NAPERVILLE – Defending national champion North Central will be in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs for the sixth time after earning a 71-28 win over Trinity (Texas) in the second round on Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
 
Wheaton fell short in its second-round matchup at Wisconsin-Whitewater, 49-42.
 
North Central 71, Trinity 28
The Cardinals and Tigers were tied 14-14 in the first quarter before NCC blitzed the visitors with 27 unanswered points for a 41-14 lead at halftime.
 
NCC finished the day with 536 yards of total offense and averaged 8.1 yards per play. Luke Lehnen completed 11 of 14 pass attempts for 245 yards and four touchdowns, two of which went to Deangelo Hardy. Lehnen also rushed for 94 yards, followed by 82 rushing yards and two scores from Joe Sacco.
 
Angelo Cusumano led the Cardinals’ defense with seven tackles, including 1.0 sack and a forced fumble. Julian Bell broke up a pair of passes and logged six tackles.
 
North Central will be on the road for the quarterfinal round next Saturday against Wisconsin-La Crosse at noon.
 
Wisconsin-Whitewater 49, Wheaton 42
Wheaton scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in the first half to build a two-score lead, but couldn’t hold on in its loss on the road.
 
The contest was tied as late as 35-35 at the 12:27 mark of the fourth quarter before a pair of UWW touchdowns ultimately proved to be the difference. Trailing by seven, Wheaton pushed to the UWW 46 in the final seconds before running out of time in its comeback bid.
 
Ben Thorson threw for 402 yards and five touchdowns. Seth Kortenhoeven grabbed six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Ben Bonga scored twice on eight receptions for 87 yards. Giovanni Weeks rushed for 123 yards and a first-quarter touchdown. The Thunder piled up 532 yards of offense.
 
The decision ends Wheaton’s season with a 10-2 record. The Thunder were playing in the second round of the postseason for the 13th time since 1995.