WAUKESHA, Wis. - Carroll's football team faced one of the top teams in Division-III Saturday afternoon, losing 52-6 to Wheaton (Ill.), who entered the game ranked number 13 in the latest D3football.com Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Thunder also out-gained the Pioneers by a 431-183 margin, while leading them in first downs (24-9).

Despite the final score, Carroll (4-3, 3-3 CCIW) stood toe-to-toe with Wheaton (6-1, 5-1 CCIW) for much of the first half. After a Carroll turnover on the first play from scrimmage, Wheaton capitalized three plays later with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Ben Thorson to Caleb Titherington to open the scoring. The Pioneers didn't let that rattle them, getting on the board later in the quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Jacob Laurent, which gives him the school's single season record for field goals made (11), one week after setting Carroll's career mark. Laurent would add a second field goal from 32 yards out in the second quarter to cut Wheaton's lead to a single point. The Thunder then answered with a Giovanni Weeks touchdown run on the ensuing possession, as the CCIW's leading rusher capped a five-play, 50-yard drive. Wheaton added another touchdown in the final minute of the half to take a 21-6 halftime lead on a 21-yard TD pass from Thorson to Titherington.

The second half was a much different story, as Wheaton put the game out of reach with a 24-point third-quarter. After converting a 24-yard field goal in the opening minutes of the third quarter, the Thunder would score three touchdowns in the final six and a half minutes of the period. They added another in the fourth, capping the scoring on Titherington's fifth touchdown reception of the game from 19 yards out with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Carroll's longest pass play of the game came from Josh Raby to Sammy Muth, covering 33 yards, as Muth finished with a team-high three receptions for 40 yards. Mikey Coleman added 96 yards on 14 carries (6.9 ypc), including a long of 43. Will Campbell led the Carroll defense with 11 tackles, while the Pioneers recorded one sack on the day.

Thorson completed 22-of-28 yards for 276 yards and six touchdowns. In addition to Titherington's five TD catches, he also finished with eight receptions for 116 yards. Weeks finished with 123 yards on 20 carries (6.2 ypc).

The Pioneers will be in action again next weekend when they'll travel to Carthage College. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Kenosha, Wis., and can be seen live at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-1yTKFyjJ2vRSjgVP_8Pw.