PELLA—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.
"It's fun to have a home game for the first game of the season," coach Jeff McMartin said. "I thought that across the board our guys played really well."
Getting the start at quarterback, senior Brady Ketchum (Mount Vernon) 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.
"He gets the ball out of his hand quick and goes to the right people," McMartin said. "He made some really accurate throws and did a good job of leading our offense."
Ketchum spread the ball around, connecting with four different receivers for touchdowns. Running back Keegan Glover (junior, Benton, Ill.) had the first two touchdown catches of the game, totaling four catches out of the backfield for 87 yards. Ketchum also found Cam Schulte (sophomore, wide receiver, Pella), Ryan Neu (fifth year, wide receiver, West Des Moines, Valley HS) and Logan Mont (fifth year, wide receiver, Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) in the end zone.
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.
"When we look at our defense, I think we have good team speed," McMartin said. "I think (defensive coordinator Ben) Hodges did a really good job utilizing that and putting our guys into successful positions."
Linebacker Reid Pakkebier (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) 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.
"Reid can cover a lot ground quickly, whether it is rushing the passer or in pass coverage," McMartin said. "He's got such great speed."
Linebacker Cael Fiderlein (senior, West Branch) led the team with nine tackles. Defensive lineman Nick Bandy (senior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS) had three pass break-ups while Gavin Smith (junior, Audubon) and Reece Miller (fifth year, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) each had two.
The Dutch ran the ball 51 times for 164 yards. Glover was also the leading rusher with 36 yards on 16 carries. Jase Grunder (sophomore, Tampico, Ill., Prophetstown HS) ran it 10 times for 30 yards, plunging into the end zone for 1-yard touchdown rushes twice.
"Utilizing Keegan Glover as a tailback gives us basically two quarterbacks in the back field, which is a good thing for us," McMartin said. "We got some good carries from Jase as well."
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.
"Giving up those two turnovers and then not getting stops mad the first half look a little different than what it initially felt like," McMartin said. "I'm glad we responded well in the second half."
The Dutch will make the long trek to Thousand Oaks, California to battle California Lutheran University at 1 p.m. (PST). It will be the first game of the season for the Kingsmen.
"We'll watch the film from today," McMartin said. "There's always areas we can improve but this is a good first start."
Dutch passing game, defense ignites team in opening win
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20240907_wzq2.xml
2024
Illinois Wesleyan
14
Central
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Wesleyan (0-1) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Central (1-0) | 21 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
Sep 07, 2024