PELLA (CC) — A Central College defense that had to endure 100 plays on a warm fall afternoon made the one that counted the most Saturday.
Cornerback Spencer Boeyink raced 94 yards on a fourth-quarter interception with the decisive touchdown as the Dutch knocked off defending Iowa Conference champion University of Dubuque 31-24 before a sun-drenched homecoming crowd.
That tied the longest interception return in school history, a mark set by Jody Bandy against Upper Iowa in 1984.
Boeyink’s score allowed the Dutch (2-2 overall, 1-0 conference) to withstand a 537-yard assault by Dubuque (1-3 overall, 0-1 conference). The Spartans controlled the ball for more than 37 of the game’s 60 minutes as quarterback Wyatt Hanus completed 37 of 61 passes for 412 yards and two touchdowns. But Hanus, who had not thrown an interception in three previous games while passing for 1,009 yards, was picked off four times by the Dutch.
Meanwhile the Dutch offense was dominant on the ground. Central completed just three of 10 passes for 28 yards with one interception. But the Dutch racked up 325 rushing yards on 44 carries, an average of 7.4 yards an attempt. Running back Josh Osborn had 135 yards on 17 carries, including a 61-yard TD that let Central tie the score at 24-24 with 6:38 left in the third quarter. De'Andre Currie added 99 yards on just six attempts, including a 49-yard dash on Central's first play from scrimmage, setting up a tying score.
McMartin gave Brendan Boerm his first collegiate start at quarterback. He’d been used primarily as a receiver in the early going.
Boerm rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries, including a 23-yard TD score in the third quarter.