Wheaton defeats Crown College in NCAA DIII playoff opener with record-setting score

Wheaton College’s football team secured a decisive 76-14 win over Crown College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs at McCully Stadium on Saturday. This game marked the first-ever playoff appearance for Crown, who qualified by winning the UMAC conference.

Wheaton took an early lead, scoring on their opening drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Mark Forcucci to Caleb Titherington. The Thunder’s defense quickly forced a three-and-out, leading to a blocked punt that Brett Dieter returned for another touchdown. Wheaton’s defense continued to pressure Crown, recording three sacks in the Polars’ first two possessions.

The Thunder offense remained productive throughout the game. Ben Juska contributed both rushing and receiving touchdowns, while Forcucci completed 14 of 16 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Seamus O’Connell also added a passing and rushing touchdown after taking over at quarterback in the second half.

Defensively, Wheaton forced three turnovers and sacked Crown’s quarterback six times. Zeke Harris led with ten tackles, while Peter Johanik recorded two sacks and increased his career total to 29.5, moving into fourth place on Wheaton’s all-time list.

Wheaton finished with 513 total yards of offense and limited penalties to just two during the game. The Thunder will advance to face Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa next Saturday at noon in the second round of the playoffs.

“The 76 points scored by Wheaton is the most by the Thunder in the program’s 32 NCAA Division III Playoff Games, and the 62-point margin of victory is also the most…with his effort today, Johanik has improved his first-place standing with 57.5 career tackles for loss…with two sacks today, Johanik moved into fourth place on the program’s all-time sacks list with 29.5 as he surpassed David Hoover’s (1992-95) 28 career sacks.”