CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park delivered its highest offensive output of the season Saturday afternoon for a packed homecoming crowd at the Holmgren Athletic Complex, piling up 597 total yards and scoring 29 fourth-quarter points on the way to a 55-34 victory over Carroll University. The Vikings rushed for 292 yards, the most rushing yards for North Park since November 2011, and the offensive line did not allow a sack in the win.
Both teams' offensives were on fire from start to finish, combining for 89 points and 1,249 total yards. North Park leaned on its dominant rushing attack that produced 292 yards and five touchdowns, with quarterback Paul Palmer threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns on 13-19. On just 52 plays on offense and losing the time of possession battle to the Pioneers, North Park averaged an impressive 11.5 yards per play.
North Park's defense halted a driving Carroll offense on the opening drive of the game, stuffing the Pioneers on a 4th and 1 at their own 5-yard line. The offense would proceed to drive 95 yards in six plays, capping off the drive with a 67-yard touchdown from freshman running back Jamaal Jones who was a catalyst for the Viking offense all afternoon. Carroll responded with back-to-back touchdowns credited to Anthony Martorano and Pacey Weber to take a 14-6 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Less than a minute later on the next drive, Palmer connected with tight end Klayton Stevens for an 80-yard catch and run touchdown. At 14-12, North Park's offense stayed on the field to attempt the two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. Later in the quarter, the Vikings pieced together a seven-play, 58-yard drive that was again finished off by Jamaal Jones rushing for a 30-yard touchdown to give North Park the 19-14 halftime lead.
The Vikings and the Pioneers traded touchdowns in the third, with Carroll regaining the 21-19 lead early in the quarter when CCIW rushing leader Marcus Johnson rushed for a 33-yard touchdown. However, that lead would be short lived for the moment as Jamaal Jones fielded the ensuing kickoff from his own 1-yard line and returned it 99 yards for his third touchdown of the afternoon, edging the Vikings back ahead 26-21. With just under 12 minutes left in the third after those two scores, neither team would see the endzone again until the fourth. North Park's defense closed the quarter with crucial stop after Carroll's drive placed them inside the Viking 10-yard line. Linebacker Armando Martinez dropped back into coverage undercutting a slant from a Pioneer receiver where he picked off Pioneer quarterback Elisha Nieves, returning it out near the 30-yard line.
The momentum swing seemed to stay in North Park's favor for the moment after their score early in the fourth quarter following the Martinez interception. A methodical 11-play, 71-yard drive ended with Paul Palmer fooling the defense with a fake handoff and taking the ball in himself to the wide side of the field to put the Vikings up 33-21. Though the Pioneers would not fold so easily, scoring another set of consecutive touchdowns to regain a 34-33 lead with less than seven minutes to play in the game.
Only need one score to take the lead, the Vikings ended up scoring 22 unanswered points in less than six minutes to close out the game and secure the victory. First, with 4:32 remaining, Palmer faced pressure in the pocket and avoided a sack and found Aidan Delisi alone on the left side of the field for an easy first down that he turned into a 60-yard touchdown. Now leading 39-34, the Viking offense stayed out once again to go for the two-point conversion to push their lead to 41-34. Motioning into a wildcat look where Niko Armstead-Lehti jumped behind center, North Park ran a trick play where Armstead Lehti caught the snap and pitched it to Palmer who then found receiver Mathis Baehr in the back of the endzone for a good two-point try.
North Park's defense stepped up in another big moment as linebacker Deon Hudson picked off Nieves and gave the Viking offense the ball at the Carroll 28-yard line. Jamaal Jones would pick up his fourth touchdown of the day, scoring from 13-yards out to all but put the Pioneers away with less than 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the Viking defense forced a desperate Carroll offense into a turnover on downs, North Park was content to just run the ball, hope to get one first down, and burn the rest of Carroll's three timeouts and end the game. Delisi found a seam and broke free for an 80-yard touchdown with a minute remaining on the clock, putting the exclamation point on a wild game and securing the 55-34 victory for the Vikings.
Jones turned out one of the best performances of the season for the Vikings, rushing 16 times for 138 yards and three touchdowns; recording two catches for 35 yards and two crucial first downs; and fielded 3 kickoff returns for 135 yards and a 99-yard touchdown return; totaling 308 yards on the afternoon. His fellow running back Aidan Delisi also had a noteworthy game, rushing 15 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 75 yards and a 60-yard touchdown. Receivers Trey Robinson and Mathis Baehr combined for three catches for 84 yards but all three catches came at very important times; Baehr's two catches were a two-point conversion to extend the lead and a 35-yard deep ball that got the Vikings to the 2-yard line to set up Palmer's rushing touchdown. Robinson made a big catch on third down in which he took it 46-yard to push North Park across midfield and set up a scoring opportunity. Defensively, Armando Martinez and Darrius Whiters led the way with 10 tackles apiece, with each of them posting 9 solo tackles and an assisted tackle. Martinez's interception kicked off the Vikings' defensive stand through the fourth quarter and Whiters made his presence felt in the backfield logging a tackle for loss as well as in the secondary where he recorded a pass break up as well. Defensive back Ashton McClinton and linebacker Kory Pradia weren't too far behind with 7 total tackles apiece between the two.
What's Next?
North Park moves to 2-6 overall and earn their second CCIW win of the season as they look to close out the 2026 season on a high over the next two weeks. On Saturday, November 7th the Vikings will travel down to Bloomington to face off against an Illinois Wesleyan team that has received some votes in the national polling.
