#25-Wheaton tops North Central 41-7 to retain the Little Brass Bell (Boxscore)

LEFT: After today's 41-7 win over North Central Thunder head coach

Mike Swider spoke to his team and showed them the Little Brass Bell trophy

that Wheaton retains for the fifth straight season.

Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton College Thunder (7-1/5-0

CCIW) picked up a seventh straight victory with a 41-7 win over North Central

(4-4/2-3 CCIW) today at Wheaton's McCully Field. Wheaton entered today's game

ranked 25th in this week's American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division

III Coaches Poll. Today's game was the 84th meeting in the all-time series

between the two teams with Wheaton now owning a 46-35-3 advantage. With the

win Wheaton retains possesion of the Little Brass Bell Trophy that is always

on the line when Wheaton and North Central meet.

Wheaton entered today's game fourth in Division III in total

offense and showed why again today with 487 yards of offense. Wheaton's running

corps and offensive line did a standout job as a unit ammassing 312 rushing

yards and the Thunder added 175 passing yards. The Thunder defense proved

why it is among the Division III leaders in total defense, holding the Cardinals

to 176 yards of offense with an average of 3.5 yards per play. The Cardinals

passed for 124 yards and ran for 52 yards.

Wheaton's solid rushing effort was led by tailback Dan Price

(Monument, Colo./Lewis Palmer) with 20 carries for 132 yards with one touchdown

run. Sophomore tailback Garrett Granberg (Blanco, Texas/Blanco) had

17 carries for 75 yards with two touchdown runs. Senior fullback Corey

Noonan (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista) ran for 60 yards on eight rushes

with one touchdown run and caught two passes for 21 yards. Junior quarterback

Chad Bradley (Wheaton, Ill./North) completed 10 of his 18 passing attempts

for 150 yards. Senior quarterback Josh Anderson (Claremont, Calif./Claremont)

attempted five passes with three completions for 25 yards. Junior slot back

Andrew King (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista) grabbed four receptions

for 54 yards and sophomore Brad Musso (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central)

had three catches for 37 yards, while Jonathan Wills (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour)

had two grabs for 37 yards.

Senior

defensive tackle Dane Lundgren (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) made

a team-high ten total tackles with an assisted quarterback sack (-3 yards)

and a quarterback hurry. Junior Ben Reedy (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais)

each made seven total tackles and Reedy had an assisted sack (-3 yards) and

fellow junior Michael Drach (Marshfield, Wis./Marshfield) added six

total tackleswith a forced fumble. Senior defensive end (PICTURED RIGHT) Jeff

Darnauer (Goodland, Kan./Goodland) made four total tackles with 1 quarterback

sacks (-6 yards) and two tackles for lost yardage (-7 yards). Senior linebacker

Justin Knapp (Ames, Iowa/Ames) made five total tackles with a fumble

recovery and a pass break-up.

North Central quarterback Adam Duerr completed eight

of his 20 pass attempts with one interception for 83 yards and one touchdown

pass. Cardinal running back Steve Holden carried the ball 15 times

for 31 yards. Holden, the reigning CCIW "Offensive Player of the Week" came

into the game averaging 95.7 yards per game. Cardinal junior Bobby Miller

made a game-high 12 total tackles and inside linebacker Jeff Wink

made nine total tackles. Defensive back Ted Bolden, linebacker Gary

Kmiec and Kurt Zak each made seven total tackles as Zak collected

two quarterback sacks (-13 yards).

In the opening drive of the game Holden completed a long pass

to Cardinal receiver Brad Spencer. As Spencer closed in on the end

zone Wheaton's Drach forced a fumble from Spencer's hand at the Wheaton one-yard

line and Thunder junior Ty Gose (San Antonio, Texas/Alamo Heights)

recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback. On the next drive Wheaton

marched the ball 80 yards down the field in 5:36 and 14 plays for a 7-0 lead

when Noonan reached the end zone on a two-yard run. With 3:58 to play in the

first quarter Granberg scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to give Wheaton a

14-0 lead. Granberg's touchdown capped a three-play drive of 27 yards that

was setup by a stellar 50-yard punt return by Drach. Wheaton took a 20-0 advantage

with 8:01 to play in the second quarter when Price scored on a 21-yard touchdown

run to cap a four-play drive of 42 yards that was setup on a 35-yard punt

return by Drach. Bradley scored on a 10-yard touchdown run that gave Wheaton

a 27-0 halftime lead with 1:21 to play in the second quarter. Wheaton's seven-play

scoring drive was setup when Knapp recovered a Holden fumble at the Cardinal

32-yard line.

Wheaton opened the second half scoring with 8:18 to play in

the game when Granberg reached the end zone on nine-yard touchdown run to

give the hosts a 34-0 lead. North Central made it 34-7 when Duerr found Spencer

on an 18-yard touchdown toss. With 1:16 to play in the game senior quarterback

Neil Anderson (Clear Lake, Texas/Clear Lake) scored on a one-yard touchdown

run to give Wheaton the 41-7 final margin.