Veteran Central football squad looks to contend again
PELLA—The question that looms most prominently at the start of the 2023 season is the same one the Central College football team was posed with when practices opened a year earlier.
But as coach Jeff McMartin seeks to identify his starting quarterback, the Dutch are better positioned to find an answer. While that’s not the only position riddle to solve as the veteran head coach enters his 20th year, it’s the one outsiders fixate on. He likes his options and he’s equally enthused about this year’s squad. Six starters return on each side of the ball from last season’s 7-3 club. Five American Rivers all-conference players are back. Experience is plentiful and, in filling open spots, Central is likely to reap the benefits of some bountiful recent recruiting hauls.
“I think we had a good spring and worked really hard,” McMartin said. “I think that we had good practices and there’s good camaraderie on our team. And we have good senior leadership. We have a group of seniors that have a fire to be great and to bring our team together. So I like those things.”
McMartin has compiled a lofty 147-46 (.765) record and is among the winningest active coaches in the NCAA Division III. The 2021 AFCA Division III coach of the year, he has guided Central to six conference championships and NCAA playoff berths. The Dutch are the fourth-winningest NCAA college or university football program since 1960, which is the last year the team suffered a losing season. Central has claimed a record 32 conference titles and gained 22 NCAA playoff berths.
Spain trip
The Dutch should also profit from the team’s trip to Spain in May following graduation. A partial squad met little resistance in playing a lopsided exhibition against a local club team, but McMartin sees benefits beyond the game field.
“The trip to Spain was really good for our team,” he said. “The guys that went got really close and their challenge now is to bring that back to the rest of the team and carry that momentum through. But they also learned a lot. They had really special experiences and then they got to play football as a bonus.”
Central was a pioneer in taking football overseas, first traveling to Europe in 1985.
“Hopefully we grew some more football fans over there,” McMartin said. “We exposed more people to the game. We built some good relationships for our players and they created memories and experiences they would never have anywhere else.”
Quarterback
Central had some talented choices but no clear answer at quarterback entering last season. Four quarterbacks appeared in four or more games and the Dutch never really settled on a starter. The most experienced quarterback returning is Brady Ketchum (junior, Mount Vernon), a two-year letterwinner who started five games. He completed 113 of 187 (.604) for 1,460 yards with four interceptions and 17 touchdowns.
“Brady was very solid in everything he did,” McMartin said.
Central also utilized sophomores Hunter Hoffman (Pecatonica, Ill.) and Keegan Glover (Benton, Ill.) in their rookie seasons. Hoffman completed 17 of 27 passes (.630) for 281 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Glover was 17 of 22 (.773) for 203 yards with one interception. Glover is also an elusive runner, gaining 314 yards on 42 carries with six touchdowns and a long run of 62 yards. In addition, McMartin liked the arm strength displayed in junior varsity games from Ricardo Portillo (sophomore, El Paso, Texas, El Dorado HS).
“All four of those guys are going to come into the season with a legitimate chance to be our starting quarterback,” McMartin said. “It’s going to be not only who makes plays but also keeps us out of bad plays, who has the best grasp of our offense and the best ability to lead our team. Those are all very important factors.”
McMartin didn’t attempt to make any decisions during spring workouts.
“They all did a great job,” he said. “Each of them kind of played to their strength.”
Because each brings different qualities, there may be roles for more than one quarterback, but naming a starter is high on McMartin’s agenda.
“We might utilize certain skills and certain players at times,” he said. “But I think it’s important that we have a starting quarterback, have a leader of our offense and build some consistency. Maybe that was one of the reasons why we weren’t always as consistent as we wanted to be last year, especially from a turnover standpoint. In the games that we didn’t have success, turnovers played a key role. And I think eliminating those things will really help our offense be the best that it can be.”
Unlike last year, the candidates have a track record.
“We’ve seen them play varsity games, we’ve seen them play in JV games, we’ve seen them play in the spring,” McMartin said. “I think we’re really clear on what they do well and then it’s a matter of how well they’re going to do it this fall.”
Offensive line
There are new faces in the starting lineup on the offensive line, but plenty of promise as well. The Dutch do have returning starters at left guard with Kade Tippett (junior, Eldridge, North Scott HS) and at right guard with Tristan Hunt (senior, Britt, West Hancock HS).
