Football Preview: Eureka Wraps Up 2025 Campaign Against NACC Champions CUW

MEQUON, Wis. – The Eureka football team closes its 2025 campaign on Saturday with a challenging road test against newly crowned NACC champion Concordia Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for noon in Mequon, where the Falcons will celebrate Senior Day and look to complete an unbeaten conference slate, while the Red Devils aim to finish the season with a statement against the league's top team.

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RED DEVIL REWIND: Eureka (2-7, 1-6 NACC) enters the finale coming off a 40-12 Senior Day setback to Lakeland in a game defined by explosive early scoring from the visiting Muskies. Lakeland jumped ahead 14-0 less than five minutes in, but the Red Devils answered quickly when Ethan Velazquez hit Braylon Boyer in stride for a 42-yard touchdown to pull within one score.

Despite generating momentum-shifting plays, including a fourth-down stop and a red-zone interception by Beverlentz Bernard, Eureka struggled to capitalize on opportunities. Lakeland pieced together a pair of lengthy touchdown drives in the second quarter and added a late score before halftime to push its lead to 33-6 at the break.

Boyer ignited the second half with a 75-yard kickoff return to the Lakeland 5-yard line, setting up a fourth-down touchdown connection from Rudolph Jones Jr. to Nathan Barrett. The Red Devils forced further disruption with fumble recoveries by Chuck Weathersby and Jovon Gibson, but stalled drives and turnovers kept Eureka from narrowing the gap.

Velazquez and Jones Jr. each threw touchdown passes, with Boyer finishing the afternoon with 117 all-purpose yards. Quinmarri Washington added a 24-yard catch, while Barrett recorded the team's second score. Defensively, Eureka was led by a stellar performance from Derrick Payton Jr., who posted 14 tackles and two sacks. Christopher Walker, Micah Gilcrest, Brian Burns, Jeremiah Gray, and Will Watkins all reached double-digit tackles, while Bernard added an interception and both Weathersby and Gibson recovered fumbles.

FALCON FOCUS: Concordia Wisconsin (8-1, 7-0 NACC) returns from a bye week as the outright NACC champion following St. Norbert's loss to Aurora. The Falcons last took the field two weeks ago, delivering a dominant 35-0 shutout over Rockford to secure their first conference title since 2013 and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

CUW asserted control from the opening drive, with quarterback Roman Funk hitting Jason Leonard for a 52-yard score. The duo connected again early in the second quarter before Funk found Jack Bradley for a third touchdown just before halftime. The sophomore quarterback added a 1-yard rushing score to open the second half, and freshman Jerome Hinton capped the offense with a short touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Falcon defense was equally imposing, forcing three turnovers, including goal-line fumble recoveries by Ben Birch and Kahlil Hargrove-Collins, and holding Rockford to just 149 total yards. Funk finished the day with 316 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Leonard delivered another standout performance with 147 yards and two scores. Birch, one of the NACC's leading tacklers, and Duncan Ireland III each tallied seven tackles and a forced fumble.

With the title secured, CUW now looks to complete a perfect conference season while honoring its senior class.

NACC LEAGUE LEADERS:

• Rushing: Eureka's Ronnie Sanders ranks 11th in the conference with 341 yards and two touchdowns, just ahead of CUW's Ashar Thomas (12th, 307 yards, 2 TDs).
• Passing: CUW's Funk ranks 2nd in the NACC in passing yards (2,546) and first in passing touchdowns (29).
• Receiving: CUW's Leonard leads the conference in both yards (901) and touchdowns (16). Teammate Jack Bradley sits seventh in receiving yards with 545 yards and four scores.
• Tackles: CUW's Birch ranks fourth in the NACC with 83 total stops.
• Tackles for Loss: CUW's Marquiton Sellers ranks third with 15.0 TFL, while Eureka's Payton Jr. sits tied for seventh with 11.0.
• Sacks: Sellers is fifth in the conference with 5.5 sacks; Payton Jr. follows closely in sixth with 5.0.

LOOKING AHEAD: Saturday marks the end of Eureka's 2025 season, while Concordia Wisconsin readies for its NCAA Tournament appearance as the NACC's automatic qualifier.