After a season of largely error-free football, Central College was hampered by mistakes that led to a 38-16 season-ending setback at Iowa Conference champion Dubuque Saturday.
The young Dutch entered the day ranked first in the NCAA Division III for fewest penalties (2.56 per game) and tied for 11th in turnover margin (plus 13). But Central was flagged four times, committed four turnovers and came away scoreless on six drives that reached Dubuque territory.
"It's hard to beat a good team when you turn the ball over and when you give up big plays," coach Jeff McMartin said.
Central closes the year at 6-4 overall and alone in third place in the conference at 4-3. Dubuque claimed sole possession of the league title at 7-0. The Spartans, 8-2 overall, gain an automatic berth in the Division III playoffs. The field will be announced Sunday.
Central wide receiver Sam Markham (sophomore, Atlantic) continued his assault on the record books, breaking the season receptions record with 69 after catching six passes for 104 yards Saturday. His 980 receiving yards rank second on the all-time charts. He's already moved into fourth place in career receptions with 121 and is eighth in career receiving yards with 1,630.
The Dutch were without freshman quarterback Nate Boland (Iowa City, West HS) Saturday. He had performed well in starting the past two games when Riley Gray (junior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) was sidelined by injury but sustained an injury of his own late in last week's 38-23 victory over Buena Vista and did not make the trip. Gray was significantly less than 100 percent but answered the call Saturday. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 221 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. He also rushed 10 times for 16 net yards, suffering two sacks.
"I was really proud of Riley," McMartin said. "To help the team out like that. He gave us everything he had. That was a gritty performance."
Central was also without starting strong safety Tate Jensen (sophomore, De Soto, ADM HS) due to injury. The Dutch had to move cornerback Tony Oros (junior, Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) to Jensen's spot.
But Central had a tough time controlling the pinpoint passing of Dubuque quarterback Rio Johnson. He completed 22 of 26 throws for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
"Dubuque executed on offense," McMartin said. "They ran it well and they threw it well. Their quarterback was on target."
Both offenses burst out of the gate Saturday as there were scores on the game's first five possessions, which left Central trailing 17-10 with 11:23 left in the second quarter. The Dutch struck on their opening drive, as Gray hit Markham for a 66-yard pass on a gadget play. That set up a 9-yard Gray TD pass to S-back Kyle Gritsch (sophomore, Brooklyn, BGM HS). Central added a 29-yard Aaron Marcellus (junior, Hudson) field goal with 2:34 left in the first quarter.
But despite numerous opportunities, the Dutch were then held scoreless until the game's final play. Central's next seven drives all reached Dubuque territory, but the Dutch turned it over on downs three times, were intercepted twice and lost a fumble. Meanwhile, Dubuque, which took a 24-10 halftime lead, scored on its first five possessions.
"We moved the ball really well," McMartin said. "But we didn't convert."
Kohle Helle (sophomore, Guttenberg, Clayton Ridge HS) moved from wide receiver to quarterback for the last possession, which started on the Central 5-yard line. He drove the Dutch 95 yards in 17 plays, punctuated by a 1-yard TD pass to William Meredith (junior, Piedmont, Calif.) as time expired.
"You always want to have the mentality that we never quit and that we battle to the end," McMartin said. "As long as there's time on the clock, we're going to try to score."
Helle completed seven of 10 passes for the day for 56 yards and a score. He also rushed eight times for 48 yards.
Dubuque outgained the Dutch 508 yards to 432, with a 172-155-yard edge in rushing yards. Remarkably, neither team punted the entire game.
"You don't see that very often," McMartin said.
Freshman Pat Gray (West Des Moines, Waukee HS) was Central's top rusher with 59 yards on 11 carries.
Linebacker Jessie Peterson (junior, Coralville, Iowa City West HS) and free safety Zach Matter (junior, Ankeny) each had eight tackles. Matter also recovered a fumble. Cornerback Nick Greteman (sophomore, Carroll, Kuemper HS) had seven stops and Oros had six. Linebacker Sam Norgaard (junior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS), cornerback Johnny Higgins (freshman, Elgin, Ill.) and linebacker Drew Carlson (junior, Ankeny) each had five tackles. Norgaard also recovered a fumble.
Central graduates 12 seniors.
"I'm really proud of the seniors," McMartin said. "I'm proud of their loyalty, how hard they've worked and how far they've come. They're a great example. They all got better. They're special guys and we really appreciate all of them. The team holds them in high regard."
Yet there is much to like about this young Dutch squad moving forward.
"I'm disappointed we lost but I'm not discouraged," McMartin said. "We had a lot of young players on the field. We've got to get healthy and we've got to get bigger and stronger in the off-season."