November 24, 2007
Contact: Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: www.carthagesports.com
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
2007 Season Finale: The Carthage College football team (7-3, 4-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) concluded its regular-season schedule on Saturday, Nov. 10 with a 56-10 loss to No. 25 North Central College (8-2, 6-1 CCIW) at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis.
Seven Red Men Named All-CCIW: Seven Carthage players were named All-CCIW, including four to the first team. The first-team all-conference honorees were tight end Bryan Bergman (Sr., Elk Grove, Ill., 37 receptions for 421 receiving yards), safety Donovan Moore (Sr., Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton, 67 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, 39.3 punting average), cornerback Franko Shenault (Sr., Hanover Park, Ill./Roselle-Lake Park, 51 tackles, one interception, seven passes broken up) and place kicker Matt Denny (Sr., Griffith, Ind., 11-of-17 field goals, 36-of-36 extra points). Quarterback Brennan O’Boyle (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice, 1032 passing yards, 217 rushing yards, 12 touchdown passes), wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (So., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd, 757 yards, 9 touchdowns) and linebacker Nate Hughes (Jr., Antioch, Ill., 49 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions) were named second-team All-CCIW. Bergman earned second-team All-CCIW honors last year. Moore was a first-team honoree in both 2004 and 2005, while Denny was named second-team all-conference in both 2005 and 2006.
2007 NCAA Division III Football Championship: With its win over Carthage College on Nov. 10, North Central College won a CCIW co-championship with Illinois Wesleyan University, both with 6-1 league records. North Central received the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Football Championship on the basis of its 23-7 win over Illinois Wesleyan on Nov 3. North Central (9-2) outlasted Franklin College (9-2), 44-42, in a first-round NCAA game on Nov. 17. The Cardinals (9-3) lost a Nov. 24 second-round game at No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater (11-1) by a 59-28 margin. The Warhawks were a 34-14 winner over Capital University (8-3) on Nov. 17 in a first-round game.
Last Year: Carthage went 6-4 in 2006 (3-4 CCIW).
2006 NCAA Football Championship: No. 28 North Central College received the CCIW’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Football Championship, and the Cardinals defeated No. 23 Concordia University (Wis., 10-1), 35-6, on Nov. 18 in a first-round game at Wisconsin Lutheran’s Outdoor Athletic Complex in Milwaukee, Wis. North Central (9-3) lost a second-round contest on Nov. 25 at Capital University, 41-13. No. 18 Wheaton College (Ill.) received an at-large berth in the championship, and the Thunder defeated No. 27 the College of Mount St. Joseph, 42-28, in a first-game on Nov. 18 at McCully Field in Wheaton, Ill. Wheaton (Ill., 10-2) lost a second-round contest at Mount Union College, 35-3.
The Polls: Mount Union College (10-0, 25 first-place votes) was ranked first in the final, regular-season“D3football.com” poll, followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-1) second, Central College (10-0) third, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (9-1) fourth, St. John Fisher College (9-1) fifth, Wesley College (9-1) sixth, Washington & Jefferson College (10-0) seventh, St. John’s University (Minn., 9-1) Bethel University (9-1) ninth, Salisbury University (9-1) 10th, Trinity University (9-1) 11th, Wabash College (9-1) 12th, Muhlenberg College (10-0) 13th, Capital University (8-2) 14th and Wartburg College (8-2) ranked 15th. CCIW-member North Central College (8-2) was ranked 20th, and conference-member Wheaton College (Ill., 8-2) 22nd, and CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University (7-3) was tied for 42nd place.
