Ft. Dodge, IA

Sundays are for the boys and on Sunday in Dodger Stadium, the final score was for the visitors.  NJCAA #4 Iowa Western (3-0, 2-0 ICCAC) controlled eighth-ranked Iowa Central, 38-22, in front of a raucous, bipartisan crowd that cheered from both grandstands. 

The Reivers reeled off 20-unanswered points after the Tritons converted IWCC's first turnover of the season into a Colin Swygman field goal.  The 'Darkside' defense forced the attempt after ICCC had first and goal from the three-yard line.  The Reivers' second drive of the game nearly resulted in another turnover, but a Nate Glantz fumble was recovered fortuitously for a first down to move the chains.  Seven plays later, Glantz found Michael Love on a short out and Love sprinted in from 13 yards out as Head Coach Scott Strohmeier's team took the lead. 

"There was no question that Nate (Glantz) is quick to forget," said Strohmeier, "he could have easily been affected on the interception off of the tip and the fumble a couple plays later, but he's a competitor and got us headed in the right direction."

The 'Darkside' continued to stifle the Tritons on offense, forcing another punt by the home team with Glantz and company marching 38-yards in just five plays to take a 10-point lead on the first of Milton Sargbah's touchdown runs.  Noah Sauberan's attempt was blocked, the first miscue of the season by the point after team. 

Up 13-3 to start the 2nd quarter, Kaden Wetjen used some shake and bake to set the IW offense up with more great field position, this time right at midfield.  From there it was Glantz once again, finding Aisea Toki in stride for a 50-yard touchdown strike, increasing the Reiver lead to 20-3 with plenty of time remaining in the half.  

Iowa Central's offense would finally answer two drives later, sophomore Byron Jarrett found his favorite receiver in the endzone for six as Desna Washington wrestled the ball away from Reivers DB Cortez Eatmon in the air for the score, the final points of the half for either team, making it 20-10 IWCC into the break.

After the passing game did the majority of the work in the first half, the second half was driven by the run game with Milton Sargbah racking up 149 of his 170 yards rushing in the final 30 minutes.  Glantz completed passes when he needed to, but also did work on the ground, scoring the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career from six yards out in the 3rd quarter to increase the Reiver lead.  

ICCC answered late in the quarter after a Sauberan field goal had given IWCC a 19-point lead.  Jarrett found Madison Ridgeway for a 70-yard score before the Reivers negated the 2-point conversion attempt by the Tritons, keeping the score 29-16 into the 4th.

Sargbah broke the game open yet again in the final stanza, breaking through the line to race 74 yards for the score after the Reivers had forced a turnover on downs.  The touchdown was the first 70+ yard run since Mekhi Sargent scored from 80 yards out in 2017.  Sargent, a star at Iowa and currently the backup to Derrick Henry for the Tennessee Titans, set the Reivers' all-time single-game rushing mark (376) that day in Garden City.

"No question," said Strohmeier when asked about Sargbah, "his ability to run hard all game made all the difference.  We've got to get in better shape, but I felt our line and our backs (Sargbah and Moses Bryant) really put the pressure on Iowa Central's defense, especially with the lead we were able to build."

A late TD by Central provided the final score as IWCC controlled the scoreboard for nearly the entire game.  Playing from behind, Jarrett threw the ball 54 times against the Reivers, accounting for all three Triton touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.  Legend Doggett grabbed the first pick of his Reiver career while Jacob Ellis intercepted his second of the year while also leading the team in tackles with eleven.

Both teams piled up the offense, with the Reivers outgaining the Tritons 474-457, with all but 13 yards for Central coming in an impressive performance from Central QB Byron Jarrett (402 passing, 42 rushing).

The win gives the fourth-ranked Reivers control of the ICCAC through the first half of conference play, defeating both Ellsworth and Iowa Central to move to 2-0 in league play.  

This week, IWCC welcomes ASA-Miami to Titan Stadium in Council Bluffs for the return of Homecoming.  ASA, out of Hialeah, Florida, began play in 2015 and plays as an independent.  The Reivers and Silver Storm will kick off at 1:00 pm, with coverage on the Reiver Sports Network.  The 'Voice of the Reivers', Jake Ryan, will have the call along with Russ Nelsen on 89.7 the River and on the video webcast at GoReivers.com


NOTES

The win against Iowa Central increases the Reivers all-time lead in the series to 13-2.

The meeting between the teams was the fifth all-time match-up with both teams ranked inside the NJCAA Top 25.  It was the third meeting with both schools in the Top 10 of the rankings, with the other two games played in April of this year.  Of the 15 all-time games, the game has been played only once with neither team featured in the rankings, with that occurring during the 2016 season.

IWCC's overall winning streak now stands at 10 games.  In the 13 seasons of Football at IWCC, the Reivers have now managed six winning streaks of 10+ games or more.  In comparison, Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals (currently winners of 16 in a row) also have six winning streaks of 10 games or more ... in 139 seasons of play.