PELLA—Ending a two-week layoff, the No. 10-ranked Central College football team begins the stretch run in the American Rivers title chase Saturday when Loras College visits.
Game time is 1 p.m. at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
Central (6-0 overall, 4-0 conference) has been off since racing past Coe College 55-21 at Cedar Rapids Oct. 9. Coe edged past Loras (3-4 overall, 3-2 conference) last Saturday at Dubuque, 27-20. The Dutch are rated No. 10 in both the AFCA Division III Coaches' Poll and the D3football.com Top 25 Poll.
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, will call Saturday's action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with former long-time defensive coordinator and current Pella mayor Don De Waard providing the color. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. The broadcast can be accessed through
www.kniakrls.com or directly at
rdo.to/krls. It's also accessible via mobile device with the KRLS app available through iTunes and other outlets.
A video webcast of the action and live stats can be accessed via the Central athletics website at
athletics.central.edu. Twitter users can get updates through @CentralDutch.
Castle also hosts "Coaches' Corner" with coach
Jeff McMartin each Monday at 6 p.m. on KRLS and its available on demand online.
The series—Central was a 52-33 victor over Loras at Pella in 2019 and has won the teams' last four meetings. The last Loras win over Central was in 2015 and the Dutch hold a 32-5 advantage in the series.
Central among NCAA stat leaders—The Dutch continue to rank with the nation's best, particularly with its record-setting offense. Central is first in Division III in pass completion percentage (.756), first downs (178) and 4th-down conversions (11-13, .846). Central and Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) are the only Division III teams yet to throw an interception this year. Quarterback
Blaine Hawkins (fifth-year, Ankeny) hasn't thrown a pick in his last 207 attempts, five shy of his own school mark of 212 over nine games from Oct. 7, 2017 to Sept. 22, 2018. The Dutch are second nationally in passing offense (387.0 yards per game), scoring offense (56.7 points per game) and fewest turnovers (2), and 12th in 3rd-down conversions (.519, 40-77).
Individually, Hawkins is first in the nation in pass efficiency rating (225.2) and touchdown passes (27), second in completion percentage (.746), seventh in passing yards (1,971), second in passing yards per attempt (11.66) and seventh in total offense (337.7 yards per game). Running back
Jason Hopp (senior, Earlham) is seventh in rushing yards per carry (7.38).
Tanner Schminke (fifth-year, Boone) is 10th in touchdown receptions (8) while
Jeff Herbers (junior, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian HS) and
Erik Knaack (fifth-year, Reinbeck, Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS) are tied for 17th (7). Schminke is 13th in receiving yards (696).
Conference best-- Central is the league leader in scoring (56.7), total offense (612.7), first downs (29.7), 3rd-down conversions (.526), 4th-down conversions (.846), passing yards (387.0), rushing yards (225.7), passing efficiency (220.7), Red Zone offense (.872) The Dutch are one point off the lead in scoring defense (18.0).
Individually, Hawkins is first in the conference in average passing yards (328.5), pass efficiency (225.2), TD passes (27), completion percentage (.746) and total offense (337.7).
But the late fall winds will blow—Central's passing game is off to a scorching start but the inevitable chilly temperatures and cold winds late fall brings to Iowa will make it difficult to maintain that torrid pace. But McMartin thinks the Dutch offense can be a weather-proof performer, utilizing Central's ground game without abandoning the passing attack.
"I think there's evidence that we are not a one-dimensional offense," McMartin said. "We have good tools and some talented players at all positions who we feel can move the ball. You might manage a game a little differently (in harsh conditions), you might do some things differently, but you have to be true to who you are. I see all kinds of teams in all kinds of weather have the ability to do what they feel good about.
"I think the mindset of, well, when it gets cold out, you need to run the ball on every down, I think that's evolving on all levels of football."