“It’s exciting to see them return,” McMartin said. “They’ve started a lot of games.”
But there’s been some juggling in the preseason as McMartin looks for the best combination.
The leaders to take over at left tackle are senior Trent Reed (Bussey, Twin Cedars HS) and sophomore Tyler Harms (Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS). Meanwhile, the Dutch are looking at Hunt, Evan Fink (junior, Waterloo, Ill.) and Levi Janssen (junior, Sheffield, West Fork HS) in finding the best fits at right guard and right tackle.
Also at left tackle are Cooper Jones (sophomore, Tonganoxie, Kan.) with Jonathon Lennie (sophomore, Moulton, Moulton-Udell HS) at right tackle. Joining Tippett at left guard are Carson Zitlow (junior, De Soto, Kan.) and Paddy Bozik (sophomore, Eldridge, North Scott HS). Maximus Reitano (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) is a top candidate for the open spot at center, joined by Trevor Orr (junior, Bloomington, Ill., West HS) and Alex Foran (sophomore, Audubon).
“I’m really excited about our offensive line this year,” McMartin said. “I think that we’ve got a really good mix of experienced guys and also some new faces. We’ve got depth at every position, great size and athleticism.”
McMartin said he’s confident in Central’s ability to fill the two open starting spots and said the group offers some flexibility.
“Tristan Hunt can play at tackle and we can play him at guard but we feel like we have some other guys coming up that can do the job at either position,” he said. “So where do we get the best five? That will make a big difference in what we do.”
Tight end/S-back
Grant Nelson (junior, Pella) is a two-year letterwinner and was a part-time starter at tight end, catching nine passes for 108 yards and two scores. He received CSC Academic All-District honors. Junior Nik Coble (Crawfordsville, WACO HS) also saw the field.
“Grant played a lot for us last year,” McMartin said. “Nik Coble is someone who’s gotten better and better and is unique. He’s a tall athlete (6-foot-8). He and Grant both bring something different to the table and can really be impactful with our offense.”
Gavin Nolan (sophomore, North Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS) played linebacker as a freshman but is joining the tight end group.
“Gavin has moved from defense to offense and is going to have a shot to compete and help us as well,” McMartin said.
Running back
Central graduated two of its top rushers, leaving the starting job up for grabs. Jordan Rusch (senior, Johnston), Josiah Villanueva (sophomore, Mesa, Ariz., Red Mountain HS) and Kyle Norton (sophomore, Vancouver, Wash., Evergreen HS) will get early looks.
“We’ve got three guys who got game experience last year,” McMartin said. “They all bring different talents and qualities to the position.”
McMartin is also intrigued by sophomores Lawsen Fuller (Roseville, Calif., Oakmont HS), a track and field athlete, and Nolan Meyer (Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS), who played wide receiver last season and also competed in track and field.
“They bring a lot of speed,” McMartin said. “We feel like we’re going to have a lot of competition in that spot and we’ve got a lot of talent. They run the ball well, I think they catch the ball in the backfield really well and they’re very athletic. We’re excited to see how these guys develop.”
Wide receiver
Central’s fast-tempo offense requires multiple receivers with an array of talents and the Dutch are loaded with them. McMartin anticipates using several each week.
“It’s probably our biggest position of depth on the team,” McMartin said.
The picture brightened even further with the fifth-year return of Jeff Herbers (5th-year, Urbandale, Des Moines Christian HS).
“We’re excited about that,” McMartin said. “He brings a lot of experience and talent to our receiving corps.”
A two-time CSC Academic All-America® honoree, Herbers had a monster junior season with 77 catches for 1,151 yards and 16 scores and followed with 48 catches for 468 yards and seven scores last year. He received Central’s Mentink Award for leadership and sportsmanship on and off the field.
Meanwhile, last year’s leading pass-catcher was first-team all-conference pick Logan Mont (senior, Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS), who had 69 receptions for 754 yards and five scores after missing nearly all of 2021 with injury. He was also a D3football.com second-team all-region pick while receiving CSC Academic All-District distinction.
“Logan did an awesome job for us in the slot,” McMartin said. “He makes plays with the ball in his hands, runs great routes and is very competitive. He’s somebody you really want to look to get the ball to and makes tough catches.”
And all Ryan Neu (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) did was win the Heerema-Schilder Award as Central’s team MVP. He ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III with 12 touchdown receptions, making 44 catches for 881 yards.
