CHICAGO, Ill. -- After back-to-back .500 seasons in 2023 and 2024, the Vikings took a dip in 2025 finishing with a 3-7 overall record and 2-7 in CCIW play. However, records can be deceiving as a handful of North Park's losses last season were games that came down to the wire and could have easily gone the Vikings' way. This season, head coach Kyle Rooker and his team will look to use the experience of key returning players as well as some new faces to shore up those close games and get back on track.
Like every season, teams lose valuable seniors who were key contributors to the success of their team. Replacing the production of All-CCIW players like Jereme Ombogo, Wesley McCloud, and Ben Butler poses a real challenge for a coaching staff; however, the Vikings feel like they have players to do so. North Park's pillars of the upcoming season are Connected, Focused, and Enthusiastic according to head coach Kyle Rooker. When asked about the most exciting part of going into the new season, Rooker specifically noted the connectivity of this year's group:
"Our returning players made it a point to develop stronger relationships in the spring, and that has carried over to the fall. They've done an outstanding job of welcoming our new players and teaching them what it means to be a North Park football player".
Last season the Vikings couldn't fine their rhythm offensively due to injury, multiple starting quarterbacks, and a young offensive line. Even two of those things can be a recipe for offensive struggles on any team. This year however, the Vikings made it a point to bolster the trenches. Coach Rooker says that he feels that the offensive line is "starting to look like what [a] top-tier Division III offensive line looks like, in terms of size and strength", and believes that with more game reps the offensive line will make a real impact as the year progresses". Caleb Apodaca, a junior offensive lineman, is a guy who is coming back from injury and who Rooker believes has the chance to be an All-CCIW caliber player when healthy. The question of who will be under-center was something Rooker kept close to the chest but noted that the quarterback position is more settled going into this season than it was last year:
"We have more game experience than we had last year. We're excited about the potential in the [quarterback] room and now we're looking for the productivity needed from that position to win games… Paul Palmer and Carson Lewis continue to battle – and both have shown glimpses of being outstanding at the position".
There is plenty of excitement among the coaching staff about the depth of the offense this season. Aidan Delisi, Marco Castro, and Bryce Black lead the running back room with an ample amount of varsity snaps under their belt; Christian Bryce and Klayton Stevens look to be the one-two punch at tight end; and Levi Sheehan, Tyger Hayashi, Niko Armstead-Lehti, and Cailix Dillon rounding out the receivers who will see the field early on, with Sheehan being the veteran of the bunch.
Defensively, the Vikings believe the players have a better understanding of the system heading into this season than they did last year and have improved across the board as well. Rooker credits his coaching staff for doing a great job this offseason stressing the importance of fundamentals and doing the things that take no talent: alignments, assignments, and high-level communication. Notably, the Vikings' linebacker group of Armando Martinez, an All-CCIW 2nd Team member in 2025, DJ Johnson, and Kory Pradia will be one of the strongest units of the team according to Rooker. Rising sophomores Darrius Whiters and Manning Fisher lead the North Park secondary, players who have shown "tremendous growth" through camp. Danny Alequin and Elijah Chandler have looked great in camp as well, both guys stepping up as leaders for the defensive line room.
Coach Rooker expressed his familiar "1-0 every week" sentiment but is taking it a step further this season by stressing to his players the importance of taking everything day-by-day. When asked about what must happen between now and Saturday, Rooker didn't shy away:
"Stay healthy, get healthier, understand our game plan, continue to improve our conditioning, and have a great week of practice. Really, we just need to go 1-0 every day between now and then so we can go 1-0 Saturday night".
The Vikings' season kicks off on September 5th at 6:00 PM ET when they head down to Indiana to face Franklin College.
