MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- With the first week of the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) football season in the rear-view mirror, let’s check around the conference to see how the teams performed!

All nine NACC programs were in action, registering a 4-5 mark overall. 
 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

Thursday, Sept. 3 Beloit 14, Rockford 12 Friday, Sept. 4 Carthage 23, Lakeland 14 Saturday, Sept. 5 Benedictine 41, Buena Vista 14 Carroll (Wis.) 40, St. Norbert 10 Concordia Chicago 52, Minn.-Morris 19 Concordia Wisconsin 38, Ripon 14 Knox 16, Eureka 0 Wisconsin Lutheran 37, St. Scholastica 14 No. 6/6 Wis.-Platteville 44, Aurora 7

Saturday, Sept. 12 (all times CT) St. Norbert (0-1) at Calvin (1-0), noon Elmhurst (0-1) at Rockford (0-1), 1 p.m. Lakeland (0-1) at Greenville (0-1), 1 p.m. Grinnell (1-0) at Concordia Chicago (1-0), 1 p.m. Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) (1-0) at Aurora (0-1), 1 p.m. Martin Luther (0-1) at Concordia Wisconsin (1-0), 2 p.m. Westminster (Mo.) (0-1) at Eureka (0-1), 5 p.m. Ripon (0-1) at Wisconsin Lutheran (1-0), 6 p.m. Loras (1-0) at Benedictine (1-0), 6 p.m.

THURSDAY
Beloit 14, Rockford 12
At Strong Stadium in Beloit, Wisconsin, the teams got off to a slow start, combining for three consecutive punts to open the contest until Rockford used a 43-yard pass from Ben Parker to Kenny Moten-Barden to get the ball down to the Beloit 11. On first and goal from the 1-yard line, Malik Gordon rushed through the middle to put the Regents on the board first. However, Goodnews Oloyede’s extra point attempt was blocked by Aden Champagne, and so Beloit was only trailing by six.

After another five consecutive punts, Rockford had the ball on their own 44. Parker completed a pass to Brandon Edwards, but Alex Klun forced and recovered the ball to give possession back to the Buccaneers. 

On the first play of the drive, Noah Carrasco found Braden Hoth for 38 yards, putting the ball at the Rockford 14. A roughing the passer call on the play made it half the distance to the goal, giving Beloit a first and goal from the 7. Carrasco connected with Hoth again, and this time it was for a touchdown. The Buccaneers were able to hit their extra point, and they took a narrow 7-6 lead over the Regents.

Beloit’s kickoff pinned the Regents back at their own four, and they weren’t able to advance that far, so their punt gave the ball back to the Buccaneers at the Rockford 38. Beloit moved the ball down into the red zone, and with first and goal from the four, Deandre Fields punched it in, to put Beloit up 14-6. Three straight punts ensued, and then Beloit just ran the ball out to end the first half.

Rockford turned it over on their first possession of the half, when Parker was picked off David Howard III at the Beloit 26.

The two teams then traded punts, and then Dean Harilal of the Buccaneers fumbled it on his own 12, and Ahlin Gilbert of the Regents recovered it to give Rockford excellent field position. Rockford needed less than two minutes to find the endzone, when Parker found Moten-Barden in the end zone to cut into the Buccaneers’ lead by six. Gordon was given the ball in an attempt to tie the game at 14 apiece, but he was stuffed, so Beloit maintained their lead, 14-12.

And that would be the final score of the game. Throughout the rest of the third quarter and all of the fourth, the two teams would trade punts and turnovers. Rockford’s last chance would come with fourth and one on the Beloit 36. Rather than trying to kick a 53-yard field goal, the Regents ran a play, and Parker fumbled the ball the Julian Rivera, sealing the win for the Buccaneers.

FRIDAY
Carthage 23, Lakeland 14
At Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Lakeland was able to get into Carthage territory on the first drive of the game, but was unable to recover from a 10-yard holding penalty, and were forced to punt. Twice, actually, as the first one was called back for illegal formation.

