KENOSHA, Wis. -- North Park football regained their winning record and evened their CCIW standing to 2-2 after a pivotal 35-20 win over Carthage on Saturday afternoon.
After a long, seven-minute drive to open the game, Carthage was first to crack the zeros with a passing touchdown from William Zuiderveen to Bryce Frank. However, in one of many standout defensive plays by the Vikings in Kenosha, junior defensive back Juan Nieves stuffed the PAT to only trail the Firebirds 6-0.
North Park got on the board in beginning of the second quarter when junior quarterback Matt Eck connected with senior receiver AJ Harris for the three-yard touchdown and a good extra point from junior kicker Michael Messersmith.
The Vikings started to pull away, thanks to a quality defensive effort, with a big fourth down stop in Carthage's next possession. That led to a 42-yard receiving touchdown from Eck to senior receiver Thomas Knight, ending the first half 14-6 in favor of North Park.
Early in the third quarter, senior defensive back Mo Carter returned an interception for a touchdown, capitalizing on Carthage being backed up inside their own five-yard line.
A quarter later, junior receiver Bryan Boyd caught a 44-yard receiving touchdown in the first minute of the fourth, extending the Viking lead to 28-6.
Within the last six minutes of the game, Carthage showed some life scoring two touchdowns before the two-minute mark, missing the first two-point conversion and converting on the second attempt. One of the TD's was a 99-yard kick return by the Firebirds' Isaiah Boyd. However, a big-time, 24-yard pick six by junior linebacker Jaydin Miller preceded that kick return, securing a 35-20 NPU victory.
Top Viking Performers:
- Jaydin Miller – 12 solo tackles, 13 total tackles , 1 INT-TD, 1 sack, FF, FR
- Juan Nieves – 5 solo tackles, sack, QBH, pass breakup, blocked kick
- Matt Eck – 11-for-24, 190 passing yards, 15 yards rushing, 3 passing TD's
- Quadrell Hill – 13 carries, 58 yards
- Thomas Knight – 2 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
- Bryan Boyd – 3 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD
- Carson Blatchford - 7 punts, 39.4 yds/punt
- Michael Messersmith a perfect 5-for-5 in PATs
- Pick six for Mo Carter
- Jeff Fisher – 7 solo tackles
- Jason Adkinson, 5 solo tackles, 8 total tackles
What's Next?
North Park (3-2, 2-2 CCIW) host the Titans from Illinois Wesleyan University (1-4, 1-3 CCIW) next Saturday, October 14. Kickoff at Holmgren is set for 1:00 PM.
