November 7, 2009

 

Contact:    

Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740

E-Mail:  stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu

Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388

 

Carthage Football Defeats North Park, 55-24, on Nov. 7;

Red Men Close Out Their 2009 Season at No. 12 Wheaton (Ill.) on Saturday

 

This Week:  The Carthage College football team (6-3, 3-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) concludes its 2009 season on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a 1 p.m. game versus CCIW-opponent and No. 12 Wheaton College (Ill., 7-2, 4-2 CCIW) at McCully Field in Wheaton, Ill.

 

Last Week:  Carthage closed out is home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 7 with a 55-24 win over CCIW-opponent North Park University (1-8, 0-6 CCIW) at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis.

 

Last Year:  Carthage went 5-5 in 2008 (3-4 CCIW).

 

Looking at Wheaton (Ill.):  Mike Swider (114-34, 14 years) coaches the Wheaton College (Ill.) Thunder, whom went 11-3 last year (5-2, 2nd tie CCIW) and advanced all the way to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Football Championship.  Wheaton (Ill.) Trine University, 14-0, in the first round; upended Wabash College, 59-28, in a second-round game; defeated Franklin College, 45-28, in the quarterfinals; and lost to perennial-powerhouse Mount Union College, 45-24, in a semifinal game in Alliance. Ohio.  This year’s team, ranked 12th in the Nov. 2 “D3football.com” poll, brings a 7-2 mark (4-2 CCIW) into Saturday’s Carthage game after losing last Saturday’s showdown at Illinois Wesleyan University (8-1, 5-1), 20-17.   

 

2008 NCAA Division III Football Championship:  With its 41-28 win over Augustana College (Ill.) on Nov. 8, No. 2 North Central College (9-0, 6-0 CCIW) clinched its sixth CCIW title, its third in a row and its first outright championship since 1960.  The Cardinals, with the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Football Championship, defeated Thomas More College (8-3), 44-23, in a first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill.  North Central (11-1) played host to Franklin College (11-1) in a second-round game on Saturday, Nov. 29 but lost a 38-28 decision.  No. 25 Wheaton College (Ill., 8-2) received an at-large berth, and the Thunder blanked No. 20 Trine University (10-1), 14-0, in a first-round game in Angola, Ind.  Wheaton (Ill., 10-2) traveled to Crawfordsville, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 29 and won a second-round game over Wabash College (10-2), 59-28.  The Thunder defeated Franklin College (11-2), 45-28, in a Dec. 6 quarterfinal game.  Wheaton (Ill., 11-3 final record) advanced to a Dec. 13 semifinal contest where the Thunder lost to Mount Union College (14-0) by a 45-24 margin.  Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-1) defeated the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-2), 39-13, in the other semifinal contest.  Mount Union faces Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Dec. 13 Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va.

 

2007 NCAA Division III Football Championship:  With its win over Carthage College on the final weekend of the 2007 season, 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.

 

The Polls:  Mount Union College (8-0, 19 first-place votes) was ranked first in the Nov. 2 “D3football.com” poll, followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater (8-0, 6 first-place votes) second, Wesley College (8-0) third, St. John’s University (Minn., 8-0) fourth, Linfield College (8-0) fifth, Central College (9-0) sixth, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (7-1) seventh, Monmouth College (9-0) eighth, Case Western Reserve University (8-0) ninth, the University of St. Thomas (Minn., 7-1) 10th, Thomas More College (8-0) 11th, CCIW-member Wheaton College (Ill., 7-1) 12th, Capital University (6-2) 13th, Wittenberg University (8-0) 14th and Otterbein College (7-1) ranked 15th.  CCIW-member North Central College (6-2)  was ranked 18th and conference-member Illinois Wesleyan University (7-1) 19th in the national poll.  Mount Union (8-0 overall record, 7-0 in-region record) was ranked first in the Nov. 4 NCAA Division III North Region poll, followed by Wittenberg University (8-0, 6-0) second, the College of Mount St. Joseph (8-0, 8-0)  third, Case Western (8-0, 7-0) fourth, CCIW-member Illinois Wesleyan University (7-1, 7-1) fifth, Wabash College (7-1, 6-1) sixth, CCIW-member Wheaton (Ill., 7-1, 7-1) seventh, Trine University (7-1, 7-1) eighth, Otterbein College (7-1, 7-1) ninth and Allegheny College (7-1, 7-1) ranked 10th.

