Wartburg College Athletics

PELLA, Iowa -- The No. 12-ranked Wartburg College football team (7-2, 6-0 A-R-C) remained unbeaten in American Rivers Conference play with a 28-7 road victory over Central College (5-4, 3-3 A-R-C) on Saturday at Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium.

The Knights' defense limited the Dutch to a season-low 217 total yards, recording four sacks, two interceptions and a blocked punt. Quarterback Josh Papesh completed 16 of 27 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Dawson Rud rushed for 101 yards and two scores on 21 carries.

Sam Heither finished with two receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown, while Rayce Heitman led the defensive effort with a game-high 11 tackles and a blocked punt, his fourth of the season.

Wartburg opened the scoring following a special teams play by Heitman, who blocked a Central punt at the Dutch 38-yard line. The Knights capitalized immediately as Papesh connected with Heither for a 38-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the drive at 10:53 of the opening quarter. Jackson Othmer converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

The Knights added to their advantage on their next possession, putting together a 72-yard scoring drive. After Papesh connected with Taylen Curry, Rud finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter. Othmer's extra point extended the lead to 14-0.

Central cut the deficit to seven with its lone touchdown of the afternoon, as Cody Klein scored on a one-yard run at 9:28 of the second quarter to cap a lengthy Dutch possession.

Wartburg responded with a 75-yard scoring drive of its own. Papesh connected with Heither for a 26-yard gain before finding Dylan Swanstrom for an 11-yard completion on fourth down to keep the drive alive. The connection paid off again as Papesh found Swanstrom for a 14-yard touchdown at 5:41. Othmer's extra point pushed the Knights' advantage to 21-7, which stood at halftime.

The Knights' defense continued to limit Central after the break. Following an interception by Owen Tomko, Wartburg forced a Dutch punt with a defensive stand highlighted by a sack from David Borchers.

Taking over at their own 8-yard line, the Knights put together a 13-play, 92-yard scoring drive. Papesh connected with Justis Bachman, Swanstrom and Curry during the possession before Rud capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run at 3:49 of the third quarter. Othmer's extra point gave Wartburg a 28-7 lead.

Wartburg's defense maintained control in the fourth quarter, stopping a Central scoring threat after the Dutch reached the Knights' 29-yard line on a 45-yard run by Klein. Adam Link recorded a tackle for loss before Heitman broke up a fourth-down pass to force a turnover on downs at the Wartburg 31.

The Knights added another takeaway on Central's next possession as Jason O'Boye intercepted a fourth-down pass at the Wartburg 32-yard line with 4:30 remaining. Wartburg closed out the victory with consecutive sacks from Brady Petersen and Grant Gray, forcing another fourth-down incompletion and allowing the Knights to line up in victory formation and secure their 40th league win in a row. 

UP NEXT
Wartburg returns to Walston-Hoover Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, for a Senior Day matchup against Coe College at 1 p.m. The Knights and Kohawks will meet with the American Rivers Conference championship on the line as Wartburg looks to secure another conference title. The Kohawks (7-2, 6-0 A-R-C) defeated the University of Dubuque, 32-7 in Cedar Rapids earlier today. 

NOTES
Dawson Rud rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns, reaching 15 rushing scores on the season... Rud recorded multiple touchdowns for the third consecutive game... Rud recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season and now has 3,363 career rushing yards... Josh Papesh completed 16 of 27 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing 2,000 career passing yards with 2,001... Papesh recorded multiple passing touchdowns for the second consecutive game...Rayce Heitman recorded a game-high 11 tackles and blocked his fourth kick of the season, all coming during the 2026 campaign... Wartburg recorded four sacks, surpassing its season average of 1.25... Adam Link, Brady Petersen and Grant Gray each recorded their first sacks of the season... Pryce Rochford recorded at least eight tackles for the fourth consecutive game, reaching 57 tackles on the season... Tyler Gayer added eight tackles... Taylen Curry hauled in five receptions... Sam Heither recorded a receiving touchdown for the second consecutive game... Wartburg defeated Central for the fifth consecutive season... Central leads the all-time series 40-35... Head Coach Chris Winter earned his 60th victory at Wartburg, improving his career record with the Knights to 60-10... Winter owns a 28-5 record in road games at Wartburg...The Knights will face Coe on Senior Day with the A-R-C championship at stake...