Kee hands Central seventh loss

Kale Doeppke totaled 86 return yards in Central’s loss to Kee. As quarterback, Doeppke led the Warrior offense by completing 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards. (Photo by Bev Hamann)
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
“Overall, the game was one sided.”
That’s how Central football coach Ben Heitland summed up the Warriors’ 64-2 loss to Kee on Oct. 6. The Warriors’ struggles included missed blocks, penalties and five turnovers, resulting in the team’s seventh loss of the season.
The offense, led by quarterback Kale Doeppke, was able to move the ball in some instances, but drives stalled, leading to zero touchdowns in the game. Heitland, however, pointed out improved pass protection, which gave Doeppke time to read through his progressions and limit scrambling runs. As a result, Doeppke completed 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards with two interceptions.
On the receiving end of those catchers were Owen Hammersland and Jack Scherf, who both had five receptions for a combined 85 yards.
The rushing game, however, was unable to get up and running. The Warriors finished with 22 yards on the ground— 16 coming from Preston Kulper and 12 by Kyle Reinhart.
Kulper led the defense with 8 tackles, 7 of which were solo, while splitting time at cornerback and linebacker. Hammersland finished with 4 tackles, followed by Scherf with 3.5 and Reinhart and Isaac Loan with 2.5 each. The Warriors finished with 30 tackles overall and one tackle for a loss by Max Fettkether.
The defense slowed down the Hawk passing attack, limiting Kee’s leading receiver Carter Seitz to just 20 yards on two catches with one touchdown. Central was unable to slow down the Hawks’ rushing attack, though, giving up 270 yards. At the heart of the problem was the defensive line’s inability to generate pressure, making the Warriors unable to disrupt the running or passing games.
“Our run defense as a whole was not great. The defense also gave up a lot of cut back lanes due to over pursuit or poor angles,” Heitland commented.
The Warriors have one game remaining to get their first win of the season on Friday, Oct. 13, when they head to West Central (1-6). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.