 

The Coach: Tim Rucks is in his 15th season at Carthage in 2009 (80-66-1, 15 years at Carthage/89-99-4, 20 years overall).  He was named American Football Coaches Association North Region “Coach of the Year” in 2004, as well as CCIW “Bob Reade Football Coach of the Year.”  Rucks is second on the all-time Carthage wins list, trailing Art Keller (177-87-7, 1952-82).  Rucks is assisted by special teams coordinator Glen Brittich, offensive coordinator Terry Peebles, defensive coordinator John Sedeska, part-time assistant coaches Jason Atanasoff, Shawn Feuker, Brian Horensky, Henry Johnson, Ryan Leonard, Paul Michalak, Dan Spranger and Jeff Winden, along with graduate assistant coach Erik Keil.

 

Red Men on the Radio and the Internet in 2009:  WRJN-AM Radio (1400) in Racine, Wis., will broadcast all 10 of Carthage’s 2009 football games for the ninth-straight year.   Veteran Kenosha radio sports announcer John Weiser, "The Voice of the Red Men and the Lady Reds," handles the play-by-play chores.  The WRJN-AM broadcasts are also available on the Internet at http://www.carthage.edu/ais/webcast/  “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 64th year in 2009-10, 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 six, and Elmhurst College, Lake Forest College and Carroll College (Wis.) with two championships each.  The CCIW football coaches picked North Central (6 first-place votes, 48 points) to repeat as conference champions in 2009, followed by Wheaton (Ill., 1 first-place vote, 42 points) second, Augustana (Ill., 1 first-place vote, 36 points) third, Illinois Wesleyan (30 points) fourth, Elmhurst (28 points) fifth, Carthage (20 points) sixth, Millikin (13 points) seventh and North Park University (seven points) eighth.

 

CCIW “Players of the Week”:  Illinois Wesleyan University quarterback Kraig Ladd (Sr., Shelbyville, Ill.) was named CCIW “Football Offensive Player of the Week” on Nov. 2.  Safety Brian McMullen (So., Oceanside, Calif./Vista) from Wheaton College (Ill.) was named “defensive player of the week,” while Carthage College punter Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick) earned “special teams player of the week” honors for the second time this season.  Ladd returned from missing two weeks with a broken hand to lead Illinois Wesleyan to a 28-22 overtime win against North Central College last week.  He completed 23-of-48 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Michael Sloboda from 10 yards out in overtime.  Ladd also was the Titans’ leading rusher in the game, accounting for 67 yards on 13 carries for a total offensive day of 407 yards (of the 505 Illinois Wesleyan gained).  McMullen recorded nine tackles, including four solo stops, in leading Wheaton to a 38-7 win over Elmhurst College.  McMullen intercepted a Bluejay pass in the game and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, and he also recorded two tackles for lost yardage.  Funk, who also earned “special teams player of the week” honors on Oct. 12, punted twice in Carthage’s 41-28 win over Millikin University and averaged 51.5 yards with a 57-yard punt in the first quarter.  Funk entered the game ranked first among NCAA Division III punters (44.88 yards per punt).

NCAA Leaders:  Carthage quarterback Evan Jones (Jr., Grayslake, Ill.) is ranked fourth among NCAA Division III leaders in total offense (350.9 yards per game thru Nov. 1).  Wide receiver Jeff Koeneman (Sr., Barrington, Ill./Palatine-Fremd) is seventh in receptions (9.0 per game), and wide receiver Nick Merchut (Sr., Bartlett, Ill.) is 16th in receiving yards (109.8 per game).  Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Horlick) would be leading the nation in putting at 45.4 yards per kick, but he’s slightly short of the minimum 3.6 punts-er-game requirement.  As a team, Carthage is ranked second in passing yards (372.4 yards per game).

