North Central College is headed to its fifth national title game in six years. On Sunday, the Cardinals face off against the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders from Alliance, Ohio, in the Stagg Bowl at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. The Naperville team goes into the NCAA Division III national football championship with a perfect record and a decisive 66-0 win against the Susquehanna (University) River Hawks in a Dec. 21 match played on their home turf at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Cardinals arrived in Houston Thursday night, according to Clark Teuscher, North Central’s sports information director. “We’re very much locked in game week mode right now,” said Teuscher, who is traveling with the players and staff. “I know that everybody’s excited to get to Sunday and get on the field.” In 2019, the Cardinals won their first-ever national title. They returned to the championship in 2021 (the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic), losing 57-24 to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. The team was back on top in 2022, pulling out a 28-21 victory against Mount Union. The Cardinals tried for their third title in 2023. However, their efforts fell short, losing by a point to the State University of New York Cortland. Coming off last year’s loss, the Cardinals are determined to secure a win Sunday, Teuscher said. North Central College defensive back Brayden Garrigan completes a play in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoff football game in Naperville on Nov. 30. (James C. Svehla/Naperville Sun) “Fixing that result from last year (has) definitely been a part of the conversation, and it’s been among the goals for this year,” he said. Especially for the team’s 38 fourth- and fifth-year seniors, this year’s story has been one of redemption. How last season ended is also part of the reason why a few graduate players decided to come back for another year, Teuscher said. “They wanted to finish the job,” he said. Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, who graduated from North Central in 1991, said he thinks the loss against SUNY-Cortland was a wake-up call for the Cardinals, who have gone on to have an undefeated 2024 season. Wehrli attended almost every home game this season, he said. As he looked ahead to Sunday’s game, Wehrli exuded confidence on behalf of his team. “North Central is well-positioned,” he said. “They’ve just got offensive and defensive dominance nationally.” Before last year’s Stagg Bowl, Wehrli got into the competitive spirit by challenging Cortland Mayor Scott Steve to a friendly mayoral bet. They decided that the mayor of the town with the losing team would wear the rival team’s jersey to a city council meeting. Wehrli upheld his end of the bargain. This time around, he’s holding off on any friendly wagering but his competitive edge is as alive as ever. “My bet is that we’re going to come away with a real nice win on Sunday,” he said. The Cardinals are due to return from Houston Monday afternoon, which happens to be students’ first day back to school after the winter holidays. That means the team will have a bustling campus to come back to after their championship game. “Hopefully, that puts us in a position to celebrate with our students on campus,” Teuscher said. “But of course, our team has to get the job done on Sunday first.” [email protected]