After seeing a 24-7 lead trimmed to just 27-21 at halftime, the 8th-ranked Central College football team scored 27 of the next 34 points and pulled away from #14 Bethel for a 61-35 victory in the opening round of the Division III playoffs Saturday as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Central stated its first five drives in Bethel territory thanks to dynamite play on special teams and an interception by sophomore linebacker Josh Van Gysel.  The Dutch scored three touchdowns and kicked two field goals on those drives, building a 17 point lead.  But the Royals scored a pair of second quarter touchdowns and trimmed the deficit to just six at intermission.

After Central quarterback Blaine Hawkins was picked off for the second time in the game on the opening series of the third quarter, the Dutch D forced a stop, and the offense finally got rolling with four Hawkins TD passes on the next four drives.  He threw seven total in the game, giving him 57 for the season.  Hawkins, who was named the American Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year on Friday, handed off to Defensive Player of the Year Blade Durbala for a one-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.

Hawkins was 27-of-41 for 331 yards.  Tanner Schminke caught 12 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a Central record 17 scoring grabs this season.  Van Gysel led the Dutch defense with 14 tackles and two interceptions.

Central improves to 11-0 on the season and will play #6 Wheaton next Saturday in the second round.  The Thunder beat Arora 65-33 on Saturday.  These same two teams met in the same round of the 2019 playoffs, with the Thunder ending Central’s season 49-13.

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