CANTON — The 2026 Stagg Bowl will be held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Sunday evening. The 52nd edition of the Division III National Championship Game will be played between the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (13-1) and North Central College (14-0).
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North Central drives out to its own 28-yard line before being forced to punt. River Falls will take over at its own 25-yard line. North Central leads River Falls 14-3 with 7:34 to play in the second quarter.
An offensive pass interference call wiped out a long pass play and ultimately forced River Falls to punt. North Central will take over at its own 12-yard line with a 14-3 lead and 9:55 to go in the second quarter.
Donovan McNeal runs for a 1-yard touchdown to help extend the North Central advantage. The extra point is good. The Cardinals lead River Falls 14-3 with 11:07 left in the second quarter. McNeal has 65 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 carries after being stuffed on a couple attempts.
North Central leads River Falls 7-3 after the first quarter of play. The Cardinals will have a third-and-13 at the River Falls 35-yard line to start the second quarter. Donovan McNeal is having a nice game for North Central. McNeal has 68 yards and a touchdown on seven carries so far.
River Falls converts the North Central fumble into a 25-yard field goal by Justin Scheberl with 5:48 to play in the first quarter. North Central leads 7-3. Jake Hilton caught two passes for 51 yards from Kaleb Blaha to help the Falcons move the ball downfield.
Gage Timm recovers a Garret Wilson fumble at the River Falls 10-yard line to snuff out another promising North Central drive. That was a big play for the Falcons. North Central leads 7-0 with 9:54 left in the first quarter.
Donovan McNeal takes off for a 48-yard touchdown run for North Central. North Central quickly takes a 7-0 lead over River Falls with 12:57 to go in the first quarter after the extra point is converted.
We are underway at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. North Central received the opening kickoff and returned it to its own 27-yard line. The Cardinal offense will take over from that spot to start the game.
We are less than five minutes away from kickoff here at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. River Falls and North Central are out on the field and the anthem has been played. The officials are now meeting at midfield.
Hope 2026 has gotten off to a great start for everybody! We’re coming to you tonight from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. If you are a big fan of seeing games played with snow on the turf and a chill in the air, this is the game for you! We are about 25 minutes away from kickoff. It should be a great game
Pregame primer
This will be the first ever meeting between North Central and River Falls. North Central is playing in its sixth NCAA Division III National Championship game and is looking for back-to-back national titles.
Offensive players to watchNorth CentralGarrett Wilson, QB
Wilson will likely surpass 3,000 yards passing on the season in this game. He is 192-of-273 passing for 2,886 yards with 42 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season.
Donovan McNeal, RB
McNeal is closing in on 1,500 yards rushing for the year. McNeal has 182 carries for 1,466 yards with 11 touchdowns.
Thomas Skokna, WR
Skokna has caught 81 passes for 1,226 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. He averages 15.1 yards per catch.
River FallsKaleb Blaha, QB
Blaha has thrown for over 4,500 yards this season. Blaha is 388-of-570 passing for 4,680 yards with 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 1,211 yards and 16 touchdowns on 221 carries. Blaha was a Gagliardi Trophy Finalist this season.
Blake Rohrer, WR
Rohrer is over the 1,000 yard mark on the season. He has caught 55 passes for 1,111 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averages 20.2 yards per catch.
Trevor Asher, RB
Asher is closing in on 1,000 yards rushing for the season. Asher has 182 carries for 892 yards with nine touchdowns.