Great Day to Be a Cardinal

D3Playbook DECEMBER 23, 2019 | written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III Our goal is to keep you - the influencers in DIII athletics - apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers.

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1.  'Great Day to be a Cardinal'   North Central College quarterback Broc Rutter (9) runs past Wisconsin-Whitewater defensive linemen Jermaine Copeland (77) during the second quarter of the NCAA Division III championship game in Shenandoah, Texas. (Jason Fochtman / AP Photo) North Central (Ill.) capped off a memorable season with a convincing 41-14 victory over UW-Whitewater in the 47th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. QB Broc Rutter, the Gagliardi Trophy winner, threw for 263 yards and a pair of TDs, while RB Ethan Greenfield ran for 138 yards and found the end zone three times for the Cardinals. WR Andrew Kamienski hauled in nine of Rutter's aerials for 134 yards and a score, setting a DIII record for TD catches in a season (31). Rutter set a Division record with 14,261 career passing yards. But the stars of the night were the members of NCC's offensive line - Will Ebert, Sharmore Clarke, Jarod Thornton, Ricky Strba, and Colton Bauknecht - a unit that allowed the explosive Cardinal offense to average 47.4 points per game in the playoffs. >> What They're Saying: “It’s a dream that was launched in 2002 when my dad (John) took this program over,” head coach Jeff Thorne said. “So many people have put so much into this, from the administration, to the players, alums, parents. To see it to completion and be able to hand that trophy to my dad was very special.” >> Be Smart: “It’s cool to get that acknowledgement, but again, it’s all the offensive line,” Greenfield, the game's MVP, said. “I want them to have that award. I wouldn’t want to run behind anyone else. Their hearts explode out of their chests. They care so much and play so hard. They give everything to this team. Everything we accomplished is because of them.” >> Keep Reading (Naperville Sun) >> Go Deeper (D3Football.com) >> Great Day to Be a Cardinal (Naperville Sun)

2. All-America  D3football.com released its annual All-America team on Friday. First Team Offense QB-Broc Rutter, Sr., North Central; RB-Robert Shufford, Jr., Birmingham-Southern; RB-Josh Parks, Sr. St. Thomas; WR-Justin Hill, Sr., Mount Union; WR-Andrew Kamienski, Jr., North Central; TE-Dan Allen, Sr., Delaware Valley; T-Ben Bartch, Sr., Saint John's; G-Sharmone Clarke, Jr., North Central; C-Zach Smith, Sr., Hope; G-Garrett Garza, Sr., Texas Lutheran; T-Joe Krall, Sr., Monmouth First Team Defense E-Michael Nobile, Soph., Delaware Valley; T-Dallas McRae, Sr., Wheaton; T-Joey Longoria, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor; E-Frankie Feaster, Sr., Muhlenberg; LB-Tevin Jones, Sr., Mary Hardin-Baylor; LB-Dillon Keefe, Jr., Chapman; LB-Emmett Forde, Jr., Hobart; CB-Danial Shelton, Sr., Susquehanna; S-Jefferson Fritz, Jr., Mary Hardin-Baylor; S-Raeqwon Greer, Jr., Alfred; CB-Obasi Dees, Sr., Cal Lutheran. First Team Specialists K-Jon Alberts, Sr., Central; P-Alex Berg, Sr., Concordia-Moorhead; RET-A.J. Jackson, Fr., Lake Forest; ST-Willie Julkes, Sr., Concordia-Moorhead. Complete Team

3.  Best of the Decade We continue our "Best of the Decade" series with a look at the champions, runners-up and semifinalists in football. Champions: UW-Whitewater (4), Mount Union (3), Mary Hardin-Baylor (2), North Central. Runner-Up: Mount Union (5), St. Thomas (2), UMHB, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater. Final Four Appearances: Mount Union (9), UW-Whitewater (7), UMHB (5), St. Thomas (3), UW-Oshkosh (3), Wesley (3), Linfield (2), North Central (2), Bethel, Brockport, John Carroll, Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Saint John’s. Friday: Tennis.

4.  ICYMI   The weekend on the mat ...  No. 1 Wartburg remained undefeated with a 24-9 victory over No. 10 North Central. The Knights top-ranked 184 Kyle Briggs decisioned No. 7 Cody Baldridge, 11-7. No. 4 Wabash turned back two nationally-ranked foes, downing Merchant Marine, 34-12, No. 16 Messiah, 32-12, and No. 5 Johnson and Wales, 19-17. Maxwell Bishop decisioned sixth-ranked Michael Dirnardo, 4-2, at 285 to secure the win vs. J&W. The weekend in hoops. UW-River Falls toppled No. 8 Nebraska Wesleyan, 84-82. Noah Hanson led the Falcons (6-3) with 23 points. Nate Schimonitz tallied 39 in a losing cause for the Wolves (10-2). Ripon handed Division II Northern Michigan an 80-75 defeat. Seth Kostroski led three players in double figures with 16. La Roche's Tyler Frederick scored 34 points and gathered 12 rebounds as the Hawks defeated Pitt-Greensburg, 89-73.

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5. Weekend Review Basketball (W) - D3hoops.com Tufts Scranton (d. Rosemont, 100-44) Bowdoin Hope Mary Hardin-Baylor Amherst Wartburg (d. St. Mary's MN, 91-54) DePauw George Fox DeSales Basketball (M) - D3hoops.com Swarthmore Emory Wittenberg Middlebury St. Thomas MN  Marietta Randolph-Macon Nebraska Wesleyan (lost vs. UW-River Falls, 84-82) UW-Platteville Washington U. Wrestling (Dual Meet) - NWCA Wartburg (d. #10 North Central, 24-9; d. Trine, 44-4; d. Northern State, 31-6) Loras Augsburg Wabash (d. #5 Johnson & Wales, 19-17; d. #16 Messiah, 32-12; d. USMMA, 34-12) Johnson & Wales (lost vs. #4 Wabash, 19-17; lost vs. #16 Messiah, 19-16; d. USMMA, 24-11; d. Muhlenberg, 27-16) Mount Union Baldwin Wallace Coe UW-La Crosse (d. #10 North Central, 21-15; d. Trine, 41-7; d. Minot State, 35-7) North Central (lost vs. #1 Wartburg, 24-9; lost to #9 UW-La Crosse, 21-15; d. Trine, 41-5)

6.  Comings and Goings   Michael Schulist named athletic director at Carroll. Chris Matejka named head men's soccer coach at Ohio Northern. Tony Aker named head football coach at Lawrence. Hunter Gray named head women's soccer coach at Illinois College. Derrin Lemker named head football coach at Augsburg. Bisrat Kidane named head track and field coach at North Park.  James John Janssen III named head men's tennis coach at UW-Eau Claire. Claire Christian named interim head women's tennis coach at Coe.

7. 1 Holiday Thing Eddie Murphy returned to NBC's Saturday Night Live and reprised a number of the old hits, including Mister Robinson's Neighborhood and Gumby to name a few. But you'll be seeing this one in SNL Christmas montages from now on. Happy holidays!

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