Mila Rose

NCAA Quarterfinal Preview: JCU Football Headed to Georgia to Face #17 Berry College

12/11/2025 9:52:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

Mason Rus

The #9 Blue Streaks are traveling to the South for one of the first times in program history

MOUNT BERRY, Ga. — Georgia has been on the Blue Streaks' minds since Sunday.

On Saturday, #9 John Carroll Football vanquished #2 Mount Union in the Third Round of the NCAA Playoffs, stunning much of the Division III world with a double overtime victory.

That dramatic victory sets the stage for a first-ever matchup at Berry College in Georgia, located an hour and 45 minutes north of Atlanta and an hour and a half south of Chattanooga.

In the 105-year history of John Carroll Football, the Blue Streaks have traveled far and wide. But JCU is not accustomed to traveling too far south, thanks to the depth of competition in Ohio. The Blue Streaks have only played south of the Mason-Dixon Line twice in the 21st century, as JCU beat Thomas More in Kentucky on September 6, 2008 (41-14) and Catholic University in Washington, D.C. on September 1, 2001 (23-6).

John Carroll has never played a game in states considered the "Deep South," aka Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. However, John Carroll did play at Texas Western in El Paso, Texas all the way back in 1949. In that season opener, the Blue Streaks lost, 33-7. Texas Western is now known as UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso).

Berry is a newer program, originating in 2012. Tony Kunczewski has been at the center since the beginning as the Vikings' only head coach. It was a quick build for the Pennsylvania native, who guided Berry to its first Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Championship in 2016. The Vikings are now making their fourth NCAA Playoff appearance, a first in the NCAA Quarterfinal. Berry won the SAA this year with a 7-0 conference mark. Following the regular season, Kunczewski was selected as the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Region 3 Coach of the Year.

The Vikings opened the year with a 2-0 record before losing a 17-9 battle at #22 Carnegie Mellon. Since then, Berry has won nine straight, including playoff rematches over LaGrange College (18-14) and #21 Trinity University of Texas (31-23). However, both wins were by much narrower margins after beating both handily in the regular season. Berry is now 11-1 on the season.

As for Berry College itself, the school claims the "the world's largest" campus, including a "vast ecosystem of woodlands, meadows and streams and is home to unique opportunities for research, entrepreneurship, hands-on learning and recreation." Berry has been the site of many major films and TV shows, including Sweet Home Alabama, Remember the Titans, and Stranger Things.

Kickoff is set for 12 pm at Valhalla, Williams Field, Clark Track & Dickey Field.

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Game Notes

Offense

JCU
This has been a week of accolades for the John Carroll offense and for good reason, as the Blue Streaks have gotten the job done all season.

Nick Semptimphelter makes the offense hum with great efficiency. The second-year starter at quarterback leads all of the NCAA with an impeccable 79.3% completion rate, an unheard of rate for any level. The Tennesseean recently became JCU's first winner of the D3football.com Region 4 Offensive Player of the Year. Semptimphelter needs just four completions to set a JCU single-season record to overtake Anthony Moeglin (267 in 2016).

Tyren Montgomery also garnered a bigtime award this past week as an AFCA Second Team All-American. The graduate student now owns the JCU single-season marks for receptions (100) and receiving yards (1,266). The Texan has done remarkable work over the course of the campaign, with 14 touchdowns, three behind his record from last year.

Shane Lindstrom cannot be overlooked by opposing defenses, as the junior proved with his critical touchdown grab vs. Mount Union. Kenneth Rawls is a fantastic option at tight end in the short to intermediate game. Nico McBride also has double digit catches this season.

The ground game sometimes goes unheralded but is plenty deadly. The offensive line can cudgel opposing lines, guided by right tackle Troy Mrukowski. A young offensive line overall, the unit has developed over the course of the season into a battering ram. Nemo Jenkins is the team's leading rusher with an excellent 7.3 yards per carry good for 754 yards and 7 TDs. Quincy Newsom cannot be ignored with 618 yards and 6 TDs. Cohen Klimak is also a strong option. All three can catch the ball out of the backfield. Keller Moten will rotate in at QB to run the ball, with a team-best 8 rushing scores this season.

BERRY
The Vikings are a team predicated on running the ball, ranking quite well in most statistical categories. Berry can pass when necessary, though, with a variety of weapons that make the offense flow.

Christian Lewis doesn't get to pass the ball a ton, averaging just 15.5 attempts in his 11 games (he missed the Carnegie Mellon game). The senior from Calhoun, Georgia has done well when given the ball, though, with a nice completion rate of 69% and 1,510 yards. Lewis has tabbed 10 touchdowns against 4 interceptions in his second year as the starter. A smart player, Lewis garnered College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors last year and was an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee.

Berry's version of Moten is Andrew Hunter, though the Huntsville, Alabama native is more experienced. A quarterback by trade, the junior has notched 17 rushing touchdowns, good for 12th in NCAA Division III. Hunter leads the team with 117 attempts.