“Ryan’s got breakaway speed and can take the top off of coverages,” McMartin said. “He made a lot of big catches and big plays and has really come a long way in his ability to block, be a great teammate and a great leader.”
Jack Johnson (junior, Mount Pleasant), Collin Swantz (junior, Mount Vernon), Brody Bender (senior, Mount Pleasant), Brendan Bogaard (junior, Phoenix, Ariz., Northwest Christian HS) and Hunter Wilkinson (senior, Jensen Beach, Fla.) have had a taste of varsity action while Lane Mueller (junior, Griswold), (Kalvin Erickson (sophomore Meeteetse, Wyo.) and Tate Johnson (sophomore, Fort Madison) have junior varsity experience.
“They’ve grown and competed and we’re seeing good things from their development,” McMartin said. “And we have a really good freshman class coming in along with a transfer we’re excited about. We think they’re going to complement our upperclassmen very well.”
It’s an area where depth is needed.
“We run an up-tempo offense so these guys are going to get a lot of miles on their cleats and do it in a fast way,” McMartin said. “And we’re going to line them up in a lot of different spots, positions and formations. We’re going to utilize a number of different personnel groups to get the best guys on the field. We will do a variety of things to get the ball in their hands and affect the team in a positive way.”
Defensive line
Depth is often a rare commodity in the defensive line, but the Dutch have numbers there as well as some experience.
“We’re getting guys with some strength, some size and some speed,” McMartin said. “We’re stronger than we were last year. We lost some good seniors to graduation, but I think we’ve improved from the physical side. Now we need to take that next step mentally.”
Defensive end Derrick Voss (5th-year, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS) had 44 tackles last year, including five tackles for loss, a sack and four quarterback hurries.
“Throughout his career, Derrick Voss has continued to become more consistent,” McMartin said. “He knows his assignment and does a good job of communicating with his teammates.”
Tackle Hunter Olson (5th-year, Peoria, Ariz., Sunrise Mountain HS) had 27 stops, including 3.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries. Meanwhile, senior David Bakol (Houston, Texas, Alief Elsik HS) made 21 tackles with 6.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, a breakup, a forced fumble and four quarterback hurries.
Bradley Warren (sophomore, The Woodlands, Texas) returns after flashing promise as an edge rusher last year with 12 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, a breakup and three quarterback hurries. Also back at end is Andrew Bruno-Willis (junior, Adrian, Mo.) who got a taste of the action as a sophomore.
“They’re very explosive,” McMartin said. “They use their strength and they’re very physical.”
Looking to fill an open spot at nose guard is Colby Svestka (senior, Johnston).
“He has some big shoes to fill this year and we’re going to need him to do a really good job in the gaps and around the center area,” McMartin said.
Central also has a returning starter at the Stud position, a combination linebacker/defensive end where Tate Hagen (senior, Britt, West Hancock HS) ranked fourth on the team with 57 tackles, including 14 for loss with 3.5 sacks and a team-high 12 quarterback hurries. He also had a forced fumble and three pass breakups.
“Tate Hagen makes a lot of plays,” McMartin said. “He’s involved in the running game and the pass rush.”
Hagen is joined by Derek Mueller (senior, Griswold), who had 10 tackles and three quarterback hurries. Other seniors there include Niko Zarlatanes (Taylor Ridge, Ill., Rock Ridge HS) and Cole Mayberry (Glenwood).
“That’s a lot of experience and a lot of leadership,” McMartin said.
Other line veterans include Ethan Thomas (sophomore, Ankeny), Evan Schroeder (sophomore, Elkader, Central Elkader HS), Jacob Williamson (sophomore, Iowa City, City HS) and Sebastian Duarte (sophomore, The Woodlands, Texas).
“Those are guys that traveled for us and got some game experience, both varsity and JV,” McMartin said.
Also back are Aidan Nosek (junior, Mount Pleasant) and Nick Bandy (junior, Dubuque, Wahlert HS), who moved from tight end.
“They both had very good springs,” McMartin said.
Additional depth comes from Jake Uthe (junior, Dumont, Hampton-Dumont HS), Eli Ehlen (sophomore, Belle Plaine), Clay Caragher (North Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS), Sheldon Coover (sophomore, Belle Pleaine), James Huisman (sophomore, Treynor) and Jordan Maloney (sophomore, Romeoville, Ill.).
