MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - For the 17th-straight year, the Coe College football team is the king of college football in Linn County. The Kohawks downed Cornell College 63-6 Saturday night at Ash Park.
The game got off to a bad start for the Rams, as the opening kick went out of bounds. Coe needed just six plays after that, asTrevor Heitland (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) went untouched up the middle from 29 yards out for the first touchdown of the game.Brandon Abbas (Aplington, Iowa/Aplington Parkersburg) was good on the point-after attempt, as Coe went up 7-0 with 13:07 to play in the first quarter. After going three-and-out, Cornell attempted a fake punt from its own 14 yard line. The Kohawk defense stopped the fake, as the offense took over at the Cornell 30 yard line. Two plays later, Gavin Glenn (Adel, Iowa/ADM) found Colton Martin(Alburnett, Iowa/Alburnett) for a 27-yard strike. The Abbas kick gave Coe a 14-0 lead with 10:21 left in the opening frame.
With 13:49 to play in the first quarter, Dylan Stepleton (Tipton, Iowa/Wilton) picked off a Daniel Brown pass and took it 38 yards for a touchdown. The Abbas kick gave Coe a 21-0 lead. On the very next Ram play, Stepleton picked off Brown for a second time. Four plays later, Glenn found Mitch Stopko (Tiffin, Iowa/Clear Creek-Amana) for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Abbas' kick was good, as Coe took a 28-0 lead with 12:43 to play in the first half.
Coe scored again on its next possession, as Brandon Roseberry (Center Point, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana) finished off an 11-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The Abbas kick gave Coe a 35-0 lead with 7:58 to play in the first half. The Kohawks added two more touchdowns in the final four minutes of the opening half. With 3:43 to play in the half, Glenn rushed 20 yards up the middle for a touchdown. Abbas was good once again on the point-after attempt, as Coe went up 42-0. On Coe's final offensive play of the half, Glenn found Seth Williams (Kahoka, Mo./Clark County) for an 18-yard touchdown. Abbas gave Coe a 49-0 lead at the break with his point-after attempt.
The Kohawk starters found their way to the bench after halftime. Cornell's lone score of the game came on the opening drive of the half, as Gabriel Noyce rushed in from 13-yards out. Cornell totaled 180 yards in the game, with 67 of them coming on the scoring drive. The Kohawks needed just five plays to get the points back, as Clevon Catchings (Chicago, Ill./Chicago Bulls College Prep) scored from two-yards out with 11:33 to play in the third quarter. The Abbas kick gave Coe a 56-6 lead. The final points came on Coe's first possession of the fourth quarter. Zach Andre (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) plunged in from a yard out, giving Coe the 63-6 victory.
With the win, Coe improved to 72-50-4 all-time against the Rams. In the 17-straight victories for the Kohawks, the longest streak by any team in the 126-year history of the rivalry, Coe has scored 50 or more points eight times.
Coe held a 335-8 advantage in first downs. The Kohawks rushed for 369 yards, while holding the Rams to 96 yards on the ground. Coe had 264 yards in the air, compared to 84 for the Rams. Coe totaled 633 yards on 89 plays, while the Rams had 180 yards on 54 plays. Coe was 7-of-12 on third downs, while the Rams were 3-of-13.
Heitland rushed 13 times for 108 yards, while Tyler Dralle (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Kennedy) had 11 carries for 78 yards. Roseberry rushed a game-high 14 times for 68 yards, while Catchings had 13 carries for 53 yards. Glenn was 15-of-19 for 219 yards, while Andre was 5-of-8 for 45 yards. Four Kohawks caught four passes, led by Demetrius Harper (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie)'s 54 yards. Mitch Stopko had 42 yards receiving, while Heitland andPeyton Hesse (Waukon, Iowa/Waukon) had 35 and 28 yards respectively. Abbas connected on all nine point-after attempts, tied for the second most in school history.
Nick Elsbury (Byron, Ill./Byron) and Mason Van Gorp (Pella, Iowa/Pella) led the Kohawk defense with six tackles apiece. Jake Morris (Solon, Iowa/Solon), Tait Simpson (Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon) and Dalton Shadle (Morning Sun, Iowa/Mediapolis) each had four tackles. Kerner Mark (Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus) had a sack and a half, while Stepleton finished with two interceptions. The Kohawk defense totaled 10 tackles for a loss.
The Kohawks (2-0) host Loras (0-2) next Saturday in the Iowa Conference opener for both schools at Clark Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. A link for live video and stats will be available at CoeAthletics.com.