Carthage started their first drive with the ball on their own 19, and were able to get to the 36 on the first play via a Jack DeFilippis to Mikel McGowan Jr. Then Davion Hayes ran it 64 yards to give the Firebirds the early lead. Carthage actually elected to go for two instead of kicking the extra point, and DeFilippis’s pass failed, keeping it at 6-0.

On their second drive of the game, the Muskies made the choice of going for it on fourth and three from their own 42, and were only able to pick up two of the three yards they needed. With the relatively short field positioning, the Firebirds would make their way down the field, and DeFilippis would find McGowan Jr. from sixteen yards out to put Carthage up 13-0.

The two teams traded punts, before Lontae Lambert fumbled the ball at the Lakeland 42, and Ramon Campos recovered it to give Carthage some more good field positioning. They weren’t able to get the ball in the end zone for a third time, but Mugdim Kreho drilled a 45 yard field goal to increase their lead by three.

The two teams once again traded punts, before Lakeland was able to get the ball all the way down to the Carthage 5. With first and goal from the five, Carson Glosny’s pass was incomplete. Hassan Rivers picked up two on second down to make it third and goal from the 2. He was stuffed on third down, and then Glosny’s pass on fourth down was incomplete, making it a turnover on downs for the Muskies. The Firebirds’ defense had bent, but had not broken.

From there, Carthage just ran the clock out until halftime.

Carthage started the second half with the ball, and Hayes decided to one-up his rushing touchdown from the first quarter by running the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a touchdown, giving the Firebirds a 23-0 lead.

With their first drive of the second half, the Muskies were finally able to have a sustained drive that led to points, marching 65 yards down the field and even converting on a fourth and seven. Finally, Glosny found Caleb Besaw in the end zone to put Lakeland on the board. The two-point conversion was successful, and the Firebirds’ lead was now 15.

After Carthage punted, Lakeland again went on a sustained drive, and found themselves knocking on the Firebird doorstep with first and goal from the two. Glosny was pushed backwards two yards on first down, before Rivers was stuffed on second down. On third down, Glosny’s pass to Besaw was complete at the one, but Mariano Talamantez forced a fumble that was recovered by Brad Filippis of the Firebirds. Despite Lakeland challenging the call, the ruling on the field stood.

Carthage punted to start the fourth quarter, and Lakeland once again made it down to the redzone before once again being denied. On fourth and ten from the Carthage 15, Glosny’s pass to Caden Kleparski was incomplete, and Lakeland again turned the ball over on downs.

After another punt by the Firebirds, Lakeland went 70 yards in just over two minutes, and Glosny got the ball to Braylon Reece to make it 23-14. Instead of kicking the extra point to go down eight, the Muskies went for two, and the conversion was unsuccessful.

The Firebirds got the one first down they needed, and then were able to kneel the ball twice to end the game.

SATURDAY
Benedictine 41, Buena Vista 14
At J. Leslie Rollins Stadium in Storm Lake, Iowa, the Eagles started the game with a 7+ minute drive that drove 67 yards in 13 plays. They had first and goal on the Buena Vista 9-yard line, but were unable to find the end zone, and were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal that was hit by Carter Velez.

Buena Vista followed with an extremely similar drive, but their field goal attempt was blocked by Jake Diamantos, and the Eagles regained possession.

This time, the Eagles were able to find the end zone, going 65 yards in just ten plays on a drive that was capped off by a five yard pass from Marcus Martin to Jason Moore to put the Eagles up 10-0.

Buena Vista wasn’t able to manage much on its second drive, getting just one first down before being forced to punt, a punt that Moore ran back 32 yards to set the Eagles up at the Buena Vista 45.

Tyler Popsisil rushed for three yards on the second play of the drive, then rushed for 42 on the second, and the Eagles scored on their third consecutive drive to start the game and take a 17-0 lead.

Buena Vista was finally able to get on the scoreboard on their next drive, going 75 yards on 14 plays, with Adriel Fussell running in the score from one-yard out to cut the lead to ten with just 40 seconds left in the half.

The Eagles ran the ensuing kickoff back 62 yards to get down to the Buena Vista 32, but missed a field goal from 28 yards out to end the half.

