GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Jesse Geary ran for 132 yards, with one touchdown run.
Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder football team dropped a 35-16 decision to North Central College on Saturday afternoon in a battle of nationally-ranked conference foes. The Cardinals regain possession of the "Little Brass Bell" trophy that is on the line when Wheaton and North Central face each other on the gridiron.
Wheaton, ranked 19th in this week's D3football.com Top-25 is now 7-2 overall and 4-2 in CCIW play. North Central, ranked fourth in the same poll, improves to 9-0 on the season and 6-0 in conference play.
North Central amassed 379 yards of total offense, with 242 passing yards and 137 rushing yards. Wheaton had 290 yards of offense, with 216 rushing yards and 74 passing yards.
Thunder quarterback
Jordan Roberts (PICTURED LEFT) was 8-of-16 passing on the day. Roberts passed for 74 yards and he ran for 48 yards with one touchdown run.
Jesse Geary carried the ball 20 times for 132 yards, with one touchdown run.
Matt Mitchell caught three passes for 36 yards.
Wheaton converted its second offensive drive of the game in a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. The Thunder missed the PAT attempt to take an early 6-0 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter. The Thunder touchdown came on a 33-yard run by Roberts who utilized outstanding blocking by the Thunder offensive line to gash through the Cardinals' defensive line and into the end zone. North Central responded on its ensuing drive with a 59-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-6 lead with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter. Cardinal quarterback Spencer Stanek threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Chad O'Kane.
North Central gained a 14-6 lead with 5:00 remaining in the first half when Stanek threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Peter Sorenson. Wheaton responded on the next drive with a seven-play drive of 58 yards that culminated with a 23-yard touchdown run by Geary through the Cardinals' defense. Geary's touchdown with 49-seconds remaining in the first half created a 14-13 lead for the Cardinals at halftime.
On the third play of North Central's opening drive of the first half, an apparent interception by Wheaton safety
Mitch Warren was erased due to a facemask call against the Thunder before the play, to give the ball back to the Cardinals. Four plays later, Stanek threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Sorenson to increase the Cardinals' lead to 21-13 with 12:39 left in the third quarter. Wheaton attempted a punt with 10:31 left in the third quarter that was blocked by the Cardinals, but touched by North Central, allowing Wheaton the ability to recover the football at its own 37-yard line. Wheaton was unable to utilize the opportunity and was forced to punt six plays later. The Cardinals capitalized on their next drive with a seven-play touchdown drive of 61 yards. The touchdown came on a 12-yard pass by Stanek to O'Kane that increased the North Central lead to 28-13 with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Thunder placekicker
Sam Cote booted a 34-yard field goal with 9:24 remaining in the second half as Wheaton trimmed North Central's lead to 28-16. Cote's kick capped a 10-play drive of 36 yards. North Central increased its lead to 25-16 when Stanek connected with Sorenson for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 1:31 remaining in the game.
Wheaton will close out the regular season next Saturday at North Park University in Chicago. North Central will host Augustana next Saturday in its regular season finale.
PHOTO GALLERY FROM SATURDAY'S GAME
