PELLA— Fourteen Central College seniors were added to the school's total of National Football Foundation Hampshire Society members Wednesday.

The Hampshire Society, in its 20th year, recognizes senior football players who are starters or significant reserves and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher.

The Dutch have 173 honorees in the past 18 years, the most in Iowa. A program-high 17 were cited in 2011-12.  Central is No. 8 all-time in total honorees, Brown University (R.I.) has the most with 20.
Nationwide, 2,596 players from 365 schools were recognized this year.
           
"These players represent the kind of student-athlete we look for at Central," said coach Jeff McMartin, the AFCA Division III Coach of the Year. "We look for the complete person, someone with great character who is a leader, an outstanding student and a talented football player. The young men on this list definitely exhibit those qualities and I couldn't be happier about this honor. It speaks very highly of our program and our players.
           
"We talk about champions always being champions and that who we are on the football field needs to be reflected in who we are in the classroom and in our daily life."
           
The seniors selected helped lead Central to an 8-2 record last fall.
           
The Hampshire Honor Society is a component of the National Football Foundation's efforts to promote combined athletic and academic success. The NFF's National Scholar-Athlete Awards program, launched in 1959, was the first to credit a player for academic success, football performance and community leadership.
 
            Central's 2025-26 honorees:
Name (hometown/high school)                        Position           GPA    Major
Nick Bandy (Dubuque/Wahlert Catholic HS)     DL                   3.67     sociology
Paddy Bozik (Eldridge/North Scott HS)             OL                   3.75     kinesiology
Cole Clark (Lisbon)                                          LB                   3.56     business management
Sheldon Coover (Belle Plaine)                          DL                   3.27     kinesiology
Andrew Cotty (Geneseo, Ill.)                             DB                   3.78     accounting/business mgmt.
Ben DeMeulenaere (Chelsea/Belle Plaine)         DB                   3.92     business management
Kalvin Erickson (Meeteetse, Wyo.)                   WR                  3.50     business management
Alex Foran (Audubon)                                      OL                   3.38     accounting/business mgmt.
Hunter Hoffman (Pecatonica, Ill.)                      QB                   3.35     business management
Max Reitano (Grimes/Dallas Center-Grimes HS) OL                   3.89     kinesiology
Preston Rowe (Pella)                                        TE                    3.25     engineering/physics
Gavin Smith (Audubon)                                    DB                   3.95     accounting/business mgmt.
Ethan Thomas (Ankeny)                                   DL                   3.55     kinesiology
Jacob Williamson (Iowa City)                           DL                   3.49     psychology