Event Results:
Central Football 49, Illinois Wesleyan 14 – 92.1 KRLS
Central Women’s Golf tied for 7th after 1st round at Wartburg Invitational
Central Volleyball finished 1-2 at St. Norbert Chick-Fil-A Tournament
Luther 7, Central Women’s Tennis 0
Central Women’s Tennis 5, Millikin (Ill.) 2
Greenville 5, Central Women’s Tennis 2
Central Men’s Soccer 3, Eureka (Ill.) 0
Event Recaps:
Dutch Passing Game, Defense Ignites Team in Opening Win
The Central College football team outgained Illinois Wesleyan University by 370 yards, sparking a 49-14 victory in the season opener Saturday.
Central’s offense piled up 541 yards, 377 through the air, and limited Illinois Wesleyan to 171 yards, including just 15 on the ground. Getting the start at quarterback, senior Brady Ketchum threw for five touchdowns and 362 yards while completing 27 of 36 passes. He completed his first 10 passes, three of which went for scores. Ketchum spread the ball around, connecting with four different receivers for touchdowns. Running back Keegan Glover had the first two touchdown catches of the game, totaling four catches out of the backfield for 87 yards. Ketchum also found Cam Schulte, Ryan Neu, and Logan Mont in the end zone. The Dutch ran the ball 51 times for 164 yards. Glover was also the leading rusher with 36 yards on 16 carries. Jase Grunder ran it 10 times for 30 yards, plunging into the end zone for 1-yard touchdown rushes twice.
Central’s defense was all over the field, breaking up 12 pass attempts, registering 9.0 tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hurries. Linebacker Reid Pakkebier was in on 3.5 of those tackles for losses, including a nine-yard sack on third down during the Titans first possession of the second half. Linebacker Cael Fiderlein led the team with nine tackles. Defensive lineman Nick Bandy had three pass break-ups while Gavin Smith and Reece Miller each had two. Both Titan touchdown drives came immediately after Central interceptions in the second quarter. Illinois Wesleyan compiled 93 yards of its total offensive output in the quarter.
The Dutch will make the long trek to Thousand Oaks, California to battle California Lutheran University at 1 pm on Saturday.
Central Tied for Seventh in Wartburg Women’s Golf Tourney
It was a steady start for the Central College women’s golf team but the Dutch lacked a closing kick in the first round of the Wartburg Fall Invitational tourney Saturday. Central shot 320 and is part of a four-way logjam in seventh place in the 17-team, 36-hole tourney which concludes Sunday. Lydia Grond is tied for 21st after the opening round with a 78, while Amber Timmer and Parker Stout aren’t far behind in a tie for 33rd, with both shooting an 80. Allie Pfantz shot 82 and is tied for 41st and Jaden Smith rounded out the first round in a tie for 67th after firing an 87.
Central Routs Northland in Wisconsin Volleyball Tournament
The Central College volleyball team made quick work of Northland University Saturday at the St. Norbert Chick-fil-A Classic Saturday, sweeping the Lumberjills 25-15, 25-14, 25-11.
In its second match of the day, Central (4-4) lost to Dominican University [Ill.] 3-2 (25-19, 17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-13). Outside hitter Leslie Snow had a big performance against Northland, notching 12 kills on just 19 attempts for a .579 hitting percentage. She also led the team with 12 digs. Rachel Bowers and Landry Pacha added eight kills each. Pacha also led the team with 13 assists. In the loss to Dominican, Central had 14 service errors, eight setting errors and 27 attack errors. Pacha led the way with 13 kills against Dominican, while Avery Rexroat paced the team with 21 assists. Makayla Ribble, Gracie Pierson, and Colleen Kenney each had three service aces. Defensively against Dominican, Kaitlyn Mumm had five blocks and Kenney had 29 digs.
Central travels to Dubuque on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. match against Clarke University.
Central Women’s Tennis Team Blanked Against Luther
The Central women’s tennis team had two squads in action Saturday, with one falling 7-0 to Luther in their American Rivers Conference opener and the other going 1-1 at the Dorothy McClure Tournament in Decatur, Illinois.
Despite falling to the Norse in their first league action, the Dutch (3-2, 1-1) were close in several matches against one of the top teams in the conference. Madi Whalen had one such match, falling 7-5 in doubles and got to a tie break in the opening set at No. 1 singles which she ended up dropping 7-2. Meanwhile, The squad in Illinois defeated Millikin (Ill.) 5-2 but lost to Greenville (Ill.) 2-5 to claim second in the tournament. In the win against Millikin, the Dutch got a default win at No.3 doubles as well as a win from Jayden Kissack and Kalina Schubert at No. 2 doubles to clinch the doubles point. Schubert and Taylor Wyeth were the winners in singles for the Dutch.
The women’s tennis team returns to action for another American Rivers Conference showdown against Simpson on Saturday.
Central Men’s Soccer Team Led by Freshman in Win
Freshman Nate Lempe had a brace and added an assist in the Central men’s soccer team’s (2-1) 3-0 win over Eureka (Ill.) on Saturday. The Dutch defense was stout in the victory, only allowing two shots, with neither of them being on the goal. Meanwhile the offense had 22 shots with 11 on goal. Lempe got his assist on a throw-in, finding the right foot of Spencer Taylor who scored the third goal of the game and his second of the season. Jack Hillis led the team with four shots and got on the score sheet with an assist on Lempe’s first goal of the game.
The Dutch return to the pitch on Tuesday with a road match at Grinnell at 4:30 pm.