Tyler Funk did it again Saturday.

For the second consecutive week, Carthage’s junior kicker booted a school-record 52-yard field goal as time expired in the first half of the Red Men’s season-ending 35-30 win at Wheaton.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen two 52-yard field goals in consecutive games with 1 second left in the first half,” Carthage coach Tim Rucks told John Weiser on the WRJN-AM 1400 postgame show. “That was a big-time play and I’m glad we’re going to get him another year.”

The Racine Horlick product, who transferred from Illinois State, ended his first season at Carthage averaging 44.4 yards a punt. He also scored 64 points while converting 8-of-10 field goals.

Funk, who has won the last two CCIW special teams player of the week awards, unleashed a 51-yard punt late in the third quarter Saturday. The punt pinned Wheaton at its own 13. After a three-and-out, the Red Men took over at the Thunder 45 and capitalized on the good field position with a touchdown drive that was key to their rally.

“Tyler Funk is the best punter in the country,” Rucks said. “He should be a first-team All-American. When you’re an All-American, you come through when you need it. The kid plays with a lot of confidence.”

Playoffs!

Rucks is hoping CCIW runner-up North Central can sneak into the Division III postseason field.

Conference champion Illinois Wesleyan will get the CCIW’s automatic bid to the playoffs.

“There’s one thing going against North Central and that’s their non-conference loss to Ohio Northern,” Rucks said. “The thing going for them is the CCIW history. Last year, Wheaton got in at 8-2 and was a final four team. Our league’s record is really good in the postseason and that helps.

“I’m biased. We should have two. All you have to do is look at the scores. When we take a second-place team, they do very well.”

Carthage ended any hopes Wheaton had of a postseason bid.

“Wheaton doesn’t have a chance,” Rucks said. “We took care of that today. That doesn’t break my heart.”

Clean quarterback

The Carthage offensive line did not yield a sack in any of quarterback Evan Jones’ 56 attempts.

What made that stat more remarkable was the fact that sophomore Matt Lydon filled in for senior Jordan Eder on the line in the second half. Eder was hurt early in the game, Rucks said.

“Those are the first snaps he’s ever taken at the varsity level,” Rucks said. “In a game like this, he did a heckuva job.”

Looking ahead

Rucks believes Saturday’s win at Wheaton will pay off for his team next year.

“There’s something about beating a team ... next year, when we turnaround and play Wheaton, at least they know they can do it,” he said. “When we line up against the Wesleyans next year, we know we can do it. It’s just a confidence thing. I think it’s huge.”

Rucks also praised his team’s ability to finish the season with three consecutive wins after losing two straight games in October.

“We have been resilient all season,” Rucks said. “Our season was heading south big time and we’ve come back pretty strong at the end. Not many people gave us a chance to win today — except us.”

Bits

Rucks enjoyed being a part of Saturday’s back-and-forth affair. “As good of a pure football game as I’ve seen in years in this league on both sides of the ball. Just a great football game the whole way through, too,” he said. ... At 7-3, Carthage posted at least a .500 season for the sixth year in a row. That is the longest stretch since the great Art Keller posted six winning campaigns in a row between 1969 and 1974.

— Compiled by David Marran