NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Elmhurst football team closed out the 2016 season with a 5-5 overall record after falling 59-17 to sixth-ranked North Central College.

North Central (10-0, 8-0 CCIW) captured the CCIW Championship outright and secured the leagues automatic bid to the NCAA Championship with the victory.

The Cardinals scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions of the game to put the Bluejays in an early hole with a 28-3 lead. The Bluejays came as close as an 18-point deficit at 28-10 but came no closer. 

North Central grabbed a quick 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the contest as Ryan Kuhl scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Broc Rutter. 

Elmhurst put three points on the scoreboard after a Cardinals' turnover. Mike Weaver stripped Austin Breunig of the ball and Andy Warsen recovered the loose ball at the Cardinal's 13-yard line. Elmhurst set up a first-and-goal from the one-yard line, but a penalty backed them up and the Bluejays settled for a 24-yard field goal from Blake Bailey. 

Ruter quickly helped pad the Cardinals' lead throwing a pair of 42-yard touchdown passes to Dylan Warden and Alex Ulmer. An eight-yard TD pass to Kuhl gave the Cardinals a 28-3 lead early in the second quarter. 

The Bluejays sliced into the lead on their next possession as Orlando Hernandez hooked up with Kaylon Miller on a 65-yard touchdown pass. A Jack Dibble 10-yard run put the Cardinals up 35-10. Elmhurst scored its final touchdown of the game on an 11-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to make the score 35-17, but a Liam Crotty 18-yard field goal just before the half gave North Central a 38-17 lead at the half.

Touchdown runs from Warden, Rutter and Vaughn Hobart in the second half helped the Cardinals pull away for the 59-17 victory.

Elmhurst finished with 307 yards of offense, rushing for 72 yards and passing for 235 yards. The Cardinals totaled 558 yards with 207 coming on the ground and 351 coming through the air. 

Korey Partenheimer led Elmhurst on the ground with two carries for 68 yards. Hernandez completed 13-of-37 pass attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown. Jake Tahaney finished 5-of-9 for 31 yards. Miller was the Bluejays' top receiver, hauling in four passes for 107 yards. Matt Brachmann added four grabs for 66 yards.

Ruter completed 22-of-35 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns while Dibble paced the Cardinals on the ground with 12 carries for 76 yards. Kuhl caught nine passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. 

Andy Warsen led the Elmhurst defense, finishing with 14 tackles, a sack and fumble recovery. Perode Charles and Sean Wetherell added 10 tackles apiece. Weaver and Alec Datoli added a sack apiece while Tyler Schwartz and John Rubino each recovered a fumble. 

Originally picked to finish ninth in the CCIW Preseason Coaches Poll, the Bluejays finished the year with a 4-4 record in the CCIW with three of the Bluejays' losses being decided by an average of less than six points.