Kurtis Brondyke Oct. 26, 2009

Central cracks AFCA top 5

PELLA—Central College has cracked the top five in the American Football Coaches Association Division III coaches’ poll.

Wheaton College (Ill.) tumbled from No. 3 to No. 14 after a 27-7 loss to then-No. 12 North Central, opening the door for the Dutch to move up a spot from No. 6. Central is 8-0 following a 41-17 win at Loras College last Saturday.

Central hasn’t been in the top five in the AFCA poll since 2007, when the Dutch were as high as No. 3 before finishing the year at No. 6.

The Dutch look to clinch at least a share of the Iowa Conference title Saturday when Buena Vista Univ. visits for a 1 p.m. game at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.

American Football Coaches Association Division III Coaches’ Poll
October 26, 2009
Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev. Last Week Next Game
1. Mount Union (Ohio) (39) 7-0 997 1 D. Wilmington (Ohio), 56-0 Oct. 31 at John Carroll (Ohio)

2. Wis.-Whitewater (1) 7-0 961 2 D. Wis.-River Falls, 38-14 Oct. 31 at Wis.-Stevens Point

3. Wesley (Del.) 7-0 905 4 D. Webber International (Fla.), 34-7 Oct. 31 vs. Salisbury (Md.)

4. St. John’s (Minn.) 8-0 854 5 D. St. Olaf (Minn.), 10-3 Nov. 7 at Augsburg (Minn.)

5. Central  8-0 802 6 D. Loras, 41-17 Oct. 31 vs. Buena Vista (Iowa)

6. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) 7-0 777 7 D. Westminster (Pa.), 49-7 Oct. 31 vs. No. 13 Thomas More (Ky.)

7. Linfield (Ore.) 7-0 764 8 D. No. 14 Willamette (Ore.), 30-27 Oct. 31 vs. Puget Sound (Wash.)

8. Case Western Reserve (Ohio)7-0 658 9 D. Hiram (Ohio), 63-14 Oct. 31 at Chicago (Ill.)

9. North Central (Ill.) 6-1 654 12 D. No. 3 Wheaton (Ill.), 27-7 Oct. 31 at Illinois Wesleyan

10. Monmouth (Ill.) 8-0 638 10 D. Lake Forest (Ill.), 51-14 Oct. 31 vs. Illinois College

11. Otterbein (Ohio) 7-0 614 11 D. No. 17 Capital (Ohio), 35-34 Oct. 31 at Marietta (Ohio)

12. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) 6-1 550 13 D. Southern Oregon, 21-0 Oct. 31 vs. East Texas Baptist

13. Thomas More (Ky.) 7-0 442 15 D. Thiel (Pa.), 28-14 Oct. 31 at No. 6 Washington & Jefferson (Pa.)

14. Wheaton (Ill.) 6-1 418 3 Lost to No. 12 North Central (Ill.), 27-7 Oct. 31 vs. Elmhurst (Ill.)

15. Wittenberg (Ohio) 7-0 404 16 D. Carnegie Mellon (Pa.), 28-7 Oct. 31 at Denison (Ohio)

16. St. Thomas (Minn.) 6-1 392 19 D. Carleton (Minn.), 48-28 Oct. 31 vs. Augsburg (Minn.)

17. Mississippi College 6-1 346 20 D. East Texas Baptist, 26-7 Oct. 31 vs. Howard Payne (Texas)

18. Alfred (N.Y.) 6-0 325 18 D. St. John Fisher (N.Y.), 31-28 Oct. 31 vs. Rochester (N.Y.)

19. Wabash (Ind.) 6-1 262 21 D. Wooster (Ohio), 37-27 Oct. 31 at Oberlin (Ohio)

20. Hampden-Sydney (Va.) 8-0 230 23 D. Catholic (D.C.), 21-7 Nov. 7 vs. Salisbury (Md.)

21. Albright (Pa.) 7-0 200 24 D. Widener (Pa.), 31-17 Oct. 31 vs. FDU-Florham (N.J.)

22. Willamette (Ore.) 6-2 135 14 Lost to No. 8 Linfield (Ore.), 30-27 Nov. 7 at Puget Sound (Wash.)

23t. Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) 7-0 120 NR D. No. 22 Franklin (Ind.), 26-16 Oct. 31 at Manchester (Ind.)

23t. Occidental (Calif.) 5-1 120 25 D. LaVerne (Calif.), 14-13 Oct. 31 vs. California Lutheran

25. Capital (Ohio) 5-2 95 17 Lost to No. 11 Otterbein (Ohio), 35-34 Oct. 31 at Muskingum (Ohio)

Dropped out: Franklin (Ind.) (22).
Others receiving votes: Delaware Valley (Pa.), 62; Ohio Northern, 48; Wis.-Stevens Point, 42; Rowan (N.J.), 35; Bethel (Minn.), 28;Coe (Iowa), 25; Trinity (Conn.), 24; Trine (Ind.), 19; Redlands (Calif.), 15; St. Norbert (Wis.), 12; DePauw (Ind.), 11; Illinois Wesleyan, 8;California Lutheran, 6; Franklin (Ind.), 6; Centre (Ky.), 5; Dickinson (Pa.), 5; Kean (N.J.), 3; Wis.-La Crosse, 2; Springfield (Mass.), 1.