Steve Thiltgen
For the Herald
October 04, 2008 02:06 am
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MAQUOKETA — Start with two of the three class 3A District 4 unbeatens. Toss in the top-ranked rushing offense going up against the No. 1-rated rushing defense. Top it off with a 50-year rivalry between the programs and Friday's showdown between Central DeWitt and Maquoketa had all the ingredients of being an outstanding high school football game.
But, as even the best chefs will admit, having all the right ingredients doesn't always assure a masterpiece. Such was the case at Maquoketa's Goodenow Stadium on a chilly Friday night.
Getting points from seven players, third-ranked Central bolted to a 42-0 halftime lead on its way to ruining the Cardinals' homecoming festivities with a 42-20 win that was nowhere near as competitive as the final score may indicate.
In an impressive first half of football, the Sabers played about as well as possible. The only thing stopping Central in the first two quarters was a pair of fumbles. The first came on the game's initial drive. After moving 59 yards in just four plays, a bad exchange between Tyler Smith and Ross Curtis stalled a Sabers drive at the Cardinals’ 13. The second fumble — also coming in Cardinal territory — midway through the second quarter, ended another Central drive. Those were the only two times in the first half where the Sabers had the ball and didn't score.
Following the first turnover, the DeWitt defense came through with a three-and-out, forcing a Maquoketa punt. Picking up where it had left off, the Central offense needed just seven plays to march 60 yards. Taking it the final 13 yards was Curtis. Keaton Mueller's PAT made it a 7-0 game with 5 minutes, 47 seconds, left in the opening period.
It didn't take long for the visitors to double their lead. Holding Maquoketa without a first down for the second straight series, the Central defense blocked the subsequent punt, giving its offense great field position at the Cardinals’ 22. Two plays later, Tyler Murphy, after momentarily being stopped at the line of scrimmage, cut back to his right and ran 17 yards into the end zone. Mueller's PAT gave the Sabers a 14-0 lead.
For the second series in a row, the Central defense provided a big play when Kyle Hasenmiller picked off a Colin Nickeson pass. Ten plays later, fullback Greg Oldsen bulled his way into the end zone on the third play of the second quarter.
The Maquoketa offense finally managed to pick up its initial first down on its next possession, but false-start and unsportsmanlike penalties pushed the Cardinals back to their own 15. Facing a third-and-24, Nickeson threw his second interception. This one was returned by Wes Ketelsen 16 yards for a touchdown. Mueller made it a 28-0 game with his fourth PAT.
The Cardinals' third turnover — this one coming on the kick return — set up Central's fifth score. Hasenmiller became the fifth Saber reaching the end zone, eluding tacklers for a 15-yard score on first down. Mueller's fifth PAT came just 20 seconds after his fourth.
Five plays later, a botched snap resulted in Maquoketa's second fumble and fourth turnover of the half. After Hasenmiller picked up 22 yards on first down, Michael Burke, who recovered the fumble, took a pitch and sped past the Cardinal defense and into the end zone for a 31-yard jaunt. Mueller's sixth — and final — PAT made it a 42-0 game with 4:08 still to play in the half.
With Nickeson completing passes of 17, 7 and 22 yards to Shane McCreedy, Zach Sheibe and Alex Duhme, the Cardinals moved to the Central 14. The drive ended with — what else — a turnover, when Ketelsen picked off Nickeson in the end zone.
“That was a great half of football,” Central head coach Kurt Kreiter said. “I told our kids they could see what they are capable of doing when they put everything together. And they did it against a very good football team.”
Kreiter credited his defense with setting the tone.
“Our defense sets up everything for us,” he stressed. “We have 10 senior starters on our defense. They're a pretty solid unit.”
Kreiter's biggest decision the rest of the night may have been what to do with his starters. Up by six touchdowns and playing with a running clock, he opted to sit them for the start of the second half.
“It's a hard thing to decide,” he confessed. “I remember being in the opposite position up here a couple of years ago when we were down something like 28-7. Maquoketa started substituting and we got back into the game and only lost by seven.”
Getting help from a Central fumble, the Cardinals put their first points on the board when Nickeson ran in from the 3. Marshall Hawks added the PAT. Nickeson added a 2-yard run as well as connecting with Dillon O’Connell on a 9-yard touchdown pass, but the two scores weren't nearly enough to get the Cardinals back into the game.
“Maquoketa had the No. 1 rushing defense in the district,” Kreiter pointed out. “I was worried about Maquoketa's defense all week. It is very fast. We challenged our kids, and said, 'Let's see what we can do.' I was happy with how our kids responded.”
With the win, the Sabers remained in a tie with Union for the top spot in the district's standings (the teams meet Oct. 17 in Dysart). With their other two games against Anamosa and Vinton-Shellsburg — both winless in district play — the Sabers are in good shape to return to the postseason for the second year in a row — a program first.
Scoring by quarters
Central DeWitt14 28 0 0 — 42
Maquoketa 0 0 7 13 — 20
First quarter
CD — Ross Curtis 14 run (Keaton Mueller kick), 5:47
CD — Tyler Murphy 17 run (Mueller kick), 3:29
Second quarter
CD — Greg Oldsen 5 run (Mueller kick), 10:52
CD — Weston Ketelsen 15 int. return (Mueller kick), 9:00
CD — Kyle Hasenmiller 15 run (Mueller kick)
CD — Michael Burke 31 run (Mueller kick)
Third quarter
M — Colin Nickeson 3 run (Marshall Hawks kick)
Fourth quarter
M — Dillon O’Connell 5 pass from Nickeson (Hawks kick)
M — Nickeson 2 run (kick blocked)
CD Maq
First downs 10 11
Rushes-yards 37-272 27-111
Passing yards 0 150
Comp.-att.-int. 0-1-0 8-30-3
Punts-avg. 3-34.0 4-25.5
Fumbles-lost 5-3 2-2
Penalties-yards 4-20 3-20
Individual statistics
Rushing — Central DeWitt, Ben Comer 5-17, Greg Oldsen 8-96, Tyler Murphy 6-53, Ross Curtis 4-6, Tyler Smith 1-20, Bryan Bloomer 1-minus-1, Kyle Hasenmiller 2-37, Michael Burke 1-31, Paul Gloate 3-7, Mike Dunn 2-minus-2, Zach Posey 3-13, Ryan Daniels 1-minus-4; Maquoketa, Colin Nickeson 13-58, Dylan Bartels 8-28, Zach Scheibe 3-16, Justin Brame 2-6, Marshall Hawks 1-3.
Passing — Central DeWitt, Smith 0-1-0; Maquoketa, Nickeson 8-30-3, 150 yards.
Receiving — Maquoketa, Scheibe 2-68, Chase Wells 1-7, O’Connell 2-31, Alex Duhme 1-22, Daniel Holmes 1-5, Steve McCready 1-17.
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