Buena Vista got the ball to start the second half, but Fussell fumbled the ball almost immediately, giving the ball to the Eagles on the Buena Vista 48. It only took one play for the Eagles to find the end zone, when Martin launched a pass to Alex Siebens to put Benedictine up 24-7.

Buena Vista got down to the Benedictine 31 on their next drive, but a pair of penalties set them back to the 46, and they were eventually forced to punt.

The Eagles used some chunk plays to cut deep into Buena Vista territory, and Martin again found Siebens from 31 yards out to make it a 31-7 ballgame.

On the first play of Buena Vista’s next drive, Brett Garcia was intercepted by Humberto Velazquez, and the Eagles immediately had the ball back. 

They once again got into the redzone, but for the second time in the game were forced to settle for a 22 yard field goal, stretching their lead to 27.

Buena Vista had a three-and-out on their next drive, and the Eagles made them pay by finding the end zone for the fifth time in the game. Popsil finished the touchdown drive by running it in seven yards for his second touchdown of the game.

The Eagles defense finally caved, and Buena Vista was able to create another long drive that ended with them finding the end zone for the second time in the game on a Brett Garcia run.

Benedictine fumbled the ball the next time they had it, and Buena Vista had a turnover on downs, before the Eagles ran the clock down to end the game with the 41-14 victory.

Concordia Chicago 52, Minnesota-Morris 19
At Big Cat Stadium in Morris, Minnesota, the CUC defense held strong to start the game, forcing Minnesota-Morris to a three-and-out. The Cougars went 55 yards on just eight plays, with QB Colton Bosch running it in himself from nine yards out to put CUC on the board first.

Minnesota-Morris was able to get a first down on their second drive, but it ultimately led to nothing, and they were forced to punt from the CUC 49.

The Cougars followed their first touchdown drive with a second one, and Bosch found Korey Randle to get down to the UMM 7 to end the quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Joron Brown gave the Cougars their second rushing touchdown of the day, and put them up 14-0.

On the third play of their third drive, UMM QB Chris Ellert was picked off by Kadin Stroer, who ran it back 48 yards to add to the Cougars lead.

UMM went three-and-out on their following drive, and, to add insult to injury, Trever Cockerill’s punt was blocked and recovered by Jeremiah Wilson, who returned it 20 yards to give the Cougars a 28-0 lead.

UMM got some momentum on their side, when they ran the ensuing kickoff back 69 yards to set up shop on the CUC 28. They needed just three plays to finally find the end zone, when Bryson Drake connected with Manny Guy to get UMM on the board. But they missed the extra point, meaning that CUC was still up 28-6.

UMM actually recovered their own onside kick, but the burst of hope led to nothing when they turned the ball over on downs at the CUC 42.

The Cougars had their first three-and-out of the game, but then UMM threw an interception on the first play of their next drive. One pass from Bosch to Randle later, and the Cougars were up 35-6.

UMM were able to slowly chip away at the Cougars defense, and Drake found Guy for the second time to add another six. However, the two-point conversion failed, so the score was 35-12.

After Bosch fumbled the ball on the first play of the Cougars’ next drive, Drake connected with Jacob Wilmes for a 40 yard TD pass to make things interesting at 35-19.

The Cougars were unable to score before the half ended but started the second half with the ball, and were able to go down and kick a field goal to get their lead back up to 19.

UMM tried to build on their momentum from the end of the first half, but Tyrell Luther forced the ball from Sean-Keley Chinanga’s bands, and Stroer took it 50 yards to the house to make it 45-19.

The two teams would go punt, interception, punt, punt from the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, and UMM would get down to the Cougars 2 before a pass by Drake was picked off by Mikel Harris, who ran it down to the UMM 44.

The two teams traded punts, and a perfect punt by Dennis Vanderplow of the Cougars pinned UMM at their own 1 yard line. A poor sequence of plays gave the Cougars the ball at the UMM 39, and Brown took it all the way on the first play of the drive to give the Cougars a 52-19 lead, which would be the final score of the game.

