Central Starts Second Half of Football Season Victoriously
Coming off its bye week, the Central football team cruised to a 34-13 win over Nebraska Wesleyan heard live on 92.1 KRLS Saturday afternoon.
It took 12 seconds of game time for the Dutch (6-0, 4-0 American Rivers) to score their first touchdown, when Avion Bailey took the opening kickoff 89 yards to the house on his first collegiate touch. It was Central’s first kick return touchdown since 2018. Wide receiver Cam Schulte had season highs with nine catches and 167 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns from 45 yards and 35 yards out. Quarterback Hunter Hoffman finished the day with 20 completions on 27 attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Jase Grunder had 105 yards on 22 carries with a 1-yard scoring plunge. Wide receiver Keegan Glover also had a seven-yard rushing score.
Nebraska Wesleyan, which had not scored against the Dutch since 2021, took advantage of a short field off of a turnover to record an eight-play, 57-yard scoring drive. A 76-yard rushing touchdown near end of the first half was the only other score for the Prairie Wolves, who were blanked in the second half despite making three trips inside the 30-yard line. The Dutch had their first game of the season without an interception, but countered with a pair of second-half fumble recoveries. Cornerback Gavin Smith knocked a ball loose for defensive lineman Ethan Thomas to recover in the third quarter to set up a Schulte touchdown. Linebacker Diego Garcia forced and recovered a fumble on Nebraska Wesleyan’s final possession. Defensive lineman Trent Cakerice and linebacker Cole Clark each had eight tackles to lead the Dutch.
The win sets up a showdown of undefeated teams next week in Waverly, as the Dutch take on Wartburg. The Knights were ranked No. 8 entering their 40-20 win over Loras College Saturday afternoon.
Dutch Sweep Volleyball Match Against the Knights
For the first time since 2007, the Central volleyball team picked up a road sweep at Wartburg on Saturday morning.
Central (16-7, 2-2 American Rivers Conference) started fast with a 25-15 win in the first set against Wartburg before closing out the sweep by winning the final two sets 25-21 and 26-24. Dutch setters Makayla Ribble and Landry Pacha had 20 and 12 set assists, respectively. Leslie Snow and Paige Sexton each had 11 kills to lead the Dutch offensively, while Sophia Folkerts and Rachel Bowers crucial to the victory with nine and eight kills, respectively. Colleen Kenney paced the team with 19 digs, and Ribble added 15 digs for a double-double. Making her second varsity appearance, middle hitter Alayna Wentz led the team with four blocks.
The Dutch return home Tuesday to host Clarke University in a 6 p.m. match.
Holle, Tiedemann Lead Central Women’s Soccer Offense at Nebraska Wesleyan
A pair of first-time goal scorers sparked the Central women’s soccer team to a 2-0 victory at Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday.
The Dutch (7-4-2, 2-3-1 American Rivers Conference) offense fired off 27 shots and put 11 on frame while the Prairie Wolves had just 11 total shots and three on goal. Emerson Holle scored her first career goal with an assist from Lucy Tiedemann in the 35th minute. Tiedemann added her first collegiate goal just under five minutes later to put Central on top for good 2-0. Goalkeeper Zoey Sizemore had her second shutout of the week and fifth of the season, making three saves.
Central now has seven points in the conference standings with three matches remaining as the team fights for a top six finish to make the league tournament. The Dutch dip back into non-conference play with a 3:30 pm match at home against Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.) on Thursday.
Central Stuns Nebraska Wesleyan for Men’s Soccer Win
A go-ahead goal with 12 seconds remaining by Central men’s soccer junior Zach Holtan capped a wild comeback in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Nebraska Wesleyan.
The Prairie Wolves scored the game’s first goal 2 minutes and 37 seconds into the contest, before growing the advantage to 2-0 deficit in the 53rd minute. From there, the Dutch began to chip away at the deficit. Nathan Scholl got his head on a long Nate Lampe throw into the box to get Central on the board at the 64:08 mark. Just over two minutes later, Spencer Taylor’s shot went off the left post, and Nick DeVoss gathered it and passed it off to Isaiah Guyton, who buried the equalizer. On Holtan’s game-winning strike, Lampe had his second assist of the day on a cross into the left side of the box, where Holtan put his right foot on it and sent it underneath the diving Prairie Wolves goalkeeper. Central Goalkeeper Morgan Finkenbinder made three saves while facing 12 shot attempts.
The Dutch host Buena Vista at 2:30 pm next Saturday.