PELLA—Season openers are filled with unknowns but those are magnified this week for the Central College football team in taking on an opponent that hasn't played in nearly two years.
The Dutch, ranked No. 14 in the D3football.com preseason poll, travel to Northfield, Minneosta for Saturday's first-ever meeting with St. Olaf College (Minn.). The 1 p.m. contest is at Klein Field at Manitou, constructed in 1930. While Central posted a pair of lopsided wins during an abbreviated spring season, the Oles haven't seen action since completing a 5-5 season on Nov. 16, 2019.
"It's a first game so every team has a limited amount of information," coach
Jeff McMartin said. "We need to make sure our focus is on us taking care of the ball on offense and eliminating big plays on defense."
It's Central's first appearance in Minnesota since opening the 2018 campaign with a 49-3 victory over Northwestern-St Paul (Minn.).
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, will call Saturday's action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with former Central 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.
Twitter users can get updates through @CentralDutch.
The gang is back—With the NCAA granting athletes an extra year of eligibility, Central is in the unique position of returning all 22 starters from last spring's squad. Eight fifth-year players are listed among the team's probable starters this week. It's a group eager to build on a thrill-filled 2019 season when the Dutch posted a 10-2 mark, wining a share of a record 31st conference title and gaining their 21st NCAA Division III playoff berth, advancing to the second round.
The returnees include record-setting quarterback
Blaine Hawkins (fifth-year, Ankeny), the American Rivers offensive MVP in 2019. He's completed 558 of 847 passes for 7,334 yards with 24 interceptions and 85 touchdowns. Also back is D3football.com preseason all-America defensive lineman
Blade Durbala (fifth-year, Blairstown, Benton HS), along with 2019 second-team all-league picks
Brayden Egli (senior, St. Charles, I-35 HS), a defensive back, running back
Jason Hopp (senior, Earlham), wide receiver
Erik Knaack (fifth-year, Reinbeck, Gladbrook-Reinbeck HS) and offensive guard
Joshua Mayhew (fifth-year, Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS).
The Oles—While McMartin isn't putting much stock in two-year old St. Olaf game films, he said some team characteristics likely will ring true again in 2021.
"What they show on film is that they like to run the football," he said. "They bring a lot of different pressures on defense and they're very good on kick and punt returns."
The preseason—After the disruption wrought by the pandemic last year, the 2021 has a more normal feel, sort of, McMartin said.
"There are still COVID protocols in place," he said. "So you always have to think about what you do and how you do it. But we're excited about playing a full schedule. Our mindset is to be adaptable and stay focused. We have a strong group that's ready to play."
First look at freshmen—The lineup is filled with returnees but the preseason offered Central coaches their first look at the incoming freshman class.
"We looked at a number of areas and thought about what do we want to look like a year from now?," McMartin said. "We think we addressed a lot of those questions.
"(The freshmen are) doing things the right way. They've been prepared and focused. You'll see some freshmen play a lot this year and next year, you'll see even more as sophomores playing for us."
