North Central’s Ryan Kennelly was happy for himself after winning a national championship, but not as much as he was for his older teammates.
“This means more to me to do it for all the fifth-year guys who came back after last year’s loss (38-37 to SUNY Cortland in the Division III title game),” Kennelly said. “It was really tough to look at those guys last year.
“I wanted to win this year for them and for them to go out on top. That’s what it means to me to win the national championship. These are guys I came in with and we’ve spent a lot of time doing a lot of hard things together. Whether it was lifts or training, they pushed me to be the best person I could be and to keep going and working to get everything done.”
A 2021 Oak Lawn graduate, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Kennelly was part of a Cardinals program that has appeared in four Division III title games in a row and taken home championships in two of the last three seasons.
North Central, which beat Mount Union 41-25 to win the 2024 title, also defeated the Purple Raiders 28-21 in 2022.
“This just shows all the work that we put in during the season and throughout the winter with lifting and with spring ball,” Kennelly said. “This is a result of all our preparation through the season that gets us there.
“Everything we do behind the scenes got us to where we are now.”
Kennelly, whose parents and sister were in the stands at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston to watch the championship game, was in his first season as the Cardinals’ starter at right offensive tackle. A senior, he is majoring in secondary education with a minor in history with a future goal of teaching high school and coaching football.
As for what he’ll remember most about his playing career at North Central, Kennelly said it’s the bond he developed with his teammates.
“It’s all the relationships I’ve made over the years with the guys,” Kennelly said. “I went through a lot of hard work and training with those guys. I’ll remember most being with those guys and how we figured out how to get through that.
“And I’ll remember (head) coach (Brad) Spencer and all the coaches who got me to North Central and took me under their wings and guided me like a son.”
Other area athletes on the Cardinals roster this season were Ethan Enriquez (Nazareth), Kamil Kokot (Marist), Myron Lewis (St. Laurence), Bobby Medina (Mount Carmel) and Justin Obradovich (Stagg).
● Three former Marist stars are heading to the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Palos Heights resident Pat Coogan is a senior offensive lineman for Notre Dame. For Ohio State, Chicago residents Carnell Tate and Nolan Baudo are both sophomore wide receivers.
● Wisconsin-Platteville’s Harrison Meyer was chosen to the 2024 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Second Team on Defense.
A sophomore defensive back, the Sandburg graduate played in 11 games this season for the Pioneers, making 49 tackles to go with one sack and three interceptions. In addition, Meyer was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for Nov. 12.
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