North Central College football team focused on repeating as national champions
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) – Football season is here, and every team has championship dreams.
One local college team has achieved that dream and is now focused on reliving it. North Central College football has a target on its back after a season that ended with its second D-III national championship in three years.
Expectations are high once again entering this year as the No. 1-ranked team, but as CBS 2's Jori Parys reported, it's business as usual in Naperville.
"I know we lose a couple pieces like [running back] Ethan Greenfield and a couple o-lineman, but we should be just as good as last year, or even better," said wide receiver DeAngelo Hardy.
Record-wise, North Central couldn't have been better last season as the team finished a perfect 15-0, but if you ask the players the reason for their success, the answer is simple.
"Everybody here loves playing football. That's why we come here, especially being a D3 school," said quarterback Luke Lehnen. "We're not coming here to earn money like all the Division I schools are. We're here because we love football and we love the guys we're playing with."
Lehnen is back for his junior season after leading a unit that led the nation in scoring, rushing and total offense. He set a single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,034, but expects to find the endzone more with his arm, throwing to All-American receivers like Hardy.
"We know what we did last year is in the past, and the mentality this year is to keep building on what we've been doing in the past," Hardy said. "So just keep getting better every day and the hard work will pay off."
Senior defensive back Antwain Walker added, "Only thing we can do is tie it but at the end of the day, it's the x's and o's and things we need to do and trying our best to be as sound as we can as a defense, as an offense, as a special teams, and as a whole team."
It's clear at practice that all winning a national championship means to this team and its 16 returning starters is knowing what it takes to get there.
"It's addictive," said head coach Brad Spencer. "You want to keep doing it so you're going to drive yourself as far as you can to help put your players in a position to do that."
Spencer is entering his 20th season coaching at his alma mater and his second as the head coach. He's leading another group that is focused on winning selflessly.
"When we step on this field, we try to honor the alumni in the past who were here when they weren't making the playoffs, and they weren't having perfect seasons," Lehnen said. "That blood, sweat and tears they put in is why we're able to be successful today. So we're just trying to honor them and then pass it on to younger generation as well."
Spencer added, "If we can make sure we're still doing all the little small things right, we're treating people right, we're great in the classroom, we're sitting in the front row, saying 'hello' and 'goodbye' to the professors, then you never really get too big for your britches I guess. There's always somebody around the corner that can humble you."
The Cardinals' even keel coach said he gets excited about an opportunity for the senior class to try and do what many won't: reach a fourth-straight Stagg Bowl.
North Central College opened the season with a 41-7 win over Roosevelt. Lehnen threw five touchdown passes in that win.