scored on its first four offensive drives of the game, beginning with the opening drive of the day. Velling capped off the eight-play opening drive of 65 yards with a four-yard touchdown run with 11:42 remaining in the game to give Wheaton a 7-0 lead. On the first play of Wheaton's next drive Norris threw a lengthy pass to Hindman down the middle of the field. Hindman beat the Viking defense for an 87-yard touchdown reception that increased the guests lead to 14-0. Norris again connected with Hindman on Wheaton's next drive, for a 25-yard touchdown pass that gave the Thunder a 20-0 lead with 4:47 left in the first quarter. The next offensive drive for the Thunder was a lengthy 17-play drive that went 77 yards, culminating in a six-yard touchdown pass from Norris to Ellis. Ellis' touchdown catch came with 12:42 left in the first half, as Wheaton's lead increased to 27-0.

North Park received the kickoff to open the second half; however, a Viking pass on the second play of the drive was intercepted by Hollett, who returned the ball to 26 yards to North Park's 19-yard line. Four plays later, Velling reached the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run to extend Wheaton's lead to 34-0 with 12:29 left in the third quarter. North Park's lone touchdown of the game came with 6:00 left in the third quarter as Wood threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Eric Christiansen. On the second play of the ensuing Thunder drive, Norris connected with Elis for a 44-yard touchdown pass, with 5:27 remaining in the third quarter to account for the 41-6 final score.