GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: JD East recorded two tackles for lost yardage and forced a fumble for the Thunder.
BOXSCORE
Naperville, Ill. – The Thunder football team dropped a 33-7 decision at North Central College on Saturday afternoon; as the Cardinals retain possession of the Little Brass Bell trophy that is on the line every year when the two teams meet.
Wheaton, ranked 13th in this week's D3football.com Top-25 poll, is now 7-2 on the year, with a 4-2 CCIW record. North Central, ranked sixth in the same poll, improves to 8-1 this season and 6-0 in conference play. The Thunder will host Millikin next Saturday afternoon at 1 PM for “Senior Day” at McCully Stadium.
Wheaton recorded 250 yards of offense on the day, with 194 passing yards and 56 rushing yards. The Cardinals gained 514 yards on the day, with 240 passing yards and 274 rushing yards.
Thunder quarterback
Garrett Meador completed 20 of his 37 passing attempts for 194 yards. The senior also ran for a team-high 45 yards, with one touchdown run. Freshman receiver
Mark Hiben caught five passes for 92 yards.
Jordan Langs led the Thunder defense with seven solo tackles. Thunder defensive tackle
Brandon Dykstra (PICTURED LEFT) made six total tackles, with two quarterback sacks. Defensive end
JD East made six total tackles, including two for lost yardage and he forced a fumble.
Robert Ramsay (PICTURED RIGHT) made five solo stops, including a tackle for loss and added two quarterback hurries.
The Cardinals used three quarterbacks in the game as the trio completed 10 passes on 20 attempts for 240 yards and four touchdown passes. Alex Haan caught three passes for 99 yards, with two touchdowns for the hosts. Joey Michals led the North Central defense with seven total tackles.
North Central took an early 7-0 lead on its first drive of the game. The Wheaton defense forced the hosts into a 3rd- and-22 situation; however, the Cardinals connected with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Bai Kabba with 12:09 left in the opening quarter. The Cardinals extended their lead to 14-0 with 6:08 left in the first quarter when Alex Haan caught a five-yard touchdown pass in the end zone.
An 86-yard touchdown pass to Haan with 13:25 left in the first half allowed the hosts to extend their lead to 21-0. With 8:12 left in the opening half Meador hit a wide-open Hiben over the middle of the field. Hiben quickly ran down the Cardinals' sideline for a 50-yard reception. Three plays after the big play to Hiben (PICTURED LEFT), Meador scampered into the endzone on a 12-yard touchdown run to cut the hosts lead to 21-7 with 6:35 remaining in the first half. The Cardinals would remain in a 21-7 lead at halftime.
The Cardinals booted a 36-yard field goal with 13:29 left in the third quarter to enhance the hosts' lead to 24-7. North Central opened the fourth quarter scoring with a 26-yard field goal to give them a 27-7 lead with 13:15 left in the fourth quarter. A 40-yard touchdown pass for North Central gave the Cardinals a 33-7 lead with 11:18 remaining in regulation.