Red Men on the Radio and the Internet in 2007: WRJN-AM Radio (1400) in Racine, Wis., will broadcast all 10 of Carthage’s 2007 football games for the seventh-straight year. Veteran Kenosha radio sports announcer John Weiser, "The Voice of the Red Men and the Lady Reds," will handle the play-by-play chores with Dave Manderfeld doing color commentary. The WRJN-AM broadcasts are also available on the Internet at http://www.carthage.edu/ais/media/love/streaming1.html. “Live stats” for home games are available at http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/livestats/xlive.htm.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 62nd year in 2007-08, began sponsorship of football as a championship sport in 1946. Carthage was the dominant football team in the CCIW from 1962 to 1973, as the Red Men captured eight conference titles, including five straight from 1969 to 1973. Under the leadership of the legendary Art Keller, Carthage rattled off six undefeated conference seasons, three 14-game win streaks, and a phenomenal 29-game CCIW unbeaten streak (28-0-1). The CCIW's Outstanding Offensive Player Award is named for Keller, who stands third on the conference's all-time victory ledger with a 105-53-3 mark in his 22 seasons in the league. Augustana College (Ill.) has won or shared a league-leading 21 CCIW titles. Wheaton College (Ill.) has won 15 championships, followed by Illinois Wesleyan University with 13, Millikin University with 11, Carthage College with nine, North Central College with five, and Elmhurst College, Lake Forest College and Carroll College (Wis.) with two championships each. With six first-place votes, the CCIW coaches picked Wheaton (Ill.) to win the 2007 title, followed by Augustana (Ill., two first-place votes) second, North Central third, Carthage fourth, Elmhurst and Millikin tied for fifth, Illinois Wesleyan seventh and North Park University eighth.
CCIW/NCAA Leaders: Carthage quarterback Dan DeBouef (So., Lemont, Ill.) is sixth in CCIW passing (140.4 yards per game thru Nov. 10), while Brennan O’Boyle (Jr., Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) is seventh (129.0 yards). Running back Andy Bures (Jr., Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove) is eighth in rushing (52.9 yards per game). Wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (So., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) is third in receiving yards (75.2 yards per game) and seventh in scoring (5.6 points per game). Wide receiver Nick Merchut (So., Bartlett, Ill.) is 10th in receiving yards (55.4 yards per game) and fourth in scoring (6.6 points per game). Kicker Matt Denny (Sr., Griffith, Ind.) is third in scoring (6.9 points per game), second in kick scoring (6.9 points per game), second in field goals (1.10 per game and tied for 16th in NCAA Division III thru Nov. 3) and tied for first in conversion points (36-of-36). Cornerback Danny O’Donnell (Jr., Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) is tied for sixth in interceptions (0.33 per game). Donovan Moore (Sr., Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton) is tied for 14th in tackles (67) and ranked third in punting (39.3 yards per kick. As a team, Carthage is ranked third in scoring offense (30.7 points per game), sixth in scoring defense (27.3 points per game), second in passing offense (235.8 yards per game), seventh in passing defense (240.4 yards per game), sixth in rushing offense (91.0 yards per game), fifth in rushing defense (114.6 yards per game), fifth in total offense (326.8 yards per game), sixth in total defense (355.0 yards per game) and second in turnover margin (+0.90).
CCIW Honors: Quarterback Tim Podulka (Jr., Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) from Augustana College (Ill.) was named CCIW “Offensive Player of the Week” on Nov. 11. Illinois Wesleyan University linebacker Nick Nikolich (So. Libertyville, Ill.) was named “defensive player of the week,” while North Central College place kicker Anthony Bognanno (So., Moline, Ill./Alleman) earned “special teams player of the week” honors. Podulka rushed for 117 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown, while completing nine-of-nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ 44-7 win over Millikin University on Nov. 10. Nikolich collected 15 tackles and forced a fumble in the Titans’ 18-14 victory over Wheaton College (Ill.). Bognanno was seven-for-seven in conversion points in the Cardinals’ 56-10 win over Carthage College.
Matt Denny Booting His Way to All-America? Carthage place kicker Matt Denny (Sr., Griffith, Ind.) tied a school record with a 49-yard field goal in the Red Men’s 38-28 win at Millikin University on Oct. 27. For the year, Denny was 11-for-17 in field goals, including seven-of-nine from 40-49 yards. He’s third in CCIW scoring (6.9 points per game thru Nov. 10), second in kick scoring (6.9 points per game), tied for second in field goals (1.10 per game and tied for 1th in NCAA Division III thru Nov. 3) and tied for first in conversion points (36-of-36). “I think he’s an All-American,” said Carthage head coach Tim Rucks earlier this season. “I’d like to know who else in NCAA Division III is seven-of-eight from that range. As a coach, it’s pretty neat that you don’t have to worry about getting those three points.” Denny ended his career as the Red Men’s all-time leader in field goals (40), conversion points (128) and kick scoring (248 points). Denny had 30 career field goals in CCIW games but fell one short of Millikin University’s Andy Beals’ conference record of 31 set between 2000 and 2003. He had 167 career kicking points but fell well short of Beals’ career mark of 188 points. Denny also had 11 field goals in conference action in 2007 but fell one short of matching a CCIW season record of 12 set by Chris Baughman of Wheaton College (Ill.) in 2003.