Colby Sikes and Josh Rogers lead the backfield. Sikes has been the more efficient runner at an impressive 7.5 yards per carry clip and a team-high 656 rushing yards plus 8 TDs. Rogers does plenty of good work, as well, with 542 yards and 7 TDs.

Berry's game preview describes the Vikings as having "one of the deepest wide receiving rooms in the nation." Three different wideouts have 25 or more catches and 375 or more yards. Nate Lyons tops the team in all categories with 32 catches for 451 yards and 6 touchdowns. Receivers Khamari Smith and Brendan Gray combined for 95 yards vs. Trinity. Bryce Herring (18 catches, 149 yards, 1 TD) is listed as the other starter on the two-deep at wideout.

And of course, you can't talk about any offense without mentioning the offensive line. The linchpin is a fourth-year starter at left tackle, Reed Richards. The senior from Powder Springs, Georgia garnered Second Team AFCA All-American honors after overcoming an early season injury. Three juniors and two seniors start on a seasoned O-Line, as McCormack Langford (First Team), Bryson Hill (Second Team), and Reed Richards (Third Team) all earned D3football.com All-Region honors. Thanks to them, Berry ranks sixth in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 32, all while allowing just 8 sacks this season.

Defense

JCU
In many of the national previews last week, not much attention was given to the JCU Defense. That changed after the Blue Streaks limited Mount Union to just 7 points at home, the Purple Raiders' smallest output at home since 1986.

Overall, this is a defense without one lone overpowering superstar. Rather, this Dean Paul defense is made up of a talented bunch that works hard and follows assignments. That makes this unit a particularly galling one for opposing offenses.

Up front, First Team All-Region selection Tommy Wasinski is the centerpiece. The Saint Ignatius grad anchors the line at defensive tackle as a hard-charging player who makes a big impact. But this is not a group defined by one man. Rather, the D-Line rotates in two units. Rotating in with Wasinski is Hunter Kanotz. On the edges, Ben Day, Ivory Travers, Joe Thimons, and Nathaniel Hendrix all can whip up mayhem on the outside.

The linebacker room is another one with plenty of studs. Kenny Grobolsek made the game-clinching tackle on fourth down a week ago and has 56 tackles on the year. Mason Rus is tied for the team lead in tackles with him and will prove critical to stopping Berry's great rushing attack. All-Region pick Chris Golson is a show-stopper with a team-best 8 tackles for loss. Gino Blasini and Davon Badley are also playmakers who can wreak havoc, as Badley topped the team with 11 tackles last week.

In the secondary, Lamar Thomas is an unheralded game-wrecker at safety with 39 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups. The veteran from Buffalo is a steadying force on the backend for JCU. Also at safety, JP Germano and Adam LaCarte can be counted upon. Jacob Hufnagel is a playmaking cornerback as an All-NCAC selection. Thomas Niederst and Anthony Pietragallo will also be key in coverage at corner.

BERRY
The Vikings' defense has enjoyed a prolific season as one of the top units in NCAA Division III. Berry enters ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 13 points per game, and also ranking 33rd with 273.3 yards allowed per game. Red zone defense is a hallmark of this team, standing 21st in the nation with a .652 rate inside the 20-yard line.

The heart of the Berry defense is right in the middle of the action. Michael Clark is the top star of the defense as an All-American defensive tackle. The McDonough, Georgia native garnered First Team honors via the AFCA this year, notching 30 total tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. Clark, one of a whopping 28 All-SAA selections for Berry, stood as the conference's Defensive Athlete of the Year. Dawson Livingston was another First Team SAA pick as an edge rusher with a team-best 6.5 sacks.

Hybrid linebacker Cade Petty is another stud. The First Team All-Region selection has blocked a nation-leading five punts. The senior from Chatsworth, Georgia also stood out on defense, totaling 37 tackles and one interception. All-conference linebacker Carver Cole had seven tackles and a forced fumble in the win over Trinity this past weekend. Described as "the general of the defense," Christopher Lewis leads the team with 63 tackles.

Safety Chaz Pope is one of the top playmakers in the secondary. The all-conference safety has picked off five passes this year, two in the NCAA Playoffs. His last interception sealed the win late vs. Trinity in the last round. Pope just made the All-Region list via D3football.com as a Third Teamer. Steven Pickett leads the team with 8 pass breakups.

Special Teams

Colin Schuler rebounded from a tough-angle miss to convert the game-winning 39-yard field goal in the second overtime vs. Mount Union. The junior is 13-of-17 so far this season on field goals, plus 61-of-63 on PATs. Owen Schuckert is a field-flipper at punter, with an average of 39.21. Chad Harpster is the ever-reliable long snapper. Lindstrom handles the punt returns while Klimak takes most of the kick returns.

Berry is a well-coached special teams unit, ranking ninth in Division III in kickoff returns with a 25.19 average and a top-30 kickoff return unit (15.66). Miles Hamby does the punting, with a 39.26 yards per punt average. Trey Richards is the kicker with just 4 field goal attempts this year, all good, plus a 34-of-38 conversion rate on extra points.

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