To fully appreciate the prodigious matchup in this year’s Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division 3 football championship game, one must take a short history lesson to grasp the momentous occasion.
One entrant, North Central College, located in Naperville, Illinois, has advanced to the title game for the sixth straight season. The last time the Cardinals did not earn a trip to the national finals was 2018.
Here are some memories of what life was like seven years ago, December 2018, when Mary Hardin Baylor defeated Mount Union for the D3 crown:
When it comes to historical significance, NCC’s opponent in this year’s game, Wisconsin-River Falls, says, “Hold my beer.”
The Falcons earned a bid to the national tournament this year for the first time since 1996 and have never battled in a Stagg Bowl. Their outright Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship this season was their first since 1985.
To gain some perspective, here is a trip down memory lane to visit the era when River Falls last ruled the WIAC in 1985:
The “Battle of the Birds” between the Cardinals and Falcons will commence at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Sunday, January 4, at 8 pm EST in Canton, Ohio. The Stagg Bowl will be broadcast on ESPN, and here is a preview to get all fans set for the big showdown.
Since losing to Bethel University in the second round of the 2018 playoffs, North Central has gone on a run few have ever seen.
Beginning with the 2019 season, the Cardinals have gone 87-2 since their 2018 playoff disappointment. The two losses were in the 2021 and 2023 Stagg Bowls.
Although NCC has won three of the last five national championships, it has never won back-to-back titles. Coupled with last year’s triumph over Mount Union in the finals, a win over River Falls in Canton will do just that.
Individual honors have also been heaped on members of past teams. The North Central boasts the last three winners of the Gagliardi Trophy, Division 3’s version of the Heisman Trophy. Running back Ethan Greenfield took home the honor in 2022, and quarterback Luke Lehnen was a two-time winner in 2023 and 2024.
The 2025 version of the Cardinals dominates on both sides of the ball. They boast the top-scoring offense in the country, putting up 49.4 points per contest. Not to be outdone, NCC’s defense gives up the least amount of points in Division 3 at 10.1 per game.
That standard of excellence in both phases has Cardinal head coach Brad Spencer feeling very fortunate to have such talent on the field and on his coaching staff. Although his overall record at the helm is a remarkable 58-1, Spencer deflects the credit for NCC’s success to his coordinators and position coaches, who promote the winning culture in Naperville.
“(Our success is because of the) great job by our coaches, particularly coach (Eric) Stuedemann with the OL” explained Spencer. “It’s an unselfish group on both sides that simply want to win, and our coaches work tirelessly to get the job done.
“They have great processes and given work ethic results happen. Coach (Shane) Dierking (our DC) works as hard and long as anyone in the industry. He simply loves our players and wants to serve them, especially the seniors. In any staff meeting or 1 on 1 meeting I have with him he is always viewing his life through the lens of servitude. When you have talented, hardworking people in an organization that do that, you’re going to win football games.”
Spencer knows his defensive squad has a tall task in front of them on Sunday, but he feels his Cardinals are up for the challenge.
“Their quarterback (Kaleb Blaha) is as good as it gets at this level,” he explained. “I’ve coached a number of Gagliardi winning QB’s and he is that level, I’d be shocked if he isn’t’ awarded that this week. Their offense is designed for him and around him. This is the first year they’ve kept him healthy and they’ve gone from 7-3 to 13-1 and playing for a national title.”
Powering that high-octane offense is sophomore quarterback Garret Wilson, who was brought in via the transfer portal by way of Oklahoma State. Wilson, a third-team All-American selection by d3football.com, has thrown 42 touchdown passes and only four interceptions this year. That goes with his 2886 passing yards and 70.3% completion percentage.
Despite all of his accomplishments through the air, Wilson feels the key to victory on Sunday is on the ground.
“We need to run the football,” he stated. ” That’s been our identity all year and is what has gotten us to this game. Along with that, (we need to) be good on 3rd down and sustain drives.”
Defensive lineman JP Sullivan anchors the stout NCC defense. The senior, who was named first-team All-American, was also voted as the 2025 AP Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the team with 21 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hurries, while totaling 69 tackles (36 solo), seven sacks, and eight pass breakups. Sullivan posted a career-high five QB hurries in the national semifinal against John Carroll University on December 20.
Sullivan believes the Cardinals’ success in the title game rests with the tight bond developed between the staff and players.
Says Sullivan, “The 2025 version of NCC football is rooted in the love that we have for each other, our coaching staff, Alumni, and our families.”
He also acknowledges that the River Falls offense poses a huge problem, saying that “River Falls is a very dynamic offense with very great players.”
