Football Falls Shy of NACC Title Against No. 10 Aurora 

AURORA, Ill. - The Concordia Falcons' quest for a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference football championship was stopped at the hands of the Aurora Spartans, who went undefeated in 2023 to clinch their third consecutive conference title. The Falcons' second-place finish in the NACC marked the program's first time finishing in the top two in back-to-back seasons since 2013, while also becoming one of only three teams to do so since 2016. 

Concordia's defense was present and powerful from the very beginning of the contest, holding a Spartans team that had tallied 70 points in 5 of its last 6 games scoreless in the first quarter for the first time all season. The Falcons would also force a turnover in the opening minutes of the game, as freshman Se'Korrey Thomas (Punta Gorda, Fla.) would grab his first career interception on Aurora's second drive of the contest. Not to be outdone, the Aurora defense likewise kept the Falcons off of the scoreboard through the quarter, and it would not be until the second that the 0-0 deadlock would be broken, as Ian Luyando punched the ball into the end zone for the Spartans. 

Senior Justin Cabrera (San Antonio, Texas) would give the Falcons their second interception off of Luyando in the game on Aurora's next drive, thwarting a potential scoring threat. 

A 48-yard field goal from Matthew Hylek minutes before the half would grant Aurora a 10-0 lead at halftime, representing their slimmest lead after 30 in 2023. 

Luyando and Hylek would collect scores for the Spartans on their first two drives of the second half, and Hylek would collect another field goal at the end of the third quarter to give Aurora a 23-0 lead. 

Neither team would edit the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, and the contest would finish at 23-0. 

Defensively, juniors Justice Kaneta (Brighton, Colo.) and Zac Ballard (Paramount, Calif.) and seniors Breven Papallatoc (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Chase Coots (Round Rock, Texas) would register sacks for the Falcons, while Papallatoc would also pick up three-and-a-half tackles for loss. 

Senior quarterback Michael Purkey (Woodstock, Ill.) completed 10 passes for 103 yards for Concordia on the afternoon. 

The 7-3 regular season finish for Concordia marked the program's second consecutive season with seven or more wins, while its 6-2 conference record tied for the team's most wins in conference play since 2006.