Lehnen, North Central beat Mount Union 41-25, win third D-III title since 2019

HOUSTON (AP) — Luke Lehnen accounted for five touchdowns and North Central beat Mount Union 41-25to win its third Division III national championship. The Cardinals (15-0) appeared in their fifth consecutive Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. Lehnen threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Myles Walton to make it 7-7 with 4:35 left in the first quarter. It gave Lehnen 159 career TD passes, breaking Braxton Plunk’s (Mount Union, 2019-23) D-III record. Lehnen’s 16-yard TD run in the second quarter made it 14-7 and the Cardinals led the rest of the way. Tyler Echeverry opened the scoring with a 29-yard run — the first time North Central has trailed all season. Echeverry, who had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries in the first quarter, finished with 20 carries for 83 yards.

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