NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Elmhurst football team closed the book on its 2015 season after falling 56-21 on the road to 16th-ranked North Central College.

North Central (7-3, 6-1) raced out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back, allowing Elmhurst (4-6, 1-6 CCIW) to come no closer than a 14-point deficit.

The Bluejays fumbled away their opening possession of the game leading to a 22-yard touchdown pass from Justin Hunniford to Cory Hartema, giving North Central a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. 

Following an Elmhurst three-and-out, the Cardinals made it 14-0 on a Matt Randolph 18-yard touchdown run. 

The Cardinals took a three-touchdown lead early in the second quarter on an 80-yard touchdown run from Austin Breunig. 

Elmhurst put its first points on the scoreboard midway through the second. The Bluejays capped a 40-yard scoring drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Orlando Hernandez to Garrett Claxon. 

The Cardinals pushed their lead back to three touchdowns on an two-yard touchdown run from Breunig that capped an eight-play, 75-yard drive. 

Elmhurst answered back late in the half with an impressive 11-play, 74-yard drive ended on a one-yard touchdown plunge from Hernandez. 

The Cardinals tacked on a pair of third quarter touchdowns to extend their cushion to 42-14. The Bluejays cut the lead down to 21-points on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Drew Domino to Joe Sanfilippo late in the third quarter.

North Central pulled away in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns, sealing the 56-21 victory in the process. 

North Central outgained Elmhurst 552-273 in the contest. The Cardinals rushed for 266 yards while passing for 286. Elmhurst was limited to 68 yards on the ground while passing for 205. 

Josh Williams led Elmhurst on the ground, finishing with 56 yards on 16 carries. Hernandez completed 10-of-17 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown while Domino finished 5-of-11 for 85 yards and a score. Claxon was the Bluejays' top receiver, hauling in five passes for 73 yards. 

The Bluejays struggled to slow down Breunig in the North Central backfield. Breunig rushed 23 times for 192 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Hunniford completed 17-of-20 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns. 

Andy Warsen and Sean Wetherell led Elmhurst's defense with 12 tackles apiece. Perode Charles totaled 11 tackles and recovered a fumble for Elmhurst in the loss.