Dutch D disrupters getting it done—Central's defense is quietly performing at a high level as well. Central is limiting opponents to 18.0 points per game, yielding 326.5 yards, including 234.2 yards passing. The latter figure isn't overly concerning, McMartin said.
"I don't see that as an overly high number in this day and age," he said. "And if you look at the scores of our games, we've been in situations where our opponents probably felt the right thing to do was throw the football. You do it enough, you're going to gain yards.
"I look more at have we created some disruptive plays, gotten sacks and insterceptions? Have we knocked passes down, gotten tackles for loss and made a team one-dimensional? And I think in a lot of our games, you'd answer yes to that."
McMartin said it starts with the defensive line, where all-America defensive tackle
Blade Durbala (fifth-year, Blairstown, Benton HS) and linebacker/end
Hunter Maddy (fifth year, Mystic, Centerville HS) roam.
"
Blade Durbala has done a really good job up front," McMartin said. "He and
Hunter Maddy have been two guys that have pushed the pace on how quickly people have to get rid of the football. It's been hard to run against Blade as well. People have to double and triple team. But I also think our secondary with (cornerback)
Brayden Egli (senior, Saint Charles, I-35 HS) and others have been able to get some interceptions and knockdowns. And
Josh Van Gysel (sophomore, Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek HS) and our linebackers have been good. It's hard to single out one guy. They all collectively have done a really good job."
Egli is the team's tackles leader with 32. He also has two tackles for loss, two pass breakups and an interception. Free safety
Brody Klein (sophomore, Rainier, Wash.) has 31 stops with a tackle for loss and an interception. Van Gysel is the team interception leader with two. Durbala is the sack leader with 3.5 while Maddy has notched 3.0.
The Duhawks—The area that shines brightest for Loras in the league statistics is pass defense. The Duhawks are second, limiting foes to 186.7 yards per game, just 0.4 yards out of the top spot.
Defensive end Sam Jones is tied for the league lead in quarterback sacks with four solos and three assists. Linebacker Brett McWilliams is tied for fifth with three solos and two assists in only five games. Middle linebacker Josh Kieffer is the team's tackle leader with 41.
It's a complex defense to prepare for, coach
Jeff McMartin said.
"They move around a lot," he said. "They give you a lot of different fronts and coverages and pressures. They're a physical, fast team. So there's a lot to be ready for."
Loras senior Elijah Thomas is the league's top kick returner through seven games, averaging 26.1 yards on 15 returns, including an 82-yarder.
Quarterback Noah Sigwarth has completed 131 of 240 passes for 1,413 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Mani Brown has 19 receptions for 293 yards and two scores while running back Ty Rausch is averaging 56.1 yards per game on the ground.
"Their quarterback is very versatile," McMartin said. "He's a senior and he's a playmaker. Their tailbacks have had a lot of success. Their wide receivers have great speed. They have some tall guys out there but also has some true burners.
"We've got to win things up front and don't let things get rolling."
Off-week checklist—The Dutch had some time off over the weekend, which coincided with the college's fall break, but had a busy off week.
"We did a lot of film study and preparation," McMartin said. "I think it was very important for us to stay on course. We also worked really hard at continuing to build on the things that we've installed and try to get better each day."
McMartin expressed some early season concerns in the special teams play.
"It's something we're going to continue to focus on," he said. "I think that we've made some good steps. Everybody's trying to do different things against us and we've got to be ready for everything so it's always something that we have to be mindful of. We want to create an advantage on special teams."
Progress for junior varsity—The Dutch JV team is 3-1 and while a scheduled season finale was canceled by Iowa Wesleyan, McMartin is still trying to find an additional game.
"They've done a great job competing and playing hard," he said. "They've gotten a lot of reps, they've seen different styles of offense and defenses, they've played at home and on the road and had all the experiences you want players to have to get ready for the future."
