CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park Football is set to start their season this weekend on Saturday evening, when they travel up to Ripon, Wisconsin to take on the Red Hawks of Ripon College.  Ripon was the week 1 opponent last season for the Vikings, a game that saw high scoring as North Park edged by Ripon with the 42-41 win, highlighting their offensive prowess.

With many All-CCIW defensive players graduated along with All-CCIW and four-year starting quarterback Matt Eck, the Vikings are confident in the "next man up" mentality when it comes to the players who are returning this season.  Senior quarterback Justen Green is expected to get the start under center this week. Green performed well when he has been on the field thus far in his career, completing 15 of his 19 pass attempts with 0 interceptions.  The Vikings' defense returns only one of their All-CCIW starters, preseason All-American senior safety Ben Butler, who led the CCIW in interceptions in 2024.  He and fellow returning starters senior defensive end Theo Smith and defensive back Samuel Aguirre will lead this Viking defense this season. 

Much like the Vikings, the Red Hawks are looking to continue improving with each season.  In 2023 they ended the season with a 5-5 record, going 5-4 in conference play and in 2024 they slipped to 4-6 with a 4-5 conference record.  With a strong track record of good red zone play and a solid rushing attack, Ripon College is set to match or improve on their previous two seasons' records. The Red Hawks welcome back starting quarterback Jack Berens, who only played the first half of last season before being injured. enior defensive lineman Gavin Engh is a top returning defender for Ripon, totaling 29 tackles (12.5 for loss) and 4 sacks in 2024.