Andrew Kamienski knows what an accomplishment it is for North Central College to reach the Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III national championship game, for a second straight season.
It didn’t make the hurt of the Cardinals’ 57-24 loss to Mary Hardin-Baylor at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, on Friday any easier for him to stomach, however.
“To be able to get back to this point, it’s a great feeling, no matter what the outcome was,” Kamienski said. “We’re all leaving here heartbroken. Obviously we wanted to win this game, but it is what it is. Hats off to Mary Hardin-Baylor. They’re a great football team, and we knew it coming in.”
The game couldn’t have had a better start for the Cardinals (13-1). DeAngelo Hardy, a Lakes graduate, returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, the longest kickoff return for a TD in Stagg Bowl history.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (15-0) scored the next 16 points, however.
After Prospect graduate De’Angelo Roberson recovered a fumble at the Crusaders’ 10-yard line, the Cardinals marched 90 yards, capped by a 1-yard TD plunge by Lakes graduate Ethan Greenfield.
Another Mary Hardin-Baylor turnover led to Plainfield Central graduate Tanner Rains’ 22-yard field goal that gave the Cardinals a 17-16 lead with 2:05 left in the first half.
But that was the last time the Cardinals led. The Crusaders kicked a field goal for a 19-17 edge at halftime, and Afonso Thomas’ two rushing touchdowns and a field goal to start the second half put North Central behind 36-17 early in the fourth quarter.
The Crusaders put it away with three more touchdowns down the stretch. North Central’s lone score in the fourth was a 30-yard TD pass from Chatham Glenwood graduate Luke Lehnen to Metea Valley graduate Blake Williams.
“That was the best defense we faced, and couple that with the best offense we faced, I just think we ran into a little bit of a buzz saw,” North Central coach Jeff Thorne said. “They were hot coming in, and they stayed hot. It’s the way the ball bounces sometimes. We’re not always going to have our best stuff. We’ve been fortunate a couple times this year to win games when we haven’t been at our best. (Friday) we ran into an opponent where we couldn’t get away with that.”
The loss brought an end to North Central’s 24-game winning streak and to the careers of several seniors who delayed graduation during the coronavirus pandemic to come back for a chance at a repeat, including Kamienski.
The South Elgin graduate was a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, awarded to the top player in NCAA Division III. It went to Central College quarterback Blaine Hawkins just before kickoff.
During the game, Kamienski caught eight passes for 115 yards. He became the fourth Division III player to have more than 5,000 yards receiving in his career, finishing with 5,019.
“What we’ve done for North Central is obviously going to change the program forever,” Kamienski said. “We know what’s in that locker room. We both know the type of guys that are coming up behind us.
“I know North Central isn’t going anywhere, and they’re going to be a fun team to watch for years to come.”
Now the process toward a return trip to the Stagg Bowl begins. Greenfield, Hardy and Lehnen are among the returners hoping to make that a reality.
“Just let it hurt,” Greenfield said. “It sucks. There’s no way around it. You want to win. That’s what you set out to do. And when you don’t, you couldn’t just pretend it didn’t happen. You have to remember this feeling, remember what happened and let it drive you.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.