2022 North Central Cardinals football team

The 2022 North Central Cardinals football team represented North Central College as a member of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. In their first year under head coach Brad Spencer,^[1] the Cardinals compiled a 14–0 record (9–0 against conference opponents) and won the CCIW championship.

2022 North Central Cardinals football
NCAA Division III champion CCIW champion
Stagg Bowl, W 28–21 vs. Mount Union
Conference	College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Ranking
AFCA	No. 1
D3Football.com	No. 1
Record	15–0 (9–0 CCIW)
Head coach	Brad Spencer (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Eric Stuedemann (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Shane Dierking (4th season)
Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Central (IL) $^		9	–	0					15	–	0
No. 17 Wheaton (IL) ^		8	–	1					8	–	3
Washington University		7	–	2					8	–	3
Carroll (WI)		5	–	4					6	–	4
Illinois Wesleyan		5	–	4					6	–	4
Augustana (IL)		4	–	5					5	–	5
Millikin		3	–	6					4	–	6
Carthage		3	–	6					3	–	7
North Park		1	–	8					1	–	9
Elmhurst		0	–	9					0	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant Rankings from AFCA Poll

Through the first 14 games, the team's statistical leaders included Luke Lehnen with 2,568 passing yards, Ethan Greenfield with 1,878 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 162 points scored, DeAngelo Hardy with 1,091 receiving yards, and BJ Adamchick with 86 tackles. Following completion of the season, Greenfield was awarded the Gagliardi Trophy, sometimes referred to as the Division III Heisman, and which is awarded to the Division III Player of the Year.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	12:00 p.m.	at Wabash*		Little Giant Stadium Crawfordsville, IN	W 56–12	1,509
September 17	1:00 p.m.	at Carthage		Art Keller Field Kenosha, WI	W 59–7	1,376
September 24	1:00 p.m.	Elmhurst	No. 1[3]	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 76–6	1,393
October 1	6:00 p.m.	No. 11 Wheaton (IL)	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 33–20	6,000	[4]
October 8	1:00 p.m.	at Carroll (WI)	No. 1	Schneider Stadium Waukesha, WI	W 73–0	1,895
October 15	1:00 p.m.	Millikin	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 65–0	2,000
October 22	1:00 p.m.	at No. 21 Washington University	No. 1	Francis Field St. Louis, MO	W 31–0	2,442	[5]
October 29	1:00 p.m.	North Park	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 59–0	1,500
November 5	1:00 p.m.	at Illinois Wesleyan	No. 1	Tucci Stadium Bloomington, IL	W 68–3	633
November 12	1:00 p.m.	Augustana (IL)	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL	W 63–3	2,500
November 19	12:00 p.m.	Lake Forest*	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III First Round)	W 50–0	567
November 26	12:00 p.m.	No. 15 Carnegie Mellon*	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Second Round)	W 28–7	1,128
December 3	12:00 p.m.	No. 9 Ithaca*	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Quarterfinal)	W 48–7	917	[6]
December 10	2:30 p.m.	No. 3 Mary Hardin–Baylor*	No. 1	Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium Naperville, IL (NCAA Division III Semifinal)	W 49–14	1,662	[7]
December 16	6:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Mount Union*	No. 1	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD (Stagg Bowl)	W 28–21	3,231
*Non-conference game Rankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[8]

Personnel

Players

• BJ Adamchik, No. 34, linebacker, 5'9", 207, sophomore, Raleigh, NC
• Julian Bell, No. 5, defensive back, 5'8", 166, junior, Oswego, IL
• Darius Byrd, No. 2, running back, 5'6", 177, senior, Bolingbrook, IL
• Jordan Chisum, No. 22, running back, 5'7", 197, sophomore, Zion, IL
• Angelo Cusumano, No. 7, linebacker, 5'9", 208, sophomore, Carol Stream, IL
• Ethan Greenfield, No. 8, running back, 5'9", 213, senior, Lindenhurst, IL
• Brandon Greifelt, No. 92, defensive line, 6'1", 279, Mount Prospect, IL
• DeAngelo Hardy, No. 6, wide receiver, 6'1", 202, junior, Lake Villa, IL
• Terrence Hill, No. 42, running back, 5'9", 205, senior, Effingham, IL
• Luke Lehnen, No. 5, quarterback, 5'11", 189, sophomore, Chatham, IL
• Dan Lester, No. 97, defensive line, 6'1", 287, junior, Indian Creek, IL
• Joey Lombardi, No. 13, wide receiver, 5'10", 160, junior, Chicago, IL
• Zack Orr, No. 10, defensive back, 6'1", 195, sophomore, Mokena, IL
• Jacob Paradee, No. 3, wide receiver, 5'9", 162, sophomore, Moweaqua, IL
• Tanner Rains, No. 27, kicker, 6'0", 216, sophomore, Plainfield, IL
• Tyler Rich, No. 99, defensive line, 6'3", 270, senior, Pontiac, IL
• Nick Rummell No. 8, defensive back, 5'11", 165, junior, Gilberts, IL
• Joe Sacco, No. 24, running back, 5'9", 175, sophomore, Bartlett, IL
• Sam Taviani, No. 14, defensive back, 6'1", 208, senior, Downers Grove, IL
• Antwain Walker, No. 26, defensive back, 6'1", 201, junior, Oswego, IL

Coaching staff

• Brad Spencer, head coach
• Shane Dierking, assistant head coach, defensive coordinator
• Tim Janecek, defensive line coach, strength coordinator
• Eric Stuedemann, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach
• Colin Wood, special teams coordinator, cornerbacks coach

^[9]

References

1. Josh Frydman (December 9, 2022). "North Central College football hasn't missed a beat behind first-year head coach". WGN 9.
2. "2022 Football Cumulative Statistics". Retrieved December 13, 2022.
3. "North Central Starts The 2022 AFCA Poll at No. 1". AFCA. September 19, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
4. "Cardinals Stave Off Comeback, Retain Brass Bell". North Central College Athletics. October 1, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
5. "Bad news bears: Football held scoreless against North Central". studlife.com. Student Life of Washington (St. Louis). October 24, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
6. "No. 1 North Central Too Much for No. 9/10 Football in Quarterfinals, 48-7". Ithaca College Athletics. December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
7. "North Central College football team headed to Stagg Bowl again after beating Mary Hardin-Baylor". CBS Chicago. December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
8. "2022 Football Schedule". North Central College. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
9. "2022 Football Coaching Staff". North Central College. Retrieved December 13, 2022.