PELLA— This weekend's Central College football game includes a flight for the first time since 2016 as the Dutch are headed to play California Lutheran University on Saturday.
           
Central (1-0) will play the season's first road game Saturday in Thousand Oaks, California with a 1 p.m. local start time. Action begins at 3 p.m. in Pella.
           
On the air and online—The Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, calls the action on KRLS-FM (92.1), with Pella Mayor and former defensive coordinator Don De Waard. providing the color. The KRLS pregame show will air at 12:35 p.m. (PST) 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. All of California Lutheran's home football game live streams are viewable with a FloSports subscription.
           
The Kingsmen— It will be the season debut for California Lutheran so Central is preparing based off last year's game film and what they see on their 2024 roster. The Kingsmen started 3-2 in 2023 before losing their final five games.
           
"They're an explosive offense and they work really hard to be balanced," coach Jeff McMartin said. "They have transfers at quarterback and left tackle and then a lot of returning talent at running back and wide receiver. They're very athletic defensively and have a lot of team speed and are physical. They're defensive tackles are big and we need to be mindful of the fact we might not always get the movement up front that we want."
           
Dynamic defense – In week one, Central limited Illinois Wesleyan to 171 total yards, the 17th smallest total across Division III. Both touchdowns for the Titans came after interceptions, the first of which only required a 37-yard drive.
           
"Getting stops off of turnovers is something we want to do," McMartin said. "When opponents do get into the red zone, we need to force them to kick field goals. There are some things we did a good job of Saturday, but we didn't walk off the field feeling like we had it all figured out. "
           
Moving the chains – Central's offense ranks third in Division III with 31 first downs in the opening week. It's also No. 11 in time of possession after controlling the ball for 37 minutes and nine seconds against Illinois Wesleyan. Central ran 91 offensive plays with 40 passes and 51 rush attempts.
           
"We really do want to be a balanced offense," McMartin said. "That doesn't mean a 50-50 split in terms of play calls, but it does mean that we can do both. Almost every defense in the country is going to try and make you one dimensional. And they are probably going to try to stop the run. If you can establish the run and make it connect well with your passing game, you can be very effective offensively."
           
Toxic differential – A rising statistical trend in collegiate and professional football is something referred to as the toxic differential. In addition to the turnover margin, which Central lost 2-0 against Illinois Wesleyan, it also includes the number of running plays of over 15 yards and passing plays over 20 yards. Central's offense had seven big plays while their defense allowed just one.
           
"If you can be on the plus side of that statistic, it dramatically increases your chances of winning a football game," McMartin said. "Creating turnovers on defense is something we can work on but we did a good job of stopping big plays."
           
Wild, Wild West – Saturday marks the third trip to the West Coast for Central's football team and the previous two are among the program's most memorable contests. In 2000, Central won an NCAA Division III Playoff game at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon with "The Miracle in the Mud" as a botched field goal in overtime turned into a game-winning touchdown scored by fullback Joe Ritzert. In 2016, Central opened the season at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Central rolled the dice in overtime and quarterback Kohle Helle dove for the pylon on a 2-point conversion attempt to give Central a 50-49 victory.
           
Miracle in the Mud - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpifqsHD14
Kohle Helle's dive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eupye8TwbGo
           
Coming home— Two members of the Dutch football team are getting to play in their home state again. Junior running back Lawsen Fuller (junior, Roseville, Calif., Rosemont HS) and sophomore defensive back Owen Tomko (Costa Mesa, Calif., Fountain Valley HS) are on this week's travel roster.  Tomko's hometown is about 80 miles south of Thousand Oaks on the other side of Los Angeles while Fuller hails from 415 miles north near Sacramento.
           
Notes—Saturday's game marks the second time Cal Lutheran has hosted an Iowa college in football. The Kingsmen shut out William Penn University 27-0 in the 1975 NAIA Division II semifinals...Central is 4-0 against California schools, all occurring in the postseason. Central beat Occidental College 23-22 in 1984 and 71-0 in 1985. They also defeated Menlo College 17-0 in 1987 and Redlands University 24-14 in 1990. Only Redlands still sponsors football…Safety Peyton Ritzert (sophomore, Pella, Pella Christian) is the son of Joe Ritzert of Miracle in the Mud Fame
 
Central College probable starters
 
OFFENSE
QB       18        Hunter Hoffman (6-1, 170, jr.)  
or         6          Brady Ketchum (6-0, 195, sr.)
RB       12        Keegan Glover (6-2, 180, jr.)                
TE        23        Grant Nelson (6-0, 220, sr.)      
WR      7          Jack Johnson (5-11, 185, sr.)    
WR      80        Cam Schulte (6-3, 215, so.)                  
WR      13        Ryan Neu (6-0, 180, 5Y)                                  
LT        72        Tyler Harms (6-3, 270, jr.)                   
LG       71        Carson Zitlow (6-1, 275, sr.)                
C          70        Maximus Reitano (6-2, 295, jr.)            
RG       66        Levi Janssen (6-4, 290, sr.)                   
RT       51        Kade Tippet (6-2, 270, sr.)                   
 
DEFENSE      
DL       42        Derek Mueller (6-2, 230, 5Y)               
DL       34        Sebastian Duarte (5-11, 260, jr.)           
DL       15        Tate Hagen (6-0, 235, 5Y)                   
DL       2          Nick Bandy (6-2, 225, sr.)        
LB       30        Reid Pakkebier (6-2, 210, sr.)               
LB       32        Cole Clark (5-11, 225, jr.)        
LB       51        Cael FiderleIn (5-11, 220, sr.)             
CB       5          Ben DeMeulenaere (6-4, 205, jr.)         
SS        4          Reece Miller (5-10, 190. 5Y)                
FS        1          Gavin Hierseman (6-2, 200, sr.)            
CB       21        Gavin Smith (6-0, 185, jr.)                   
 
SPECIALTY
K/PK    26        Logan Sunvold (5-10, 190, 5Y)             
P            3        Austin Burns (5-11, 200, 5Y)               
Ret.      19        Hunter Wilkinson (5-9, 180, 5Y)                       
LS        25        Josh Dennison (5-11, 200, sr.)                                      
H         19        Hunter Wilkinson (5-9, 180, 5Y)
 
2024 schedule
Sept. 7              Illinois Wesleyan          Pella                             W, 49-14
Sept. 14            Cal Lutheran                Thousand Oaks, Calif.  1 p.m.+
Sept. 21            Wartburg                      Pella                             1 p.m.
Sept. 28            Buena Vista                 Storm Lake                  1 p.m.
Oct. 5               Simpson                       Pella                             1 p.m.
Homecoming
Oct. 12             Coe                              Cedar Rapids               1 p.m.
Oct. 19             Luther                          Pella                             1 p.m.
Oct. 26             Dubuque                      Dubuque                      1 p.m.
Nov. 2              Loras                           Pella                             1 p.m.
Nov. 16            Nebraska Wesleyan      Lincoln, Neb.               1 p.m.
+Pacific Daylight Time