Snow kidding! Osborn gains 264 in Central football romp
Central College Football 2014
PELLA — A steady snowfall made it tough for the defense Saturday. So did Central College running back Josh Osborn (senior, Burlington).
The hard-rushing senior closed his memorable career with a blizzard of yardage, pounding out 264 yards on a school-record 45 carries with three touchdowns as the Dutch overwhelmed the University of Dubuque with a 38-7 season-ending Iowa Conference football victory Saturday.
That lets Central wrap up 2014 in high gear, with a six-game win streak for an 8-2 record, including a 6-1 league mark.
Snow began to fall just before kickoff . Yard lines became invisible but fans saw plenty of Osborn, who racked up the second-highest rushing yardage total in school history. His 264 yards were one more than Doug Van Boven gained in 1967. They were only exceeded by all-America honoree Don Taylor’s 312 yards, also against Dubuque, in 1976.
The big day also vaulted Osborn into fourth place on Central’s career rushing yardage list with 3,183. He finished with 1,294 yards for the season, sixth-best in school history, and tied for fifth in season rushing touchdowns with 15.
Meanwhile, receiver Brendon Boerm (senior, Traer, North Tama HS) had career-high rushing total with 108 yards and a TD on 10 carries as the quarterback in the wildcat formation. He also had three receptions for 28 yards.
Central rolled up a season-best 406 rushing yards and 479 yards offense, hoarding the ball for 40:32 of the game’s 60 minutes. Quarterback Aaron Eiseler (senior, Mesa, Ariz., Red Mountain HS) completed 7-of-18 passes for 73 yards with one interception.
It was another rock-solid defensive effort for the Dutch, who limited Dubuque to 83 yards rushing and 264 yards total offense. The lone Spartans’ score came late in the first half on a sliding 41-yard TD catch by Tyler Rutenbeck.
“It wasn’t easy to throw the ball, especially in the second half as the snow made it tougher,” coach Jeff McMartin said. “It wasn’t easy on the defense.
“But our defense just played great. That’s two years back-to-back of really great defenses at Central and I couldn’t be prouder of those guys.”
Cornerback Eric Larson (senior, Waverly, Waverly-Shell Rock HS) set the defensive tone with two interceptions and a team season-high five pass breakups along with four tackles.
“He had opportunities to make plays today and he did,” McMartin said. “That was great.”
Linebacker Jordan Wachter (senior, Clive, Waukee HS) had a team-high seven tackles while linebacker Jessie Peterson (sophomore, Coralville, Iowa City West HS) had six stops and a fumble recovery. Free safety Jacob Edleman (senior, Mechanicsville, North Cedar HS) and linebacker Drew Carlson (sophomore, Ankeny) each had five tackles. Edleman also had a pass breakup.
It was a rewarding performance on both sides of the ball.
“It was a special game for our seniors and our team,” McMartin said. “It’s great to go out with a win and with a good winning streak in the Iowa Conference. The guys played hard and they were focused. Those were important things in this game.”
Central broke on top with a 35-yard Kevin Sheldon (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) field goal and made it 10-0 in the first quarter on a 7-yard Eiseler run.
Osborn scored on a 5-yard run and Boerm stretched the lead to 24-0 with 5:33 left in the half, caroming off a Dubuque defender in mid-air before landing in the end zone for an 11-yard score.
Osborn’s 36-yard dash in the third quarter made it 31-7 and he completed the scoring on Central’s final offensive play of the game, with a 1-yard leap.
Eiseler set a new school career record for completion percentage (.593), climbed into second place in career pass completions (394), fourth in attempts (664), fifth in passing yards (4,234) and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (36). For the season, Eiseler ranks third in pass completions (150), fourth in pass attempts (265), ninth in passing yards (1,538) and tied for sixth in passing touchdowns (17).
Sheldon set a school mark for career extra-point percentage (.979, 141-144), is second in career field goals (36), third in career extra points (141) and third in career field goal percentage (.667).
The Dutch surged after starting the year 2-2.
“We definitely improved a lot,” McMartin said. “We kept getting better each week and we finished strong. That’s how you want to remember it for the seniors and for this football team, that we finished the year strong.”
The Dutch lose 23 seniors to graduation.
“I think we owe a lot to these seniors,” McMartin said. “They had fun at practice and they worked hard. They all contributed. They were all leaders in their own way and most importantly, they just brought a lot of passion. They did a good job of leading this team the entire season. They put these guys in position to be successful. They’re a special group.”
And good things are ahead for Central football, he said.
“We’ve got some people we have to replace,” McMartin said. “We’ve got some good seniors. But I do like our underclassmen. They’re a good group of guys. They’ve learned a lot from our seniors this year. They’ll have some big shoes to fill but there’s some good talent there.”
