Box Score SPOKANE, Wash. – Kohle Helle ran in a two-point conversion in overtime to lift visiting Central College to a wild 50-49 victory over 19th-ranked Whitworth University in the Division III football season opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon in the Pine Bowl.
The teams traded leads five times and were tied three times throughout the game, which went to overtime deadlocked at 42-42. The Dutch won the toss and elected to defend. Whitworth scored on Duke DeGaetano's one-yard run to take a 49-42 lead after the made PAT. Nate Boland then hit Sam Markham with a nine-yard touchdown pass to pull Central within 49-48. The Dutch, who missed a potential game-winning field goal from 32 yards away and a previous extra point in the second half, elected to go for two. Helle, a back up QB and a slotback who caught Central's first touchdown of the game, lined up behind center and sprinted for the near pylon on the Dutch sideline. Helle was met by the Whitworth defense just at the corner of the endzone and the line judge signaled that Helle had crossed the line.
The final stats were as close as the score as the Dutch outgained the Pirates 602-596.
Whitworth QB Ian Kolste completed 38-56 passes for a new career-high of 467 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a score. DeGaetano ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns, and also led the Bucs with 11 receptions for 51 yards.
Riley Gray started the game at QB for Central and completed 21 of 34 passes for 257 yards with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Boland replaced Gray in the third quarter and went 17 of 21 for 149 yards with two TD throws. Donny Groezinger led the Dutch running game with 117 yards and a touchdown. Markham finished with nine catches for 87 yards and two scores.
Central took a 21-13 lead in the second quarter after the Dutch defense stopped the Pirates in the redzone and forced Whitworth to settle for two field goals. Kolste engineered a 77-yard drive late in the half and hit Kevin Thomas with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 23 seconds to play. Jonah Koski ran in a two-point conversion to tie the game at the break.
Each team scored on its opening possession of the second half. Whitworth's touchdown was an 83-yard bomb to Garrett McKay, who finished with six catches for 163 yards.
After the Pirates forced a punt, they retook the lead 35-28 on Kolste's two-yard run late in the third quarter. Whitworth then forced another punt, which might have turned the game completely in the Pirates' favor. But the short punt glanced off of a Pirate special teams player and the Dutch recovered at Whitworth's 28 yard line. Central scored three plays later, but missed the extra point, to pull within 35-34.
The Pirates scored their final TD when Kolste tossed a 17-yard touchdown to Nick Kiourkas to take a 42-34 lead. The Dutch pulled within 42-40 on Groezinger's two-yard run with just under nine minutes to play. Central elected to go for two and the first pass attempt was knocked away by the defense. But pass interference was called and Groezinger was able to pound in from the one-yard line to complete the two-pointer and tie the game.
Then the defenses showed up. Each team had two final possessions over the final half of the fourth quarter, and neither team scored. Central did move the ball to the Whitworth 14-yard line in the final seconds of the game, but a 32-yard field goal attempt by Aaron Marcellus was just wide, sending the game to overtime.
Central ran 110 plays in the game and averaged 5.5 yards per play. Whitworth ran 97 plays and averaged 6.1 yards per snap. Yet, in all of that offense the only turnover of the game came on the short-punt fumble recovered by the Dutch in Whitworth territory.
Daniel Portillo finished with 12 tackles, including 3.5 for losses of 13 yards. Dalin McDonnell and Luke Peterson also had a dozen stops each for the Pirates.
Zach Matter led the Central defense with nine tackles, while Tate Jensen was in on eight stops.
Whitworth returns to action next Saturday at Whittier College (Calif.). Central will play at Augustana (Ill.).
Today's game was the longest regular-season trip ever for the Dutch, who traveled from Pella, Iowa to Spokane (1,585 miles).