Notes—With six victories, Central is assured of its 69th winning season since 1960. The Dutch had two .500 years in that span…At the halfway mark of the league's eight-game schedule, Hawkins is also threatening a couple of league passing marks, but will need big efforts. In conference games he's thrown for 1,374 yards, With Hawkins doing a complete rewrite of Central's passing records, he's still got a long way to reach a pair of league season marks. He's just under halfway to the record for passing yards of 2,775 yards set by Coe's Tim Vinyard in 2000. And in 2011 the University of Dubuque's Wyatt Hanus threw 35 TD passes. Hawkins has 21 in four league games… Interestingly, Central's quick-strike offense has taken a toll on possession time. The Dutch are eighth out of nine league schools in that category, controlling the ball for only 28:05 of the game's 60 minutes.
Probable starters
OFFENSE
QB 3
Blaine Hawkins (5-11, 210, 5Y)
RB 8
Jason Hopp (6-0, 230, sr.)
TE/SB 87
Billy Friis (6-4, 240, sr.)
WR 5
Jeff Herbers (6-1, 180, jr.)
WR 10
Tanner Schminke (6-0, 195, 5Y)
WR 11
Erik Knaack (6-0, 185, 5Y)
LT 69
Que Baker-McCaulay (6-3, 285, jr.)
LG 61
Colton Anderson (6-0, 265, sr.)
C 72
Ian Den Herder (6-1, 280. jr.)
RG 58
Joshua Mayhew (6-2, 260, 5Y)
RT 70
Travis Wagner (6-5, 275, 5Y)
DEFENSE
DE 54
Hunter Maddy (6-4, 215, 5Y)
DT 52
Tom Adolph (5-11, 260, sr.)
DT 92
Blade Durbala (6-1, 280, 5Y)
DE 97
Matt Glockel (6-1, 255, 5Y)
OLB 6
Cade Humphries (5-9, 220, 5Y)
MLB 10
Josh Van Gysel (6-1, 235, so.)
OLB 47
Reid Taylor (6-1, 205, sr.)
CB 2
Benjamin Crist (5-10, 195, jr.)
SS 7
Cameron Bannister (6-0, 195, jr.)
FS 17
Brody Klein (6-1, 195, so.)
CB 4
Brayden Egli (6-2, 190, sr.)
SPECIALTY
K/PK 26
Logan Sunvold (5-9, 175, fr.)
P 3
Austin Burns (5-11, 185, so.)
KR 13
Ryan Neu (6-1, 165, so.)
7
Cameron Bannister (6-0, 195, jr.)
PR 4
Brayden Egli (6-1, 180, sr.)
7
Cameron Bannister (6-0, 195, jr.)
LS 97
Matt Glockel (6-0, 245, sr.)
H 10
Tanner Schminke (6-0, 195, 5Y)
American Rivers standings
Conf. Overall
W L W L
Central 4 0 6 0
Dubuque 4 0 5 1
Wartburg 3 1 4 2
Loras 3 2 3 4
Buena Vista 2 2 3 3
Coe 2 2 4 2
Simpson 1 4 1 6
Nebraska Wesleyan 1 4 3 4
Luther 0 5 0 7
2021 American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches' Poll – October 18, 2021
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Last Week Next Game
1. North Central (Ill.) (40) 6-0 1157 1 D. Elmhurst (Ill.), 77-7 Oct. 23 vs. Illinois Wesleyan
2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) (5) 6-0 1119 2 D. Texas Lutheran, 49-3 Oct. 23 at Sul Ross St. (Tex.)
3. Wisconsin-Whitewater (1) 6-0 1074 3 D. No. 19 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 32-13 Oct. 23 at Wisconsin-River Falls
4. Mount Union (Ohio) (1) 6-0 1054 4 D. Capital (Ohio), 63-0 Oct. 23 at Heidelberg (Ohio)
5. St. John's (Minn.) 6-0 987 5 D. St. Olaf (Minn.), 56-0 Oct. 23 at Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.)
