WAUKESHA, Wis. - It seemed only fitting that Kyle Burlingame would rewrite the record books during the final home game of his career.
Burlingame, a 5-foot-10, 198-pound senior quarterback from Waukesha North High School, completed 17 of 25 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns en route to setting a school record, career-passing mark as the Carroll University football team defeated North Park University 28-21 in a sunny, warm College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin home finale at Schneider Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The emotional, spirited Senior Day victory in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Pioneers, who improved to 1-6 in conference and 1-8 overall.
It was a historic day for Carroll, which earned its first victory in the CCIW - winning a conference game for the first time in 25 years since rejoining the league earlier this season.
The Pioneers showcased their progression by generating all 28 points off of turnovers.
For Burlingame, the victory took on added significance as he established a Carroll record for career touchdown passes with 56, surpassing the prior mark of 55 set by former standout quarterback Eric Block from 1996-1999.
The southpaw connected with senior wide receiver Brandon Ehrke (Deerfield, Wis.) on a 15-yard TD pass with 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter and followed with a 21-yard strike with 6:55 left in the third quarter in leading the Carroll offense, which averaged 5.1 yards per play.
On the record-setting 21-yard pass that came on a critical fourth-down-and-six situation to give the Pioneers a 14-7 lead, Burlingame took a snap out of a shotgun formation, quickly dropped back and fired a high ball to Ehrke toward the right side of the endzone.
Ehrke, who finished with four catches for 52 yards to propel the receiving corps, took advantage of the one-on-one situation and caught the ball in stride for his team-leading 11th TD of the season.
"Being a senior, it was awesome to be able to end with one more victory at home," said Burlingame, of the memorable day. "Coming into the year, I knew how many that it would take to break the record. So to be able to accomplish it with the longstanding history of the program meant a lot. 
"Over the years, I've had some great receivers, coaches and offensive linemen that have really contributed to the record. To be able to take advantage of the matchups, cap it with a pass to Ehrke and then come away with a victory made for a perfect ending."
Sophomore wide receiver Parker Zitzke (Waukesha, Wis.) followed with seven catches for 65 yards and sophomore tight end David Meza (Berlin, Wis.) had three catches for 75 yards for the Pioneers.
Senior defensive lineman Peter Menges (Manitowoc, Wis.) recovered a fumble in the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown with 13:53 remaining in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 21-7 and spark the relentless Carroll defense, which forced four turnovers (including three interceptions and a fumble.)
During the key, momentum-shifting sequence, North Park senior quarterback T.D. Conway faded back to pass near his own 7-yard line and Carroll 6-foot-6 senior defensive lineman Ethan Molisee (Brookfield, Wis.), delivered a hard hit and stripped the ball.
Moments later, it rolled back into the left side of the end zone where Menges eventually dove on top and made the recovery.
"I really thought my time to get a touchdown was running out but the cards just played out right in the end," said a smiling Menges, who finished with five tackles. "Molisee made a great strip sack and the ball just kept rolling toward the end zone. That's when I kept moving downfield and ended up at the bottom of the pile ontop of it.
"Being a senior, I couldn't have asked for anything more. To be able to come away with my first collegiate touchdown in the final home game of my career was a crazy experience. It was an amazing feeling to have it come at an important time in the game. I'm truly at a loss for words. "
Sophomore running back Drake Pusateri (Lombard, Ill.) rushed 25 times for 77 yards and a touchdown for Carroll, which amassed 19 first downs and 314 yards of total offense - 120 yards coming via its ground attack.
Pusateri scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 29-yard run with 12:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, taking a handoff up the middle, making a sharp cut to the left and shedding two tackles en route to the end zone.
North Park answered with two fourth-quarter TD passes from sophomore backup quarterback Jace Bankord but couldn't get any closer as its final drive stalled at its own 37-yard line as a fourth-down-conversion pass attempt fell to the ground.
Sophomore free safety Cameron Cassaro (Caledonia, Ill.) had two interceptions to spark the Carroll defense. Sophomore defensive back Colin Shepley (Northfield, Minn.) registered nine tackles with an interception for the Pioneers. Junior linebacker Andrew Danculovich (Cudahy, Wis.) added nine tackles to round out the list of top contributors.
Carroll head coach Mark Krzykowski was  thrilled to see his close-knit, hard-working team get the opportunity to celebrate a victory following the home finale.
"To be able to see our seniors ring the victory bell was something special," said Krzykowski, noting the valuable, lasting contributions of the current senior class including Burlingame, Ehrke, Menges, Molisee, running back Bennett Kothe (Racine, Wis.), wide receiver Xavier Milton (Almeda, CA), quarterback Noah Strasser (Silver Lake, Wis.), wide receiver Tyler Enright (Oconomowoc, Wis.), wide receiver Nicholas Curtis (Watertown, Wis.), defensive back Aaron Mushall (Sussex, Wis.), defensive back Jacob Ungerer (West Salem, Wis.), kicker Taylor Plehn (Pewaukee, Wis.), running back Cody McGowan (Portage, Wis.), linebacker Nick Liuzzo (Elmwood Park, Ill.), linebacker Adam Sivia (Waukegan, Ill.), offensive lineman Robby Rees (Waukesha, Wis.), offensive lineman Billy Schmid (Greenfield, Wis.), wide receiver Austin Piekarski (Wauconda, Ill.), wide receiver Stephen Zeczkowski (Twin Lakes, Wis.), tight end Alex Iverson (Twin Lakes, Wis.), offensive lineman Trevor Howard (Manitowoc, Wis.), defensive lineman Luke Everts (Hartford, Wis.) and tight end Blake Youngberg (Gurnee, Ill.). "Being able to get a victory on Senior Day says it all and speaks volumes about the character of this team and how they have stuck together throughout the season. The leadership has been phenomenal and the overall morale continues to be fantastic. 
"It was an exciting game and one where we needed to make the most of every single turnover to get the job done. We just needed to stay the course, follow the gameplan and execute on every possession. The clock couldn't run fast enough at the end so it was great to see the time finally run out. We still have a lot of work to do but we're going to take a moment and enjoy this one."
Conway and Bankord combined to complete 22 of 44 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns for North Park, which dropped to 0-7 in conference 1-8 overall. Junior wide receiver Devin Childress had six catches for 77 yards with a TD and senior wide receiver Nick Cupicciotti followed with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings, who had 19 first downs and 328 total yards. Freshman wide receiver Kadarius Daniels added a team-high seven catches for 60 yards with a TD.