 

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, a new entry way and exterior fencing were added in 2006, and the facility was re-surfaced with FieldTurf® in 2008.  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.

 

The Record Book:  Carthage continued its assault on its own record book in the Oct. 17 North Central game, breaking or tying 10 school records, 10 Art Keller Field marks and six CCIW records:

 

 

 

Nov. 7 North Park Game Notes:  North Park enjoyed a brief, 7-0 lead midway through the first period, as the Vikings put together a 13-play, 60-yard scoring drive that used up 7:15.  The Red Men came back with two touchdowns in the first period to take a 14-7 lead.  Jeff Koeneman caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Evan Jones at 1:33 that capped a six-play, 94-yard drive.  Rick Loisi followed with an 81-yard touchdown pass from Jones with 18 seconds remaining in the period.  Carthage scored 24 points in the second period to take a 38-14 halftime lead.  Nick Merchut caught a 19-yard TD pass from Jones at 11:10, ending a nine-play, 89-yard drive, and Loisi snagged a 26-yarder at 7:05 that made it a 28-7 game.  North Park’s Sam Cochario caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Shelby Wood at 2:55 to cut the lead to 28-14, but the Red Men came right back with another scoring drive that ended with a 32-yard TD pass from Jones to Chas Walton at 2:55 to make it 35-14.  The first half ended with a school-record 52-yard field goal by Tyler Funk (Sr., Racine, Wis./Case).  Funk’s kick, which bumped the Carthage lead to 38-14, broke a record of 49 yards set by Scott Sutton versus North Central College in 1981 and matched by Matt Denny against Millikin University in 2007.

 

In the third quarter, Merchut caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jones at 13:39, and the Red Men led, 45-14.  Luke Musselman scored on a three-yard run at 11:54 to make it 52-14.  The Vikings’ Bryn Nottoli kicked a 29-yard field goal at 5:37, and the lead went to 52-17.  Funk connected on a second field goal, this one a 36-yarder at 8:10 fourth quarter, and Carthage led, 55-17.  A two-yard scoring carry by North Park’s Matt Hassan with 2:24 to play in the game closed out the scoring at 55-24.

 

Carthage rolled up 674 total offensive yards, just missing a 1970 school record of 685 yards.  The Red Men had 207 yards rushing and 467 yards passing.  North Park collected 316 total yards, 207 on the ground and 109 in the air.  Evan Jones completed 23-of-35 passes for 467 yards and six touchdowns.  The six TD passes tied Jones’ own school record set against Hope College in 2008 and matched in this year’s North Central College game.  Jeff Koeneman caught eight passes for 136 yards, while Rick Loisi caught 3 passes for 118 yards.  John Seigler ran for 92 yards on nine carries. 

 

Quoting Coach Tim Rucks on the Nov. 7 North Park Game:  “We started out a little slow today, but we did what we needed to do and took care of business.  We were able to do pretty much anything we wanted to do.  North Park put more people in the box than we had blockers for, so that means throw the ball, and we did.  If you give us the pass, you know what we’re going to do.  John Seigler did a nice job of running the ball.  He’s a good kid, and he wants to be our next Randal Baker.  He’s really developed over the course of the season.  The offensive line has also really improved.  They have nice sense of togetherness and work well as a unit.  Tyler Funk wasn’t t at all sure if he could make that 52-yard field goal, but I shoved him on the field and told him he could do it.  We also got to play a lot of people today, and that was good.  We’ve had a good couple of weeks.  If we can beat Wheaton, we can be 7-3, and that would be a pretty good year.  Our offense is really in synch at the moment, and any team we play is going to have a do a pretty good on defense to stop this offense.  If we can make some improvements on special teams and come up with some turnovers on defense, we can make a game of things at Wheaton.”