Concordia Wisconsin 38, Ripon 14
At Hopp Stadium in Ripon, Wisconsin, Concordia Wisconsin started the game with the ball on their own 25, and needed just a few chunk plays to get down to the Ripon 20. The Falcons eventually got it to third-and-goal from the Ripon 5, and Roman Funk found Kam’Ron Pierre to put the Falcons on the board first. 

The Red Hawks went three-and-out on their first possession of the game, and the Falcons were able to begin their second drive right around midfield. They pushed the ball down to the Ripon 8, where Alijah Bright was able to run the ball in to put the Falcons up by two scores. Two possessions, two touchdowns for CUW.

Ripon followed that with another three-and-out, and the Falcons were again able to push deep into Ripon territory, getting all the way down to the Red Hawks 10 before Nolan Perry forced Bright to fumble, and the ball was recovered by James Bradley to give the ball back to the Red Hawks.

The Red Hawks were able to avoid going three-and-out for the third straight time, and actually had some success, getting to the CUW before a shot at the end zone was broken up, and they were forced to punt.

The Falcons needed just three plays to add to their lead, and Funk found Jack Bradley on a 54 yard pass to put CUW up 21-0.

Ripon went three-and-out for the third time in the game, and the Falcons were able to get all the way down to the Ripon 9 before being forced to kick a field goal. Nick Klein’s 32 yard attempt was no good, so the score stayed where it was going into halftime.

The Red Hawks needed just 45 seconds to go three-and-out to start the second half, and CUW went on another long drive that ended with Jacob Pugh running it in from fourth and goal on the 2. The Falcons were now up four scores, and the Red Hawks responded with another three-and-out.

CUW used a 44-yard rush by Bright to get down to the Ripon 4, and three plays later, Bright ran it in for his second touchdown of the day. From the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, the Red Hawks were able to have their first real sustained drive of the game, and Jack Berens rushed it in on third and goal from the 1 to finally get the Red Hawks on the scoreboard.

A good kickoff and a penalty by the Falcons meant CUW had to start deep in their own territory, and the Red Hawks made a stand, forcing the Falcons to punt. Berens completed a 38 yard touchdown pass to Michael Sheely on the first play of the drive, and the Red Hawks had back to back TDs.

The teams traded a punt and a turnover on downs, before the Falcons were able to get another good drive that ended in another field goal by Klein, putting CUW a 38-14 lead that they would hold until the final whistle.

Wisconsin Lutheran def. St. Scholastica 37-14
At Duluth Schools Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota, St. Scholastica started with the ball against WLC, but were continually forced backwards, until WLC recorded a safety to go up 2-0 against the Saints. On their first drive of the game, the Warriors made it deep into Saints territory getting all the way down to the Saints 17. On fourth and four, Roman Morales’s throw to Liam Heiges was hurried, and the Saints defense held to force a turnover on downs.

The Saints responded in kind, getting all the way down to the WLC 20 before an incomplete pass by Saints QB Eddie Dossantos also caused a turnover on downs. The game went into the second quarter with the odd score of 2-0.

The Warriors were able to put a touchdown on the scoreboard on their second drive, when Morales found Jakota Hase for a 34 yard touchdown pass to put WLC up 9-0 over the Saints.

The Saints only managed one first down on the ensuing drive before being forced to punt, but a nice punt by Griffin Webb pinned the Warriors at their own 5.

The long field in front of them didn’t deter WLC, and their 95 yard drive was capped off by a 42 yard pass from Morales to Keith Johnson, extending the Warriors’ lead and breaking through the Saints’s secondary on the second consecutive drive.

The Saints went three-and-out on their next possession, and a series of unfortunate events caused the Warriors to regain the ball at the St. Scholastica 8. The Warriors had just 58 seconds left in the half, and they would need every single one of them. With fourth and goal from the one, Heiges rushed it in as time expired to give the Warriors a 23-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Warriors started the second half with the ball, and an almost seven-minute drive that saw the Warriors convert a fourth and six concluded with Morales running it in himself from the one to put WLC up 30-0.

The Saints looked like they would be forced to punt on their first possession of the half, but a roughing the kicker call gave them a second chance, one they made the most of. They marched down the field and converted a fourth and one from the WLC 39, and Dossantos connected with Brayden Dent for a 42 yard touchdown pass that got the Saints on the board as the game headed into the fourth quarter.