Situated behind Sullivan and providing leadership to North Central’s athletic linebacker corps is graduate student Danny Nuccio. Arguably the emotional leader of the defense, Nuccio was named to the second team of All-Region 5 this season. He returned for his final year of eligibility, and like Sullivan, he is back because of his close relationships with his teammates and coaches.
When asked what makes this team 2025 so special, Nuccio replied: “We have an extremely tight-knit group of guys that have fun playing football together. One thing that makes us special is our work ethic and preparation, and we take pride in film study and practicing hard.”
On being on the verge of making school history by repeating as Stagg Bowl champions, Nuccio welcomes the challenge.
“For us, (winning) is being able to do something we’ve never done as a football program,” he said. “It will be rewarding knowing that all the hard work we’ve done in the dark has paid off.”
Although UW-River Falls is inexperienced when it comes to the Stagg Bowl ball, the Falcons are far from playing the part of Cinderella or getting fitted for a glass slipper.
After losing to UW-Oshkosh on October 4, the Falcons have reeled off ten straight wins and will enter the Stagg Bowl with a record of 13-1. The Falcon offense ranks fifth in Division 3 by scoring 47.0 points per game.
Leading the charge for River Falls is first-team All-American quarterback and Gagliardi Trophy finalist Blaha. The senior from Coon Rapids, MN, has had a memorable 2025 season, throwing for 4,680 yards and accounting for 56 touchdowns. He threw for 40 touchdowns and scored 16 more on the ground.
Blaha knows what taking home the school’s first Stagg Bowl trophy would mean to him, his teammates, and the community of River Falls.
“Winning the national championship would mean the world,” he said. “It would be a dream come true. It’s the biggest goal we have as a team at the beginning of every season and to achieve it would be amazing. It is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
“Everywhere you go in town someone recognizes who you are and they say something to you. It means a lot to know that the whole city is behind us.”
One of Blaha’s favorite targets is wide receiver Blake Rohrer. The junior caught 55 passes for 1,111 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. None of his scores were as memorable or important as the 79-yarder he hauled in with 45 seconds remaining to break a 41-41 tie with Johns Hopkins in the national semifinal game.
His heroic play still has Rohrer and the River Falls community buzzing, and he realizes just how much playing on Division 3’s biggest stage at the Stagg Bowl means.
“My feelings from the past couple of weeks really can’t be described,” he said. “If I had to put it in words, all I could say is, ‘unbelievable.’ The joy that we have brought to this city is all that I could have asked for. Walking around town doing regular errands and having people stop me to congratulate us and wish us the best of luck is so cool.
“We always knew we were good, and we have put in so much time and endless hard work. Now that it is coming to fruition, I’ve never been more excited about a game.”
Gage Timm, a senior linebacker, is also a first-team All-American for the Falcons. Coach Spencer calls Timm “is as good as we will see.” Timm was at his best when his best was needed, registering 15 tackles in the semifinal win over Johns Hopkins.
Timm also reflects on how warmly the citizens of River Falls have received the Falcons, and he would love to repay the favor with a national championship for them.
“The River Falls community has shown support through attending games and with their generosity during the holidays with meals while we were not able to spend a lot of time at our homes,” he said. “Winning the national championship would be the best ending to my time at UW-River Falls. Being able to be a part of the turnaround of this program and capping it off with a win would be the best goodbye that I could ask for.”
One school faced both North Central and UW-River Falls this season: UW-Oshkosh.
The Titans traveled to Naperville for their second game of the season, losing to North Central, 45-14. Three weeks later, Oshkosh gave visiting River Falls their only loss of 2025, 21-17.
Head coach Peter Jennings saw both teams up close, and while he did not predict a winner, he believes the game to be a high-scoring one.
“River Falls is so explosive, and North Central is so efficient,” he said. “That is going to result in some points, and I think we have the two best teams in the country in this game.”
Jennings went on to say that each team’s strengths will be challenged, and those two units will decide the game.
“North Centrals defensive line is so good, and JP Sullivan may be the best college football player I have ever seen. But, the size of River Falls’ offensive line may negate some of the explosiveness and havoc created by North Central.
“If North Central’s front four can get home early, it could be a long day for River Falls. But Kaleb Blaha’s athleticism and mobility could negate that.”
In many ways, Division 3 football is much different than any other level of college play. Multi-million-dollar NIL deals are nonexistent; in fact, athletic scholarships are not given at that level. Nowhere are there 100,000-seat stadiums packed to the gills; NCC’s stadium seats just under 5,000 fans, and River Falls can house about 3,500.
One way or the other, history will be made. North Central can repeat as champs for the first time in their storied history, and UW-River Falls can hoist their first title trophy. For those who want to watch young adults play for the love of the game and loyalty to their teammates, they should tune in to the Stagg Bowl on Sunday. These two teams will certainly put on an entertaining show.
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