For the first time in more than three decades, the Central College football embarks on a new season today without Don DeWaard at the helm of their defense.
DeWaard retired after 35 years on the sidelines following the 2015 season, making way for Pella native Nick Mulder to take over as Central’s Defensive Coordinator.
Mulder played on three Dutch Iowa Conference championship squads from 2005 through 2007, and joined the coaching staff as an assistant in 2012. Head Coach Jeff McMartin says that it’s been fun to see him groomed for this opportunity.
“Don (DeWaard) was very purposeful with both him and Coach (Cody) Baethke, and before that Coach Coleman, of putting a lot on their shoulders with the week-long preparation and breakdown and scouting. So I think that they’re well prepared, and we had spring practices to go through where Nick and the defensive staff could work together.”
Mulder will continue to work closely with the defensive line, where he’ll be helped by a new member of the Dutch coaching staff. Jason Anderson is coming over from Pella High, where he was an assistant on the Little Dutch teams that won back-to-back state championships the last two seasons.
Jeff Sanger and Austin Scheuler will work with the linebackers, while Matt Paulson and Cody Baethke will coach the defensive backs.
The Dutch led the Iowa Conference in scoring defense in 2015, allowing 22.2 points per game.