The Central College football team needed to find just one more big play late in its season finale Saturday at Luther College and, as he has all season, quarterback Riley Gray (senior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) delivered.
Gray finished his Dutch career with a five-touchdown day, passing for three and rushing for two more, in a 37-23 Iowa Conference victory at Luther College, tying the University of Dubuque for second place at 6-2. He rushed for a career-high 162 yards on 16 carries while completing 18 of 30 passes for 166 yards.
Central (8-2 overall) appeared in control after Gray's 9-yard TD run with 13:21 left in the game stretched the Dutch lead to 30-7. But after a Luther score with 7:38 remaining and a 79-yard Norse scoring strike just 3 minutes later, Central fumbled away a kickoff return. A 22-yard Cory Wirth field goal followed and suddenly the Norse were within 30-23 with 2:42 left. Luther had all three timeouts remaining so was in position to get the ball back with enough time for a tying score. But on second down from the Central 25, Gray broke free on a quarterback draw and wasn't chased down until he'd raced 52 yards. Three plays later, Gray ran the same play for a 15-yard touchdown that settled the matter.
"It was kind of a read play," coach Jeff McMartin said. "Give (offensive coordinator Ryan) Maiuri a lot of credit. I felt like he called a great game again today. He's done a great job all season. He and the rest of the offensive staff have been awesome."
That Gray came through when it mattered most was not a surprise.
"You couldn't ask for anything more out of Riley," McMartin said. "He's been a two-year captain for us and one of the best leaders we've had in my 13 years. He's a great quarterback who's done nothing but get better throughout his career. It's nice to see his hard work pay off."
An interception by linebacker Sam Norgaard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS) with 21 seconds left made it official.
The game was tight much of the first half as well. Gray directed an efficient 12-play, 73-yard scoring drive on Central's opening possession, hitting S-back Kyle Gritsch (junior, Brooklyn, BGM HS) on a 12-yard TD pass.
But Luther (3-7 overall, 2-6 conference) struck back quickly, using its triple-option offense to grind out 78 yards on seven straight running plays to tie it 7-7.
A 28-yard Aaron Marcellus (senior, Hudson) field goal into a stiff wind gave Central a 10-7 lead it clung to until 2:07 remained in the half. Gray found Sam Markham (senior, Atlantic) on a 3-yard TD pass for a 16-7 halftime advantage. It was Markham's 12th TD catch of the year, tying the school mark set by Geoff Lamb (1995) and shared with Chris Johnson (1997).
Markham had nine first-half receptions as Gray completed 13 of 21 passes for 127 yards, but the Dutch stayed on the ground more in the second half, with just nine more throws.
However, Gray did hit running back Nathan Fitzgerald (sophomore, Elkader, Central Elkader HS) on a 19-yard scoring pass for the game's only third-quarter score before Gray's early-fourth quarter sprint appeared to ice it. But the Norse weren't done.
"Luther did what it had to do," McMartin said. "They stayed on the field offensively, they used a lot of clock and they got a few big plays late. And we turned the ball over. We did some things that are uncharacteristic of us.
"But I'm proud of the way our guys. They battled. When we did get the ball late, we scored again and were able to put it away."
It was yet another memorable day for Markham, who had 11 receptions for 101 yards. That gives him a school-record 104 catches for the season, likely enough to give him the most in Division III. He trailed Kenyon College's (Ohio) Brian Hunca by one catch heading into the day. Hunca had five catches in his team's loss to Denison University (Ohio) Saturday. Markham had a record 1,215 receiving yards.
"Sam's had an amazing year and an amazing three years for us," McMartin said. "He's in an offense that fits him very well and his taking advantage of his opportunities. He's made some great catches and done some really special things.
"If he wins (the statistical title), I couldn't be happier for him. He's one of the most humble people on the team. He doesn't worry about stats. He just wants to win and have the team be successful."
Central set numerous school marks, including its 5,353 yards of total offense (535.3 yards per game). The Dutch were Division III leaders in first downs entering the game and added 26 for 301 overall. Central passed for 3,145 yards, breaking the season average mark with 314.5.
Gray completed a record 64.3 percent of his throws (205-319) with 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions for 247.8 yards per game. His 20.5 completions per game also set a mark. Fitzgerald, who won the running back job near the season midpoint, was the top rusher with 738 yards on 138 carries with four touchdowns. Gray rushed for 617 yards on 120 carries with nine touchdowns. He averaged 309.5 yards total offense, also a record and had a combined 38 passing and rushing touchdowns.
Luther actually outgained the Dutch Saturday, 470 yards to 446, getting 337 yards rushing while completing seven of 19 passes for 133 yards. The Norse controlled the ball for 38:31 of the game's 60 minutes.
Linebackers Drew Carlson (senior, Ankeny) and Norgaard each had 14 tackles. Free safety Zach Matter (senior, Ankeny) had 13 stops, linebacker Jessie Peterson (senior, Coralville, Iowa City West HS) had 12, defensive lineman Edwin Etienne (senior, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Riverdale HS) had 11 and cornerback Trevor Smith (sophomore, Audubon) had 10, including two for loss and a pass breakup.
"One of the things we did well was we were really good on third down and we were good on fourth down," McMartin said. "Anytime you get stops against this offense, that's a big win."
The Norse failed on all six of its first-half third-down tries and were 6-of-18 for the game while converting 3-of-6 on fourth down.
Norgaard finished the year atop Central's tackle charts with 91. Peterson followed with 79 and Carlson had 69. Defensive lineman Wes Wheat (junior, Phoenix, Ariz., Phoenix Christian HS) had a team-high five sacks while lineman Justin Dilks (junior, Mount Pleasant) led in tackles for loss with 7.5. Matter had three interceptions and 13 pass breakups.
It's the seventh time in McMartin's 13 seasons as coach that the Dutch have won eight or more games.
"It's great to get the win," he said. "These guys battled. I'm excited for the future and very happy that our seniors can go out winners. We've got to take this season and learn from the mistakes and build on the successes, and we've had a lot of successes. I couldn't be prouder of our 23 seniors.