January 07, 2025
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Quartet of Illinois Valley products helped North Central College to D3 championship

Graduates of Streator, L-P, Pontiac and Princeton on roster

By J.T. Pedelty
Stagg Bowl logo

Stagg Bowl logo

With a handful of Illinois Valley-area products on the roster, North Central College captured the NCAA Division III football championship Sunday, defeating Mount Union (Ohio) 41-25 in the Stagg Bowl at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.

It is the third D-III national championship for North Central – located in Naperville – over the past five seasons. The Cardinals finished the season 15-0.

Among the area national champions are senior defensive back Riley McCurdy (Streator), sophomore linebacker Trevon Hunter (La Salle-Peru), sophomore offensive lineman Tyson Cramer (Pontiac) and junior linebacker Drew Harp (Princeton).

McCurdy in his senior season recorded 18 tackles (11 solo, one for loss) over a dozen games played. Hunter finished with 11 tackles (nine solo) over his 13 games.

Cramer participated in eight games for North Central. Harp tallied 10 tackles (eight solo) and recovered a fumble for the Cardinals in his eight games played.