The Central College football team is in Cedar Rapids today with an opportunity to clinch the program’s first conference championship in a decade, and along with it, a trip to the Division III playoffs.

Central is 8-1 overall, 6-1 in the American Rivers Conference.  That’s tied atop the league standings with Wartburg, who the Dutch outlasted 57-56 one week ago in overtime in an instant classic.  Coach Jeff McMartin says that the guys got the weekend to savor the victory, and then they put the Knights in the rear view mirror.

“We haven’t talked about it.  We’ve just focused on Coe, so I don’t know if they’ve come down (from the thrill of the victory), but we’ve just got them locked in on Monday to get them focused in on Coe.  Our preparation has really just been about that.”

The Kowhawks have plenty to play for themselves.  They’re 5-2 in the league, so a victory over the Dutch and a Wartburg loss to Loras would springboard Coe into a tie for the ARC title.

For Central, it’s simple.  A win cliniches at least a share of the conference championship, and regardless of any other outcomes, they’d be headed to the playoffs next Saturday.

Kickoff is today at 1:00 at Clark Field in Cedar Rapids.  Trevor Castle and Don DeWaard have the play-by-play on 92.1 KRLS, beginning with pregame at 12:35.