WLC punted to start the fourth quarter, then the two teams traded interceptions. With the ball on their own 41, Dossantos completed a pass to Dent at the 50, and Dent took it 50 yards to the house to make it just a two-score game.

The Saints got another break when they blocked a field goal attempt by Wisconsin Lutheran, but Dossantos was intercepted by Chris Korb on just the second play of the following drive, giving the Warriors the ball at the Saints 22. 

The Warriors failed to convert a fourth and 22, but Dossantos fumbled to give the ball back to WLC, with the Warriors now having the ball on the Saints 5. Heiges picked up the remaining five yards himself, giving the Warriors a 37-14 lead, and giving himself his third overall touchdown of the day.

No. 6/6 Wis.-Platteville 44, Aurora 7
At Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium in Platteville, Wisconsin, UW-Platteville started the game with the ball, and ran the opening kickoff back all the way to the Aurora 49 to start the game on the Spartans’ side of the field. They were able to get down into the redzone before stalling, and Brady Mobley kicked a 22 yard field goal to put the Pioneers on the board first.

Aurora went three-and-out on their opening drive, but then got a lucky break when Brayden Knoll muffed the punt, and the Spartans set up shop on the UW-Plateville 35. Despite the good starting field position, Aurora was not able to score. They went for it on fourth and three from the Pioneers 17, and Jackson Alcorn’s pass was broken up by Drew Gallagher to force a turnover on downs.

A deep pass from Caden Casimino to Charlie Snoreck on the first play of the drive put the ball in Spartans territory, and the Pioneers slowly marched down the field from there. In the end, Nathan Uselding found Jaxson Garbisch in the end zone to put the Pioneers up 10-0.

Alcorn got picked off by Ashton Honore on the next possession for the Spartans, and Honore returned it down to the Spartans 14 to give UW-Plateville the ball in the redzone. They weren’t able to get a second consecutive touchdown, but Mobley hit his second field goal of the game to start the second quarter.

The Spartans went three-and-out, and Uselding flipped the field from the UW-Plateville 25 to the Aurora 25 via a 50 yard pass to Shane Crandall. A few plays later, Casimino found Snoreck again, this time in the end zone, and the Pioneers were up 20-0 over the Spartans.

Aurora had a second consecutive three-and-out, but a monster punt by Parker Finch put the Pioneers back on their own 22. That didn’t deter the Pioneers at all, and they launched a drive that ended with Uselding finding Kristian Gavric in the end zone from 15 yards out to grow the Pioneers’ lead by seven.

The Spartans managed to pick up a first down on their next drive, but their offense stalled after that, and a poor punt by Finch traveled only eight yards, giving the Pioneers the ball on their own 45.

Once again, the Pioneers went right down the field, and Uselding connected with Garbisch for the second time in the game to put the Pioneers up 34-0 with just 16 seconds left in the half.

After Aurora punted to start the second half, the Uselding to Garbisch pipeline struck gold for the third time in the game, with the duo connecting from the Spartan 19 to give UW-Plateville a 41-0 lead.

After a turnover on downs by Aurora, the Pioneers went right back down to the Spartans’ redzone. However, this time they weren’t able to find the end zone, and Mobley drilled a 21 yard field goal to increase their lead.

Alcorn was intercepted again the next time the Spartans had the ball, and the two teams traded punts and turnovers on downs until Aurora put together a sustained drive to end the game, with Kohen Blount running it in on second and goal from the one to avoid the shutout for the Spartans.

Knox 16, Eureka 0
At Pete FioRito Stadium at McKinzie Field in Eureka, Illinois, the host Red Devils started the game with the ball, but the Knox College defense forced a quick three-and-out, and the Red Devils were forced to punt. 

A decent punt return started the Prairie Fire at the Eureka 45, and a pass from Karter Krutsinger to Marcus Carter moved the ball down to the 18. Despite breaking into the redzone and even having third and two, Knox was unable to convert, and Dylan Fonnesbeck kicked a 32 yard field goal to put the Prairie Fire on the board first.

