STORM LAKE— Outgaining Buena Vista University by 424 yards, the Central College football team was dominant in a 52-0 road win Saturday.
The Dutch (3-1, 1-1 American Rivers Conference) had 554 yards of total offense including 334 on the ground while limiting the Beavers (1-3, 1-1 conference) to just 130 yards.
"We really wanted to establish the run game and get some good yards," coach Jeff McMartin said. "Our guys had a good week of practice with the scheme and strategy."
Sophomore running back Jase Grunder (Tampico, Ill,. Prophetstown HS) had his name called early and often. He carried the ball eight straight times on Central's opening drive for 77 yards, finishing it off with a 41-yard scoring scamper.
"You couldn't ask for a better first drive," McMartin said.
He finished the game with 26 carries for 190 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also caught a seven-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He's the first Central running back to hit 190 yards in a single game since Josh Osborn did it against Albion College (Mich.) in September of 2013.
"The types of runs we asked him to make were ones that fit his style of running," McMartin said. "Our offensive line and tight ends did a good job up front. Everything came together and Jase delivered for us."
Central added a 24-yard field goal by Logan Sunvold (fifth year, Monroe, Southeast Polk HS) early in the second quarter. The Dutch only had four possessions in the first half and under 12 minutes of time of possession.
"We just didn't have enough chances in the first half," McMartin said. "Buena Vista controlled the clock and field position in the fist half, so even when we did get the ball, they were long drives."
The Beaver offense tallied 70 of its 130 yards on its only possession of the second quarter. A first and goal from the 8-yardline did not yield any points as the Dutch made three stops and forced a field goal that went wide. Buena Vista had just 23 yards and one first down in the second half.
"Our defense did a good job of holding them out of the end zone," McMartin said. "We did a good job of slowing down their running game in the second half and we didn't give them a lot in the passing game either.
Linebacker Cael Fiderlein (senior, West Branch) led the team with 13 tackles. Defensive tackle Ethan Thomas (junior, Ankeny) had six tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
The Dutch defense forced a punt to start the second half and the offense needed just five plays and 47 yards to push the lead to 17-0 on Grunder's TD catch.
Central caught Buena Vista off guard on the ensuing kickoff as Sunvold recovered his own onside kick to give the Dutch the ball back.
"(Special teams coordinator) coach Race did a really good job all week of strategizing and credit to him for calling it," McMartin said. "Logan has been practicing that for maybe a year and half and he executed perfect. That was big because we were able to score again and just get rolling."
Six plays and 52 yards later, quarterback Hunter Hoffman (junior, Pecatonica, Ill.) found receiver Cam Schulte (sophomore, Pella) for a 34-yard touchdown grab down the sideline that impressed his head coach.
"Cam Schulte had a great game," McMartin said. "He made a catch in the first half to sustain a drive for us. He caught a touchdown pass with a guy draped all over him. If I'm Cam Schulte, I'm going to try and watch that highlight as much as I can for visualization. That's him at his best for sure."
Hoffman had a third touchdown pass in the third quarter after a Ben DeMeulenaere (junior, corner back, Chelsea, Belle Plaine HS) interception set up an 18-yard pitch and catch to wide receiver Brendan Bogaard (senior, Phoenix, Ariz., Northwest Christian HS). Hoffman finished with 200 yards passing and three touchdowns while completing 10 of 14 attempts.
A pair of Dutch freshmen scored their first collegiate rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cole Duty (Gonzales, Texas) ran it in from 46 yards out while Kaden Abbas (Grundy Center) capped the scoring with a five-yard plunge. Eli Rouse (freshmen, Madrid, Ballard HS) also had seven caries for 19 yards and Cody Klein (freshman, Newton) gained 14 yards on four touches.
"We played a lot of guys and it's fun when you can bring them on the road and get them some valuable game experience," McMartin said. "I'm really excited about the freshmen we were able to get in the game. I think they are going to be really good players down the road."
Central hosts Simpson College next Saturday for the school's Homecoming contest. Action starts at 1 p.m. from Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.
Dutch ground attack, defense clobbers Beavers in football victory
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20240928_y5pj.xml
2024
Central
52
Buena Vista
0
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (3-1) | 7 | 3 | 28 | 14 | 52 |
| Buena Vista (1-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sep 28, 2024