Even though North Central is heading to its fifth straight Division III championship game, it's accurate to say the Cardinals still aspire to reach the level of their opponent.
North Central will face Mount Union (Ohio) in the Stagg Bowl at 7 p.m. Sunday (ESPN). The Cardinals met with reporters Thursday before traveling to Houston for the game.
Mount Union will be playing in its 23rd title game and is seeking its 14th national title, by far the most in Division III. The Raiders went to 11 straight championship contests from 2005-15 and have won three straight titles twice.
"Everybody's chasing that," North Central coach Brad Spencer said. "So we have a lot of respect for Mount Union. We're happy to even be mentioned in that breath. If you really step back and look at it, there's nobody close."
At the same time, the Cardinals are a strong favorite to bring a third national title back to Naperville. Not only has North Central been ranked No. 1 all season, it rolled past Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) 66-0 in the semifinals.
The Cardinals (14-0) win most of their games in blowout fashion, so there's not much concern about the team losing its edge.
"Our coaches always talk about that," receiver Thomas Skokna said. "We're playing to the standard. It doesn't matter who we're playing, we're playing against us. The standard is the standard, and the standard against Susquehanna was 66-0. The standard for Mount Union is going to be a win and it doesn't matter the margin, we've just got to get the job done."
Skokna (Hinsdale Central) has emerged as North Central's leader in receiving yards this season with 867 and 13 touchdowns. There's plenty of balance to the Cardinals' offense, with senior quarterback Luke Lehnen ready to make his 59th start. Joe Sacco (St. Edward) has piled up 1,148 rushing yards.
The best weapon, though, might be a veterans offensive line led by Sam Pryor (Kaneland) and Jeske Maples, both essentially four-year starters. Meanwhile, the defense has allowed just 3 points combined in the past two playoff games.
"For us, that's where football starts and ends is at the line of scrimmage," Spencer said. "I told our staff this morning, if there's a first class on the plane tonight, it's our O-line and D-line that are sitting in it. They are the most important people in our program. We want to celebrate them as much as we can."
Mount Union is led by running back Tyler Echeverry, a senior from Naples, Florida. He ranks fourth in the country in rushing with 1,631 yards. North Central faced the Nos. 1 and 3 running backs in Division III in the past two games.
The Raiders lost starting quarterback Noah Beaudrie to an injury on Nov. 9. Backup T.J. DeShields, who previously played at Akron and Sul-Ross State, has been taking snaps in the playoffs.
North Central is riding a three-game win streak against Mount Union, including a 28-21 victory in the 2022 Stagg Bowl. The Cardinals' only loss in the last three seasons was in last year's Stagg Bowl against SUNY-Cortland. North Central scored with 1:20 left and Spencer decided not to play for overtime, but the Cardinals didn't convert the 2-point attempt and lost 38-37.
If that happens again, Spencer might play it differently. Kicker Sean Ryniec (Downers Grove North) has made all 101 extra-point attempts this season.
Mount Union has two Illinois natives on the team. One is junior linebacker Ethan Pytlak from Naperville Central, who has recorded a tackle in 11 of 14 games this year.