Mount Union falls to North Central in D-III title game

ANNAPOLIS, MD. >> Ethan Greenfield, Luke Lehnen and DeAngelo Hardy delivered the big plays and North Central (Ill.) beat Mount Union, 28-21, on Dec. 16 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to win the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and claim the NCAA Division III championship.

The Cardinals (15-0) finished off a perfect season for rookie coach Brad Spencer.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Spencer. “I’m so proud of my staff and players. I just didn’t want to mess it up as a first-year coach.”

It was North Central’s third trip to the title game. The Cardinals won it in 2019 and lost last season to Mary Hardin-Baylor — after beating Mount Union, 26-13, in the semifinals.

The fact that North Central beat 13-time champion Mount Union (14-1) wasn’t lost on Spencer.

“We’re trying to be the best,” he stated. “And in order to get there you have to beat the best. Beating Mount Union is a step in that direction.”

The Cardinals grabbed a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game. Greenfield carried three times for 16 yards before catching a 34-yard touchdown pass from Lehnen, who also had a 26-yard run on the drive.

Mount Union, playing without injured running back DeAndre Parker and his 1,254 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, struggled on offense.

Mount Union faced a fourth-and-1 at the North Central 46-yard line trailing 7-0 when Purple Raiders coach Geoff Dartt decided not to go for it after watching his team rush nine times for minus-17 yards. Elliott Warner’s punt was downed on the Cardinals’ 6-yard line. On first down, Lehnen connected with Hardy for a 94-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. It was the longest touchdown in program history for the Cardinals.

Mount Union mounted an 18-play 70-yard drive to open the third quarter, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock, but came up empty when the Cardinals stuffed a fourth-and-2 run.