A rivalry that started in 1905 will be renewed for the 101st time this afternoon in Pella as the Central College football team hosts Simpson at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.

The Storm are still searching for their first victory of the season, sitting at 0-6 and 0-4 in the American Rivers Conference. Central is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the league.

Today’s matchup features the top two passing offenses in the league, with Central using a three quarterback rotation to average 318 yards thru the air while Simpson sophomore J Jensen III guides a passing attack averaging 308 yards per game. With a 239 yard outburst last Saturday, Storm wide receiver Reed Worth from PCM took over the league lead in receiving yards with nearly 130 per contest.

Central coach Jeff McMartin hopes that one advantage his team will have in today’s game is depth. He’s hoping to use tempo on an unseasonably warm late October afternoon.

“They don’t play a lot of guys on defense. So we need to stay on the field and wear them down. First downs are good and running plays is good. And then when you get opportunities to cash it in, you’ve got to cash it in.”

Simpson coach Matt Jeter says the season has not gone the way the Storm has wanted, and they need to continue to try and put together a complementary football style.

“We can’t have negative plays on offense, and at the same time be okay with a drive that gets a couple of first downs and a punt that flips the field. We have to be eye-disciplined on defense and can’t give up explosive plays, and no more miscues on special teams that really hurt us.”

Kickoff is today at 1:00. You can hear the Simpson perspective live on 94.3 KNIA and the Central call on 92.1 KRLS. Both feeds will also be available on the free KNIA/KRLS app, beginning with pregame at 12:35. KRLS audio commentary will also be available with video at CentralDutchNewtork.com.