On a day in which Central College honored its iconic former football coach Ron Schipper, the Dutch defense turned in the kind of performance that would have made the hall of famer proud, blanking Buena Vista University 33-0 Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the college paid tribute to Schipper, who died in 2006, with a statue in Hertiage Plaza inside Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. It was 55 years ago this week when he recorded his first victory as Dutch head coach.
Schipper notched 91 shutouts in his memorable 36 seasons at Central (1961-96) as his teams captured 18 Iowa Conference titles. That was a different era for offenses which now routinely put up video game numbers such as in Central's 50-49 overtime shootout victory Sept. 3 at Whitworth University (Wash.).
But, aided by a fierce pass rush and a few Buena Vista miscues, the Dutch (3-0 overall, 1-0 Iowa Conference) yielded 345 yards of offense but no points. It's the third straight year Central has held an opponent scoreless after going four seasons without doing so.
"It's very rare when you have a shutout in this day and age of college football," coach Jeff McMartin said. "But I thought our defense rose up and played hard."
The Dutch were a little slow out of the gate, getting only a 27-yard Aaron Marcellus (senior, Hudson) field goal in the first period. But wide receiver and occasional quarterback Kohle Helle (junior, Guttenberg, Clayton Ridge HS) took a snap and ran the ball in from the 8-yard line to complete an 11-play, 90-yard drive with 9:16 left in the second quarter for a 10-0 bulge at the break.
"(Buena Vista is) a pesky football team," McMartin said. "They play hard and they're well-coached. And we had some execution issues that really kind of slowed us down."
Running back Donny Groezinger (sophomore, Sulphur Springs, Texas, Eastland, Ill. HS) topped the 100-yard mark for the second time in his three career starts, finishing with a game-high 113 on 22 carries. His 4-yard score on Central's opening second-half possession stretched the lead to 17-0.
"Donny does a nice job of making cuts and he sees the field well," McMartin said. "He sees the field well. He's good in open space so we've got to get him in those places so that he can have those opportunities.
"I thought our offensive line did a nice job today. We're continuing to get better."
Zack Martinelli (senior, Elburn, Ill., Kaneland HS) tight-roped the sideline on a wide receiver screen, racing 63 yards for another third quarter score. The Dutch added a 27-yard Marcellus field goal in the fourth quarter and, less than a minute later, a 20-yard interception return to the end zone for linebacker Sam Norgaard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS), his second career TD.
Buena Vista (0-3 overall, 0-1 conference) threatened on a few occasions, most notably with a 21-yard field goal try on the final play of the first half. The kick was swatted away by linebacker Drew Carlson (senior, Ankeny). Defensive back Tate Jensen (junior, De Soto, ADM HS) intercepted a pass in the end zone. And following Central's final score, a blocked extra point return looked like it would translate to two Beaver points, until a penalty flag was dropped at the Dutch 2-yard line.
"We had some big plays," McMartin said. "The blocked field goal was huge and so was the interception in the end zone. So even when they moved it on us, we bent, but we didn't break."
The Dutch recorded four sacks, including 2.5 by defensive lineman Edwin Etienne (senior, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Riverdale HS), who had eight tackles overall along with a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. Linebacker Chris Neeld (junior, New Boston, Ill., Mercer County HS) notched a career-high 14 stops while Norgaard had 10 and linebacker Tyler Olson (junior, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS) had a career-high eight.
Central outgained the Beavers 512 yards to 345. It's the third straight game the Dutch reached the 500-yard mark but the first time they gained more on the ground (270) than passing (242).
"We're doing a good job of running the football," McMartin said. "We wanted to keep getting first downs and stay on the field."
Central had a 31-17 edge in first downs but Buena Vista controlled the ball for 31:58 of the game's 60 minutes.
Quarterback Nate Boland (sophomore, Iowa City, West HS) completed 13 of 19 passes for 122 yards. Starter Riley Gray (senior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) connected on 8-of-14 for 113 yards and a TD. Helle completed 1-of-2. S-back Kyle Gritsch (junior, Brooklyn, BGM) was the top receiver with seven catches for 76 yards. Receiver Sam Markham (senior, Atlantic) inched closer to the school career receptions record. His six catches for 32 yards give him 150. Chris Johnson (1995-98) set the career mark of 151. Through three games, Markham has 29 catches for 311 yards and four TDs.
The statue unveiling made it a special day for Central football, said McMartin, who was a player and, later, a student coach for Schipper.
"Coach Schipper has meant a lot to so many people here," McMartin said. "He had a great influence and still has a great influence here. He really built a culture and created a really special legacy."
Schipper posted a remarkable 287-67-3 record (.808) and piloted Central to the 1974 NCAA Division III crown.
Central is back on the road for the third time in four weeks next Saturday, traveling to Loras College at Dubuque. The Duhawks outscored Central 55-48 at Dubuque last year but are 0-3, suffering a 45-10 setback in their league opener at Coe Saturday.