That title was accomplished December 20 with a 41-14 drubbing of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, played at Woodforest Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Shenandoah, Texas.

All four got their start in the local JFL program and went on to play key roles for the Hearts during their high school careers.

Drew, a 2016 EHS grad, is the son of Jennifer and the late Juan Vasquez. He is a senior at North Central, located in Naperville, majoring in economics and finance.

Griffin also graduated in 2016 from Effingham. He is the son of Brandi Paige and Dave Jones. He, too, is a senior at NCC and majoring in sociology and human resources.

Terrence and Braden both graduated from EHS in 2018.

Terrence is the son of Jesse Conner and Terry Hill. He is sophomore at North Central and majoring in finance.

Braden is the son of Ryan and Amy Hasty. He is also a sophomore at NCC and majoring in business.

Drew and Griffin were members of the 2014 Effingham football team that shared the Apollo Conference championship and played in the Class 4A playoffs.

“We were in a unique position,” Griffin explained. “We played for Coach Mac (Mike McDonald) in his last year and then Coach (Brett) Hefner in his first year. They both brought value to the Effingham football program and were fun to play for.”

“I love how big football is in this community,” added Drew, whose father also played for Coach McDonald. “For me, it all started in fourth grade JFL, but I always dreamed of playing varsity football. I love how young the kids start playing and how the program has become so successful at the high school.”

Three years later, it was Terrence and Braden, part of the 2017 Hearts team, that were hoisting the Apollo Conference championship trophy after an undefeated conference season.

“Our success wouldn’t have happened without Griffin and Drew’s class,” Terrence admitted. “They laid the groundwork and we wanted to be like them.”

“We were freshmen in high school when their class won the conference,” Braden added. “We knew then we wanted to do the same thing when we were on the varsity. We dreamed about that and then we went out and did it.”

Hill, who is the all-time leading rusher at Effingham High School, said holding up that Apollo Conference championship trophy “was awesome. We built a brotherhood that started in JFL and continued through our senior season.”

But all four will admit playing at the collegiate level is much different.

“The intensity and speed of the game is at a whole new level,” Braden noted.

“Everybody was the best player on their team in high school,” Drew added.

“You have to adjust to the different styles of coaching, too,” Terrence explained. “From the head coach to the position coaches, you have to learn the differences.”

“I think the biggest thing is the football IQ,” Griffin said. “It’s much more of a mental game. You have to learn the nuances and intricacies of the game. Once you get to college, everybody deserves to be on the field.”

From game planning to learning new techniques to hours of film study, the time commitment at the college level was unlike anything they had experienced before.

But at North Central, it has produced terrific results.

The Cardinals were 13-1 this season, their only loss being a 35-21 setback to Wheaton. They featured a prolific offense that averaged 560 yards and 52 points a game.

NCC quarterback Broc Rutter won the Gagliardi Trophy, which is the Division III equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He threw for 4,590 yards and 56 touchdowns. And running back Ethan Greenfield amassed 2,169 yards on the ground and scored 29 TDs.

They rolled through the playoffs, beating Wabash 51-15; Mount Union 59-52; Delaware Valley 31-14; and Muhlenberg 45-14, before disposing of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the championship, giving the Cardinals their first national title in football.

Ironically, North Central was the last at-large bid granted in Division III. So the team developed the theme of – “Last Team In; Last Team Standing.”

“It’s something the school has been wanting for a long time and we’re the team that did it,” Braden said. “It’s a great feeling.”

“I feel like we’re part of history,” Terrence added. “This team re-wrote the record books. It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of that.”

Terrence and Braden both suffered injuries during the season – and both in the third game of the season. Terrence tore his MCL and about 10 minutes later, Braden broke his hand. Terrence missed eight games, but made it back for a portion of the playoffs. Braden recovered enough to participate in practice, but did not make the trip to the championship game.

For the season, Terrence still ran for 313 yards, caught five passes for another 38 yards and scored four touchdowns. He had a 28-yard TD run in the win over Muhlenberg and a 49-yard kickoff return in the victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Drew played safety and Griffin was a linebacker on defense. Drew finished with 10 tackles and Griffin had four.

Both were active with special teams. Drew was on the kickoff team, while Griffin was a part of the kickoff, punt, kickoff return and punt return squads. Before his injury, Braden was also part of the kickoff team.

“We didn’t have as many great athletes on defense as we did on offense, but everybody knew the game plan and executed,” Drew noted.

“We used effort and physicality to win on defense,” Griffin added. “We did it all year.”

While Terrence and Braden now look to next season, Drew and Griffin will be looking at life after football and after college.

Drew has a job lined up as a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual, while Griffin hopes to stay in the Chicago area and work in the HR field.

“This is the last year Drew and I will ever play football and it ended with a national championship,” Griffin added. “It’s something we’ll never forget.”