CEDAR RAPIDS---Kicker Brandon O'Neall (senior, Cedar Falls) got his second chance and used it to deliver an Iowa Conference title for the Central College football team Saturday.
           
O'Neall, who misfired on a 28-yard field goal near the end of regulation, nailed a  20-yarder in the second overtime, letting Central (9-0) clinch a share of its 28th conference crown with a 31-28 come-from-behind victory at Coe College. It was Central's third overtime victory of the season and their fourth straight OT win. The Dutch are 8-2 all-time in overtimes.
           
The win also assures the 9-0 Dutch of their 16th NCAA Division III playoff berth and their second in a row. Central is 7-0 in league play and holds a one-game lead over Wartburg with only next week's regular-season finale against Simpson College at Pella remaining. Central holds the tiebreaker for the playoff berth over the Knights on the basis of a 13-7 overtime win at Pella Sept. 30.
           
The Dutch extended their regular-season winning streak to 16 games and ended a three-game losing streak to the 6-3 Kohawks, who shared last year's league title with Central and were this year's preseason favorites.
           
Running back Vance Schuring (junior, Pella) and a resurgent Central defense brought the Dutch back to a 21-21 fourth quarter tie. Then Central's second blocked punt of the day produced the last-second opportunity for O'Neall that sailed wide right.
           
"I was just praying for a second chance," O'Neall said."When it came I knew I could make it, I wasn't going to let my teammates down twice."
           
That chance came after the teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime. Central receiver Josh Smith (junior, Pella) made a diving catch in the end zone on a 20-yard third-down pass from quarterback Tim Connell (junior, Eldora, Eldora-New Providence HS). Coe answered with a 5-yard Ashton Northern TD reception.
           
But a fierce Central pass rush which generated a season-high seven sacks, including five in the fourth quarter and the overtimes, came through. The big one in the second overtime was a 15-yarder by lineman Taylor Vanden Wynboom (senior, Britt, West Hancock HS) that pushed Coe back to the 25-yard line and forced an errant 42-yard field goal try.
           
"Our defensive line really helped us, especially towards the end of the game," coach Jeff McMartin said.
           
Five straight Schuring runs drove the Dutch to the 4-yard line, setting the stage for O'Neall's game-winner. Schuring finished with 169 yards rushing and one touchdown on 36 carries against a Coe defense that had yielded a league-fewest 91.0 yards a game.
           
Some late mistakes proved costly to both clubs but McMartin liked his team's persistence.
           
"At the end of the game it was just a matter of us getting out of our own way," he said. "But our guys never quit, they never got down or pointed fingers. They showed a lot of guts and I'm extremely proud of them."
           
The Dutch defense surrendered 264 yards passing but shut down Coe's powerful running attack, limiting the Kohawks to 42 net yards. Northern, who ranked second in the league behind Schuring with 113.8 yards per game, finished with 55 on 16 carries.
           
Central grained 183 yards rushing and 103 through the air. Connell connected on 9-of-16 for 86 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown, but he also hauled in a 17-yard TD pass from Schuring.
           
Stinger Colby Myers (senior, Unionville, Mo., Putnam County R-I HS) had a game-high 14 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Andrew Lehn (junior, Packwood, Pekin HS) had 10 stops and caught a blocked punt. Stinger Dustyn Baethke (junior, Williamsburg) had eight tackles and Vanden Wynboom had seven stops.