Setting the Scene: Playing in its sixth straight NCAA Division III national championship game, North Central College football looks to claim its first back-to-back title Sunday when the Cardinals face No. 4/3 University of Wisconsin–River Falls at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

Series History: Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and Falcons in football.

North Central vs WIAC: The Cardinals are 2-0 against the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this season, beating UW-Oshkosh 41-14 in the season opener and UW-La Crosse 35-27 in the third round of the postseason. All-time, North Central is 13-6 against the WIAC, beginning with a 21-0 victory over UW-Oshkosh in 1930.

National Rankings:  North Central is ranked No. 1 nationally in the latest NCAA Division III Top 25 polls released by D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The defending national champion Cardinals earned all 25 first-place votes in the D3football.com poll and swept all 52 first-place votes in the AFCA rankings. North Central has now held the top spot in 44 consecutive AFCA polls and 53 of the last 55 D3football.com polls.

UW-River Falls is ranked No. 4 in the AFCA Top 25 rankings and No. 3 in the D3football.com rankings.

Scouting the Falcons: UW–River Falls enters Sunday at 13-1, outscoring opponents 658-273 and averaging 564.1 yards per game. The Falcons’ postseason run includes wins over Chapman, Saint John’s, Wheaton and Johns Hopkins.
Quarterback and Gagliardi Trophy finalist Kaleb Blaha leads Division III with 4,680 passing yards, throwing 40 touchdowns with a 68% completion rate and 10 interceptions. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 1,090 yards and 16 touchdowns, helping UW–River Falls pace Division III in total offense.

Running back Trevor Asher has 892 yards and nine touchdowns on 182 carries. Blaha’s top deep threat, Blake Rohrer, has 1,111 yards and 11 touchdowns on 55 receptions, while Austin Rush leads the team with 72 catches for 621 yards and eight scores.

Defensively, the Falcons allow 19.5 points per game. All-American Gage Timm leads the unit with 114 tackles and 14 tackles for loss. Jack Olson has a team-high 5.5 sacks, and defensive back Taylor Sussner anchors the secondary with six interceptions and five fumble recoveries.

North Central in the NCAA Playoffs:  The Cardinals own a 40-13 record in the Division III Football Championship, including appearances in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl each of the past five seasons. North Central is 27-4 in postseason home games and 3-2 in the Stagg Bowl.

North Central won national titles in 2019, 2022 and 2024 and finished as the national runner-up in 2021 and 2023. The Cardinals first reached the national quarterfinals in 2010, the semifinals in 2013 and the Stagg Bowl in 2019.
Postseason Honors: North Central College continued its sweep of national postseason awards as John Sullivan and Thomas Skokna each earned their fourth All-America honor with selections to the Walter Camp Division III All-America team, while head coach Brad Spencer collected his third National Coach of the Year award. Spencer, honored by the AFCA, AP and Walter Camp, has guided the Cardinals to national championships in all four seasons as head coach, leading the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

Sullivan, a first-team pick on all major All-America lists and the AP Defensive Player of the Year, led the Cardinals with 21 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hurries, 69 tackles, seven sacks and eight pass breakups. Skokna, a Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist, topped Division III with 23 touchdown receptions and totaled 1,226 yards on 81 catches.

Six Cardinals earned D3football.com  All-America recognition, including first-team selections Sullivan and kicker Aidan Ellison. Ellison, the Fred Mitchell Award winner, went 15-for-17 on field goals with a program-record 57-yard make. Second-team honoree Cortez Jones anchored the nation’s top-scoring offense, while third-team selections Garret Wilson, Skokna and defensive back Rahmareon Roby rounded out the group. Roby led the team with four interceptions and nine pass breakups, scoring twice on returns.

Nation's Best: The Cardinals lead Division III in many offensive, defensive and special teams categories:

Scoring Offense - 49.4 points scored per game
Scoring Defense - 910.1 points allowed per game
Defensive Touchdowns - 7
Team Passing Efficiency - 204.50
Winning Percentage - 1.000
 
Individual Passing Efficiency - Garret Wilson (207.0)
Punt Return Touchdowns - Jalen Johnson (2)
Receiving Touchdowns - Thomas Skokna (23)
Longest Field Goal - Aidan Ellison (57 yards)
Most TD catches in a game - Thomas Skokna (5)
 
Broadcasting Note: The 2025 Stagg Bowl will be shown live on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET. The trophy ceremony following the game will air on ESPN+.