PELLA - No. 7 Wartburg football suffered its first loss of the 2019 season Saturday afternoon, falling 57-56 in overtime at Central College despite an impressive second-half comeback. 

The Knights fall to 8-1 overall and 6-1 during American Rivers Conference action, while the Dutch improve to 8-1 overall and 6-1 A-R-C. 

Down 42-14 at the half, Wartburg stormed back with 21 points in the third quarter along with a pair of scores in the final frame to force overtime at 49-49. 

Bennett Goettsch opened the overtime scoring with a 15-yard rushing touchdown. However, Central answered with a rushing score of its own and sealed the victory on a two-point conversion to hand the Knights their first loss on the year and leave the American Rivers Conference title up for grabs for another week. 

Wartburg and Central combined for 1,224 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Noah Dodd contributed 497 of the Knights' 594 yards of total offense, throwing for career-highs with 352 yards while tying a school record with five TD passes. He also recorded a team-high 145 rushing yards. 

JoJo McNair, Kolin Schulte, Will Hasken, Mason Carter, and Goettsch each recorded touchdowns. McNair and Schulte scored twice, while Hasken returned a block punt for the second time this season. 

Eli Barrett and McNair led Wartburg with 10 tackles each, while Antonio Santillan notched two interceptions, followed by another interception from Cedric Dobbins.

Up Next
Wartburg looks to clinch at least a share of the conference title next Saturday, Nov. 16 at Walston-Hoover Stadium, hosting Loras College.