The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team outscored eighth-ranked Central (Iowa) by 24 points in the second half Saturday afternoon on its way to a 51-21 victory in a quarterfinal game of the NCAA Division III Playoffs at Perkins Stadium.
 
The Warhawks (13-0 overall) will play in the national semifinals for the third straight season, and will face No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas) next Saturday, Dec. 11, at a location and time to be announced Sunday.
 
UW-Whitewater held the high-octane Dutch (12-1) to zero points and 71 yards in the second half, including two in the third quarter, to build on a 27-21 halftime advantage.
 
Max Meylor (Mt. Horeb, Wis./Mt. Horeb) completed 17-of-22 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, ran for one score and caught a touchdown to lead the Warhawks, who totaled 490 yards of offense.
 
Alex Peete (Ringwood, Ill./Johnsburg) posted the fifth 100-yard rushing performance in his last six games and his sixth of the season with 32 carries for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Holte (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward Central Catholic) recorded five receptions for 85 yards and two scores, and Ryan Wisniewski (Sparta, Wis./Sparta) eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the season with a five-catch, 69-yard effort.
 
Shane McGrail (Plainfield, Ill./North) paced the defense with seven tackles. Justin Allen (Huntley, Ill./Huntley) registered five stops, including three sacks, while Kyle Gallagher (Niles, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) collected 1.5 sacks. Mark McGrath (Lisle, Ill./Lisle) and Thomas Wojnowski (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) each recorded interceptions.
 
After a blocked punt, scoop and score by Central, the Warhawks responded with a seven-play, 81-yard drive to tie the game on Holte's 10-yard touchdown reception from Meylor just before the midway point of the first quarter.
 
Following a touchdown drive by the Dutch, UW-Whitewater responded again. A 59-yard kickoff return by Wisniewski set up UW-W with great field position, and Meylor took a keeper on third and goal for a 2-yard score to make it 14-13 with 2:07 on the clock.
 
The Warhawks found the end zone twice in the second quarter. After a Central punt, Meylor hit Holte up the seam of the field for a 36-yard touchdown at the 12:51 mark. Later in the period, McGrath's interception and 25-yard return set up UW-W for a touchdown with 5:59 remaining. Wisniewski took the handoff from Peete on a reverse and hit a wide-open Meylor for a 4-yard score.
 
The Dutch drew to within 27-21 with less than one minute to play in the second.
 
The two teams exchanged punts to start the second half. Following Central's second punt of the third quarter, UW-Whitewater took a 34-21 advantage thanks to a 13-yard run by Peete with 4:56 left.
 
Matt Maldonado (Montgomery, Ill./Yorkville) made it a 16-point game just under two minutes into the fourth quarter with a 30-yard field goal.
 
The Warhawk defense forced a three-and-out, and UW-W went 50 yards on eight plays as Peete hustled around the right side and inside the pile-on on third-and-goal for a 44-21 lead with 8:54 on the clock.
 
Peete did all the work on UW-Whitewater's final scoring drive, rushing six times for 63 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown at the 3:40 mark.
 
Wojniewski intercepted Blaine Hawkins in the end zone on the next drive to preserve the second-half shutout.
 
The Warhawks will make their 13th appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs since joining Division III.