The Record Book: The 2007 team set season records for pass completions (209), pass attempts (355), passing yardage (2,358) and touchdown passes (27)…wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (So., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) set a season record with 67 receptions, breaking Rob Garnes’ 2000 record of 64…kicker Matt Denny (Sr., Griffith, Ind.) set a season kick-scoring mark with 69 points, breaking his own 2004 record of 67 points.
Art Keller Field: In 2000, thanks to a major gift from David and Gael Romoser, a state-of-the-art AstroPlayâ surface was installed on Art Keller Field. AstroPlay is a synthetic surface consisting of soft, low-abrasion nylon fibers surrounded by rubber granules. Installed over a sophisticated drainage system, the surface offers excellent traction regardless of weather, and can accommodate intensive use in a succession of games and practice sessions. Art Keller Field is one of the country's first installations of this technology, now spreading rapidly in professional and NCAA Division I ranks. Art Keller Field, a 1,658-seat facility located on the Carthage campus, opened on Sept. 24, 1966. The home side of the field, on the west, received all-new seating for 986 fans prior to the 1996 season. Lights were added in 1997, a new scoreboard was installed in 2004, a new press box was constructed in 2005, and a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006. Carthage set an attendance record for Art Keller Field, in its current configuration, with a crowd of 2,400 at its Oct. 6, 2007 Homecoming game against Illinois Wesleyan University.
Nov. 10 North Central Game Notes: Trouble started early for the Red Men, as the Cardinals blocked a Matt Denny field-goal attempt at 10:32 first quarter, and Derek Sulo returned the loose ball 61 yards for a touchdown. Denny connected on a 23-yard field goal at 5:32 to make it 7-3. North Central went up, 14-3, at 1:31 first period on a one-yard pass from Aaron Fanthorpe to Matt Wenger. On the ensuing kickoff, Carthage’s Aaron Miller fumbled at his own 20-yard line, and one play later, Fanthorpe hooked up with Joe Mastrino on a 20-yard touchdown pass and a 21-3 lead at 1:14 first period. An 82-yard TD pass from Fanthorpe to Mastrino at 13:53 second period made it 28-3. Carthage scored at 12:16 second period on an 11-yard pass from Brennan O’Boyle to Eric Haldeman to make it a 28-10 game. The Cardinals came right back with 21 unanswered points to take 49-10 halftime lead. Fanthorpe scored on a 24-yard run at 10:16, Phillip Rossberg on a 21-yard carry at 3:42, and Pat Malek on a 35-yard scamper with 38 seconds remaining in the half. The Cardinals scored the only points of the second half on a four-yard touchdown by Malek with no time remaining in the third quarter. North Central collected 523 total offensive yards, 281 yards rushing and 242 yards passing, while Carthage had 260 total yards, 42 on the ground and 218 in the air. Fanthorpe completed 13-of-21 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Joe Mastrino caught four passes for 139 yards and two TDs. Brennan O’Boyle completed 19-of-40 passes for 218 yards.
Quoting Coach Tim Rucks on the Nov. 10 North Central Loss: “I never envisioned that kind of game—I fully expected a close contest. Aaron Fanthorpe is a very special player. We needed to stop him to win the game, but he was too good for us. We made mistakes all over the field, and North Central is too good a team for that. It wasn’t lack of effort—it was just a bad day. I really thought our guys were locked in and ready to play. The blocked field goal early in the game was a momentum-changer. We moved the ball pretty well, but we weren’t finishing or sustaining any drives. We’re happy with the 7-3 season in many ways. We started out the conference season at 0-2, so to finish that well and to play in a final game with something at stake is pretty great. We battled through a lot of adversity, and I was proud of this team. We have a great nucleus of returning players for 2008.”