The Central football team got out to a fast start against rival Simpson on homecoming and never looked back, scoring on their first six possessions in the first half to go ahead 45-0 at the break and winning 59-14 at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium on Saturday, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS and 94.3 KNIA. The Dutch forced three Storm turnovers in the first half as they built up 333 yards of offense, with quarterback Hunter Hoffman throwing, rushing, and receiving a touchdown, and running back Jase Grunder rushing for another two, as the Dutch defense added a pick-six from Gavin Smith.

The Storm settled down in the second half, with quarterback J Jensen throwing touchdown passes to Cole Staska and Noah Cracraft as the Dutch began to run out the clock. Central ended up with 526 yards of offense compared to Simpson’s 218.

Hoffman threw for 175 yards and a touchdown, while Grunder rushed for 184 and three scores for Central, while Staska ended the day with 103 yards and a score for Simpson. Storm punter Tanner Philpott had a 78-yard punt in the third quarter, good for second in school history.

Central improves to 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in American Rivers Conference play, and has a crucial matchup with Coe College on Saturday, while Simpson falls to 2-3 and 1-2, and will host Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday for homecoming.