The next three possessions were all punts, and then Knox was able to get a drive going from the end of the first quarter into the start of the second. Facing fourth and goal from the one, Krutsinger ran it in himself, giving the Prairie Fire their first touchdown of the game. However, the extra point attempt was blocked by Tyren Moore, keeping it a 9-0 game.

Another three straight punts followed, and then with Knox driving, the Red Devils defense made a stand. With Knox at the Eureka 25, Krutsinger threw a pass that was intercepted by Micah Gilcrest at the 1, preventing the Prairie Fire from finding the end zone.

Eureka went three-and-out pinned deep in their own territory, but a good punt by Jovountae Robinson started Knox at midfield. The Prairie Fire went down into the redzone, and made it to the Eureka 7. They were forced to kick a field goal with under a minute left in the half, but Fonnesbeck’s kick was no good, keeping the score at 9-0 going into halftime.

The two teams traded punts and turnovers and turnovers on downs to start the third quarter, before Krutsinger ran the ball in from the three for his second rushing touchdown of the day.

And that is where the score would remain. The game would end on four consecutive punts, a turnover on downs by Eureka, and a fumble by Knox at the Eureka 3.

Carroll (Wis.) 40, St. Norbert 10
At Schneider Stadium in De Pere, Wisconsin, Carroll started the game with the ball, and wasted no time cutting deep into St. Norbert territory. A 27 yard pass from Elisha Nieves to Marcus Johnson gave Carroll the ball on the St. Norbert 43, and two plays later they had first and ten from the 32. The St. Norbert defense held strong after that, though, and Nieves’s pass on fourth and thirteen was incomplete, giving Carroll a turnover on downs.

The two teams traded punts, and the St. Norbert started their second drive of the game on Carroll’s 44. They were able to get down to the red zone, but Tanner Hora’s pass on third and twelve was incomplete, so the Green Knights had to settle for a field goal by Tyler Juergensen. Still, St. Norbert was on the lead first.

On Carroll’s next drive, the Pioneers responded, as Anthony Martorano ran 76 yards on just the third play of the drive to give the Pioneers the lead.

Following three straight punts, the Pioneers were able to flip the field again thanks to another deep pass by Nieves. This one was to Patrick Liam, and it sent Carroll from their own 39 to the St. Norbert 20. They were unable to convert a third and five, but Matthew Swink hit the field goal from 31 yards to grow the Pioneers’ lead by three.

The Green Knights took a deep shot on their next drive, but Hora’s pass was intercepted by Cameran Banks right on the Carroll 20. Five plays later, Nieves connected with Johnson on a short, two-yard pass that Johnson turned into a 68 yard touchdown. 

The Green Knights punted on their next drive, and the Pioneers were able to tack on another field goal by Swink, this one from 42 yards out to give Carroll the 20-3 lead.

St. Norbert went three-and-out on their first drive of the second half, but had a very fortunate turn of events when Pioneers returner Jahkai Bohannon fumbled the return, and the Green Knights recovered with the ball already at the Pioneers 39. However, Carroll’s defense stood strong, and Fernando Rodriguez was sacked on fourth and eight to force a turnover on downs.

It was a one-play drive for Carroll, as Nieves found Danny Poor for a 47 yard TD right out of the gate. That pushed the Pioneers’ lead to 27-3, and St. Norbert was unable to answer, and was forced to punt on their next possession.

Despite starting with the ball at their own 14, the Pioneers slowly chipped away, and then took a really big chunk when Nieves’s 58 yard pass to Zach Johnson put the ball all the way down on the St. Norbert 3. On the next play, Justice Humphreys ran it in, putting Carroll up 33-3. Swink missed the extra point, but the Pioneers were still holding a comfortable lead.

The fourth quarter started with a punt by St. Norbert, and Carroll again turned another massive chunk play into a touchdown. This time, it was when Beau Veit found Jayvion Williams on a play that went 64 yards to add another seven points to the Pioneers’ lead.

The Green Knights were finally able to find the end zone on their next drive, which went 75 yards on eleven plays, and took almost a full seven minutes. It was capped off by Alex Jayne rushing it in from the six to make the game 40-10.