Late first-half flurry powers Central past Coe

CEDAR RAPIDS - A spark can be dangerous.

The notable flare with about 90 seconds before halftime ignited the Central football time, while burning Coe at the same time.

Central turned an interception into a touchdown for a halftime lead and pulled away in the second to defeat Coe, 45-21, in an Iowa Conference game Saturday at Clark Field.

The turning point came with 1:31 left in the second and the Kohawks driving to try and extend their four-point lead. Central's Jaemin Powell thwarted the Coe drive, intercepting Josh Rekers at the Dutch 17. Central needed just six plays to reclaim a lead for good when quarterback Aaron Eiseler hit Mitchell Boerm for a 9-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left before the break.

'It's great to get momentum, especially against a team like Coe College on their home field,” Central wideout Brenden Boerm said. 'We've struggled in the past playing here.

'We tried to get a turnover and give the offense a chance to score before halftime. Luckily we did and set the tone for the rest of the game.”

The Dutch (5-2, 3-1 IIAC) continued to roll after the half, going 75 yards on seven plays and taking a 24-14 lead on a 1-yard TD run by Kyle Gritsch.

'The momentum swung right there,” Coe Coach Steve Staker said. 'We thought maybe if we could get a three and out we could get some momentum and they end up scoring.”

One of the reasons was a revived pass attack that connected on gains of 12, 32 and 22 on the first drive of the third.

'Outside of that one drive, we hadn't done what we wanted to do in the passing game,” Central Coach Jeff McMartin said. 'We thought there were some opportunities. We got it really going there on the first drive of the second half. That seemed to open things up for us.”

The Kohawks (3-4, 2-2) answered with a 19-yard TD reception by Trevor Heitland, cutting the deficit to 24-21 with 6:59 to go in the third.

Central scored the final 21 points of the game, including the second TD reception by Jack Norgaard for another 10-point lead at 31-21. The Dutch defense added another blow.

A Rekers' pass sailed high and was intercepted by Jacob Edleman, who returned it 59 yards for a touchdown and 38-21, helping seal the win.

'The turnovers were huge for us,” McMartin said. 'Both interceptions became really big points in the football game.”

Eiseler threw 251 yards, hitting Brendon Boerm for a team-high 88 receiving yards. Sam Markham had 64 yards on four catches and Norgaard 49 yards with touchdowns of 20 and 3 yards. Central running back Josh Osborn amassed 146 total yards, including 112 rushing. He posted his eighth straight 100-yard rushing game dating back to last year's game against Coe.

The Dutch thrive with a balance attack and the pass game helped open up the offense.

'It gives our receivers opportunities,” Boerm said. 'We got a lot of space. We just have to be able to make a move, make a guy miss and give him a target.

'We started doing that in the second half and spread the field so Josh had more opportunities, too.”

The Kohawks took a lead thanks to an interception by Dylan Stepleton and a switch to a quick tempo offense in the second quarter. Rekers tossed a 41-yard TD to Nicholas Lenstra, who turned to adjust to the throw over his outside shoulder and spun away from the defender. Elijah Phillips made a diving 21-yard catch to make it 14-10 in the second.

'We can do those types of things,” Staker said. 'We didn't continue to have that kind of momentum.”

The game was more costly than just a mark in the loss column. Coe's Lathan Bass, a leader on the offensive line, suffered a leg injury for the second time this season. Staker was not sure when, or if, he might return to the lineup. He will be hard to replace.

'He's a very positive young man,” Staker said of Bass. 'He works hard in practice and sets a good example. Hey, next man in and we have to get it done.”

'He's a very positive young man,” Staker said of Bass. 'He works hard in practice and sets a good example. Hey, next man in and we have to get it done.”

Coe will travel to Decorah for a game against Luther (). The Kohawks will put the loss behind them and work to clean up their execution. Success relies on limited mistakes that have plagued their two conference losses.

'We have to be able to regroup,” Staker said. 'I'd like to think the games we have coming up are winnable, but we can't beat ourselves.

'I think we're a good football team, but we're not good enough against a team with the same caliber to overcome that.”

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