The journey to a winning season - North Park Football on the rise - North Park University Athletics (2024)

Football 11/25/2024 11:27:00 AM Tyler Woolbright

A two-year surge for North Park Football continues to set new standards

CHICAGO, Ill.-- North Park Football won 10 games from 2016 through 2022. Now, under the direction of Head Coach Kyle Rooker, the Vikings are coming off their second straight five-win season and have earned their highest finish in the CCIW race (fifth) since 1968 saw them place third.

The "1-0" and "RightWay" principleshave been embraced by newcomers, passed down by veteran leadership on the Blue & Gold. This 2024 season saw many of those veterans etch their names into the record books and are major catalyststo the recent success stories for North Park Football.

Matt Eck started at quarterback in each ofthe last four seasons and established new career and single season records for North Park in 2024. He is now responsible for the most Viking touchdowns with 77 over the course of his career, breaking TD Conway's previous record of 63. His 71 passing touchdowns, including a single season record of 26 this year, are also new program bests. Eck capped an all-conference season with a program record of 2,732 passing yards and his 8,961 career passing yards are good for second all-time.

View this post on Instagram

See Also

Football’s chequered history of half-time entertainment: Punch-ups, cheerleaders and booing The ShamenJ.K. Dobbins' knee injury could be tough news for the Chargers offense - NFLEagles-Rams: Saquon Barkley erupts with 255 rushing yards as Philly beats L.A. 37-20 for its 7th straight victory2024 NFL Thanksgiving schedule: Where to watch, TV, streaming, teams, matchups, kickoff times for tripleheader

A post shared by North Park Vikings (@npuathletics)

The all-conference wide receiver duo of Jereme Ombogo and Wesley McCloud both had a pair of receiving touchdowns and more than 100 receiving yards each in the Vikings' season opener on Sept. 7 against Ripon, becoming the first pair ofreceivers in the CCIW to do that since the 2016 season. Ombogo's 13 receiving TDs this season are good for second-all time and his 80-yard catch from Eck in a win over Illinois Wesleyan is the fifth-longest passing play for NPU Football. McCloud's 76-yard catch and run against WashU in 2023 ranks t-14.

Additionally, kicker Michael Messersmith III holds program records for most extra points made (87) and points(114) over the course of his four-year career and Joshua De Luca became the first North Park offensive lineman named to the All-CCIW team since George Tafua, Jr. back in 2018.

For the Vikings' defense, linebacker Jaydin Miller leaves behind a legacy as the only North Park player to earn D3football.com National Team of the Week honors twice in a season. He earned the national recognition three times in his career and picked up three all-conference nods along the way.

Multi-positional talent Juan Nieves became just the second player in North Park history to earn All-CCIW accolades in each of his four seasons, alongside Viking Hall of Fame Gary Cassady. His two all-conference honors obtained inthe 2022 season (Defense and Return Specialist) make him the first Viking Football player to earn fiveall-conference awards.

North Park Football had three defensive players on the 2024 All-CCIW list (Ben Butler, Egan Bender, and Jaydin Miller) as the Vikings eight picks established a new high. Butler's three interceptions in the final quarter against Illinois Wesleyan this season led the Vikings to consecutive wins over the Titans for the first time in the history of the program.

A 4-1 start to the season put the Vikings in a position to think about playing beyond the regular season. There's no doubt Coach Rooker and company have reflected on "what could have been" in 2024, but there's also no doubt that the newly-established foundation and recent success of the program leads the Vikings faithful to think "what willbe?".