“Those are all guys that will continue to compete and continue to grow,” McMartin said. “Their off-season development is going to be really important to their ability to impact our team. They could be in the mix based on how they work, how they prepare and what they bring with them to camp this fall.”
Linebacker
There’s an opening at the Mike or middle linebacker position. McMartin will look at Cale Federlein (sophomore, West Branch), Cole Clark (sophomore, Lisbon), Clayton Scott (junior, Cedar Rapids, Prairie HS) and Micah Giesen (sophomore, North Aurora, Ill., West Aurora HS). Federlein had 41 tackles last year, including 16 solos with two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. Clark made 14 tackles with 2.5 for loss.
“Cale Federlein and Cole Clark probably played the most at that position for us at the varsity level,” McMartin said. “They bring a lot of experience and consistency back, so we’re excited about that.
“All of them have done a good job of run reads and playing the run and now it’s a matter of what do they do not only against the run but in the passing game.”
Junior Reid Pakkebier (junior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) made a big splash as the starter at the Will linebacker position. He’s the team’s leading returning tackler with 80, including 39 solos with eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception, two fumble recoveries and a pass breakup.
He’s backed by Jonathan Weaver (sophomore, Lenox), Eli Rose (junior, Grinnell) and Gabe Orris (sophomore, Iowa City, City HS).
“Reid Pakkebier and Jonathan Weaver have played quite a bit of varsity football for us,” McMartin said. “It’s a group that, from top to bottom, are guys that are good football players. They move well and want to make plays. We also have a transfer coming in that I think will bring a lot of competition to that spot.”
Central has a prominent starter back at the Bandit linebacker position as well in Brody Klein (senior, Rainier, Wash.). He received first-team all-conference honors last year as well as CSC Academic All-District distinction. Klein made 54 tackles, including 25 solos with seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup and a blocked kick. He’s joined by Austin Burns (senior, Williamsburg), who had 25 tackles including 14 solos.
“They’re both guys who can cover the run, cover receivers and are also physical and can make plays,” McMartin said.
Also at the position are juniors Josh Dennison (Romeoville, Ill.), Kyler Yarnell (Lakewood, Colo., Green Mountain HS) and Joe Jansen (Pella).
“They’ve all continued to develop and get better and I think they’re going to compete for playing time, not only at linebacker but on special teams,” McMartin said.
“I think all three linebacker positions have a lot of versatility and a lot of athleticism. Now we want to find consistency.”
Defensive backs
Central has both starting safeties back. At strong safety, Cameron Bannister (5th-year, State Center, West Marshall HS) gave the secondary a huge boost by returning for a fifth season. A team co-captain last year, Bannister was a second-team all-conference selection and received CSC Academic All-District recognition. An AFCA Good Works team nominee, he had 39 tackles with 18 solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss, picking off a team-high five passes and recovering a fumble.
“What can I say?” McMartin said. “He’s a great leader and playmaker. He’s super athletic and we need him to have a big year for us. We need him to cover a lot of ground and make plays.”
He’s backed by Caylor Clark (junior, Pleasantville).
“Caylor Clark has played at safety and on special teams and does a great job,” McMartin said.
Free safety Reece Miller (senior, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) was Central’s third-leading tackler last year with 63 stops, including 27 unassisted tackles and two for loss with four interceptions and four pass breakups. He was a CSC Academic All-District honoree.
“Reece is somebody who has just gotten better and better,” McMartin said. “He’s embraced our training with what we do in the weight room but, more importantly, he’s embraced the culture of our program and doing things the right way. He’s poised to have a great senior year.”
Other contenders include Gavin Hierseman (junior, West Branch) and Andrew Cotty (sophomore, Geneseo, Ill.).
“Gavin Hierseman can play a multitude of spots,” McMartin said. “He played free safety, strong safety and the Bandit linebacker position. He’s extremely physical and athletic and has great range.”
Both cornerback positions are open although Ben DeMeulenaere (sophomore, Belle Plaine) was a part-time starter. He made a strong impression as a freshman with 22 tackles, including 15 solos. Other contenders include Gavin Smith (sophomore, Audubon) and Derek Pacheco (sophomore, Littleton, Colo., Thunder Ridge HS).