6. Linfield (Ore.) 5-0 921 6 D. Pacific (Ore.), 52-23 Oct. 23 at Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)
7. Delaware Valley (Pa.) 6-0 854 7 D. FDU-Florham (N.J.), 61-7 Oct. 23 at Misericordia (Pa.)
8. Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) 5-1 816 8 D. East Texas Baptist, 34-0 Oct. 23 vs. Southwestern (Tex.)
9. Wheaton (Ill.) 5-1 788 9 D. Carroll (Wis.), 48-13 Oct. 23 vs. Carthage (Wis.)
10. Central 6-0 757 10 Idle Oct. 23 vs. Loras (Iowa)
11. Union (N.Y.) 6-0 660 12 Idle Oct. 23 at Rochester (N.Y.)
12. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) 6-0 644 13 Idle Oct. 23 vs. Westminster (Pa.)
13. Wisconsin-La Crosse 5-1 587 14 D. Wisconsin-Platteville, 24-23 Oct. 23 vs. Wisconsin-Stout
14. Ithaca (N.Y.) 6-0 557 15 D. St. Lawrence (N.Y.), 17-0 Oct. 23 vs. Buffalo St. (N.Y.)
15. Salisbury (Md.) 4-1 505 16 D. Rowan (N.J.), 24-7 Oct. 23 vs. Kean (N.J.)
16. Bethel (Minn.) 5-1 458 17 D. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.), 21-16 Oct. 23 vs. Macalester (Minn.)
17. Cortland (N.Y.) 6-0 438 18 D. Hartwick (N.Y.), 48-3 Oct. 23 vs. Utica (N.Y.)
18. Muhlenberg (Pa.) 5-1 364 22 D. No. 11 Johns Hopkins (Md.), 21-6 Oct. 23 vs. Juniata (Pa.)
19. Susquehanna (Pa.) 6-0 352 21 D. Gettysburg (Pa.), 47-7 Oct. 23 vs. McDaniel (Md.)
20. Trinity (Tex.) 5-0 262 23t D. Millsaps (Miss.), 46-0 Oct. 23 at Sewanee (Tenn.)
21. Johns Hopkins (Md.) 5-1 183 11 Lost to No. 22 Muhlenberg (Pa.), 21-6 Oct. 23 at Gettysburg (Pa.)
22. John Carroll (Ohio) 4-2 144 25 D. Ohio Northern, 27-17 Oct. 23 at Marietta (Ohio)
23. Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) 6-0 139 NR D. Centre (Ky.), 28-21 Oct. 23 vs. Rhodes (Tenn.)
24. Wisconsin-Oshkosh 3-2 76 19 Lost to No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater, 32-13 Oct. 23 vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
25. Randolph-Macon (Va.) 6-1 59 NR D. Guilford (N.C.), 58-0 Oct. 23 vs. Apprentice (Va.)
Dropped out: Wabash (Ind.) (20), Rensselaer (N.Y.) (23t)
Others receiving votes: Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio), 49; Howard Payne (Tex.), 41; Wabash (Ind.), 37; Hobart (N.Y.), 34; Albion (Mich.), 25; Merchant Marine (N.Y.), 16; Redlands (Calif.), 14; Chapman (Calif.), 13; Wisconsin-Stout, 13; Lake Forest (Ill.), 12; Whitworth (Wash.), 12; Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.), 11; Dubuque (Iowa), 10; Heidelberg (Ohio), 9; DePauw (Ind.), 5; Rensselaer (N.Y.), 5; Trinity (Conn.), 3; Wartburg (Iowa), 3; Aurora (Ill.), 2; Washington & Lee (Va.), 2.
D3football.com Top 25
Dropped out: None.
Others receiving votes: Hobart 51; Whitworth 30; Howard Payne 28; Chapman 21; Randolph-Macon 18; Huntingdon 12; Wis.-Stout 12; Aurora 7; Trinity (Conn.) 5; Merchant Marine 5; Wis.--River Falls 4; RPI 1.
The
D3football.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
