Jordan Leuschen Oct. 3, 2009

Central sacks Cornell, 55-0

VIDEOS:
Coach Jeff McMartin on the Dutch offense
Coach Jeff McMartin on the Dutch defense

PELLA—Central College notched five quarterback sacks and limited Cornell College to 86 yards total offense, including just two yards rushing, in posting a 55-0 Iowa Conference football victory Saturday.

The Dutch, ranked No. 8 in the AFCA Division III poll and No. 10 by D3football.com, rolled up more than 500 yards total offense for the second time in five games while recording their first shutout of the season.

Running back David Zachary (senior, Des Moines, Dowling HS) reached the 100-yard mark in the first quarter, gaining 57 yards on Central’s opening drive and scoring from a yard out. Zachary finished with 119 yards on 20 carries as the Dutch (5-0 overall, 3-0 Iowa Conference) gained 340 yards rushing. Four Central quarterbacks combined to complete 14 of 25 passes for 185 yards as Central recorded 525 yards total offense.

Quarterback Nate Snead (sophomore, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) rushed for 62 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries. He also completed 7 of 12 passes for 75 yards. Quarterback Zack Bandow (junior, Manilla, IKM HS) connected on 6-of-11 for 87 yards and one touchdown while freshman Joseph Kotz (Lamoni) threw for a TD on his first collegiate pass, a 23-yard fourth-quarter strike to Ben Lechtenberg (freshman, Manchester, West Delaware HS).

Central was up 14-0 after the first quarter and 31-0 at intermission.

Running back Jarred Lackey (junior, Somerton, Ariz., Cibola HS) gained 78 yards on just four carries, including a 66-yard TD spring on the final play of the third quarter. Tight end Jordan Leuschen (junior, Decorah) topped a list of 10 Central receivers with three catches for 53 yards. Brett Wilkin (sophomore, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS) caught a 22-yard TD pass. Jake Viggers (junior, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS) booted field goals of 42 and 27 yards.

Cody BaethkeTwo Cornell quarterbacks combined to complete 7 of 19 passes for 84 yards, with four catches for 57 yards by Alex Macey. But the Rams (1-4 overall, 0-3 conference) lost three fumbles and suffered 11 tackles for loss.

Defensive tackle Shane Wong (junior, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS), already the conference sacks leader, added three Saturday, giving him 11 for the season. However fellow defensive lineman Aaron Steenhoek (junior, Pella), who ranked second in the league in sacks and raised his total to 6.5 with one Saturday, suffered a second-quarter injury and did not return to the game. His playing status is uncertain. Llinebackers Keith Rush (Griswold) and Zach Van Arkel (senior, Malcolm, Grinnell HS) each had five tackles.

Coach Jeff McMartin said the Dutch defense has made great strides since yielding 504 yards in a 41-27 win at the Univ. of Dubuque Sept. 19. Central limited Coe to 10 rushing yards in a 24-6 victory last week while Dubuque gained only two yards on the ground Saturday. Central held the two foes to an average of 142.5 yards total offense.

"Coming off the game against Dubuque we saw ourselves not executing the way we wanted,” McMartin said. “We missed a lot of tackles and we weren't where we needed to be to make plays. Since that time, our defensive coaches and players have committed themselves to going back to the basics and improving on our fundamentals. Our coaches have had very good game plans that our players have been able to execute. I'm very proud of the effort they're putting out there. We want to continue to improve, but the past two games have been everything we could ask for from our defense."

Zachary rushed the ball on eight of Central’s nine plays on its 66-yard opening scoring drive, getting plenty of help up front.

“We were coming out trying to pound the ball,” said offensive lineman A.J. Santon (junior, Omaha, Neb., Camdenton HS). “It’s great to be part of this offensive line. We love opening up holes for our running backs, getting them in the open field and allowing them to make plays.”

McMartin liked what he saw from Santon and his linemates.

“Our offensive line did a great job,” he said. “They are the unsung heroes. This is easily the best job our offensive line has done in my time as a head coach. I’m very proud of the way they’re executing.”

Central is at Indianola next Saturday to face Simpson College in a 1 p.m. contest. Simpson (2-3 overall, 1-2 conference) was defeated at Luther Saturday 23-13.