“Gavin Smith and Ben DeMeulenaere got a lot of varsity playing time and have proved they can compete well,” McMartin said. “And Derek Pacheco has really worked hard to improve. He’s improved a lot in the weight room.”
Numbers in the secondary are lacking, particularly at safety, but potential help is available if injuries strike, McMartin said.
“You’ve got some corners who can move,” he said. “And (Bandit linebacker) Brody Klein is essentially a safety. Austin Burns can also play that spot if needed and Josh Dennison has played as a safety so we have some guys that could play there if they’re needed in a pinch.”
Special teams
In a sometimes overlooked but notable tradition, Central placekickers have received first-team all-conference honors 12 of the past 13 seasons. The latest, and among the best, is two-time selection Logan Sunvold (Monroe, Southeast Polk HS), who has all-America potential. He was a first-team choice on the D3football.com All-Region 5 Team. He connected on nine of 13 field-goal tries, with a long of 43 yards, and made 54 of 55 extra point conversions while notching 28 touchbacks on 72 kickoffs, averaging 60.7 yards.
“Logan is very consistent with an extremely strong leg,” McMartin said. “Even though he’s a multi-time all-conference performer, he’s really improved each year. This year we want to continue to work on his range and consistency on field goals. But he’s also somebody that can put it in the end zone when you need him to on kickoffs and is very good at directional kicking.”
McMartin has also had punters receive all-conference recognition seven times during his tenure.
“One of the things we’re known for in our program is having great kickers and punters,” he said.
McMartin thinks the Dutch might have an answer at the position for this season with Matt Sebade (sophomore, Gainesville, Texas), although he’ll be challenged. Sebade averaged 39.7 yards on three punts last year.
“His leg improved a ton from the fall to spring,” McMartin said. “He’s almost like a different punter. So we’re excited to see what he can do this year.
“We also have another player who transferred in at semester who we’re excited about and we have a good freshman coming in, so there will be a lot of competition at camp.”
The freshmen
After pulling in an oversized recruiting class a year ago, McMartin and his staff think they also have some potential standouts in this year’s class.
“The numbers are not what they were but I think that it’s a really solid class top to bottom,” McMartin said. “There are some guys positionally we felt like we needed to bring in to help us with depth and also to develop and play as we graduate people in the next year. So I’m really happy with our class. We have players who are really good fits for us.”
The season
A 7-3 campaign following conference titles and NCAA playoff runs the previous two seasons is helping fuel the squad’s motivation heading into the fall. McMartin said the road to contender starts with correcting last year’s missteps.
“We just lacked consistency and we lacked the ability to take care of the ball at critical times,” he said. “Those things kind of followed us through the year and held us back a little bit. I think that we’ve really worked to become more physical and consistent on defense and then, offensively, take care of the ball, know your role and execute. If we execute what we need to do on offense, defense and special teams, we can be a special football team. We have to make sure Central doesn’t beat Central and, at times, we did that to ourselves last year.”
Central opens with a return trip to St. Olaf College (Minn.) Sept. 2 followed by a first-time meeting at Illinois Wesleyan University, where McMartin served as an assistant coach from 1992-93.
“It’s a tough schedule right out of the gate,” McMartin said. “St. Olaf has just gotten better and better. They’re really well-coached and they have a lot of talent. They probably have more returning starters than we do. And Illinois Wesleyan has a very good team coming back. That’s a tough place to play. Then our first conference game (Sept. 16) is against Coe, which is a really good team that beat us last year.
“But we’ve got to take everything one day at a time, one game at a time. It’s going to be a tough schedule all the way through.”
Just four of the 10 games are at home.
“I love playing at home,” McMartin said. “We get great crowds from the Pella community and our alumni support us in an awesome way. But we also like to travel and sometimes when you play on the road, you bond differently and I think playing on the road early in the season can be a good thing for your team. You get challenged a little bit and the guys are around each other nonstop so I think you can come out of that in a good way. I like having that mindset of just playing anybody, anywhere, any time and just get after it because we believe in each other. It’s a challenge but I really believe our team will be up for the challenge.”
The bar is set high for the Dutch.
“We have high expectations and high standards for our players,” McMartin said. “And we know we can meet those expectations. We have a belief in our team. We’re going to work hard to be very close and come together as a football team.”
