No. 17 Tritons head to Coffeyville
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. — The No. 17 Iowa Central football team is in for their first extended road trip of the season this week, as they face Coffeyville here Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Playing a second ranked foe in as many weeks last Saturday, the Tritons (1-1 overall, 0-1 in ICCAC) fell to second-rated Iowa Western, 26-20, after a furious fourth quarter rally.
Down by 19, Iowa Central cut it to a one possession game after a pair of touchdown runs by TJ Tumbleson and Jatoviay Hill. The Reivers, though, forced a turnover on downs and were able to hold on for their 10th win all-time in the series.
“(Last Saturday) was a frustrating game for us because we came out with no energy,” ICCC head coach Jesse Montalto said. “But to the credit of the kids, they continued to fight. They could have just quit, but they didn’t and we had a chance to win ti late.
“It was a lot of fun to see them continue playing hard and show they have that grit inside of themselves.”
Blake Dever and Justin Blake were a combined 35-for-45 passing for 266 yards, with Emmanuel Logan-Greene hauling in 10 passes for 96 yards. Dever also had a rushing score in the game.
Dever, a former Arkansas State and Savannah State quarterback, is 37 of 65 for 309 yards with a touchdown this season. Blake, actually signed with Iowa Western out of high school after leading Montini to a Class 6A state title in Illinois, was getting his first snaps vs. his former team.
Logan-Greene, who previously attended Central Florida, has 15 catches for 207 yards on the season, with Andrew Parchment adding 10 receptions for 64 yards. Parchment recently picked up offers from both Iowa State and Southern Miss after starting out at Northern Illinois.
“We are a little banged up at receiver and linebacker,” Montalto said. “It will be interesting to see how the guys step up and play this week and take advantage of their chances.”
Iowa Central began the Montalto era with a 26-16 upset of then-No. 13 Butler inside Dodger Stadium last month. They are ranked for the first time since late in the 2012 season.
The Red Ravens (1-1, 1-0 in KJCAA) picked up a thrilling 50-47 victory at Fort Scott last week after falling to the Reivers in the opener, 19-6. They are receiving votes for the Top-20 this week.
Coffeyville scored 20 points in the first quarter and led 33-21 at halftime. Carson Proctor was 12 of 16 passing for 201 yards with three touchdowns, including four connections covering 110 yards to Andre Thomas-Cobb.
“We know they are a very good football team that is well coached,” Montalto said. “They have a handful of former (FBS) kids on defense including players from Maryland, Florida and Wake Forest.
“It’s going to come down to execution this week as far as who comes out on top.”
Deshawn Massey led a ground unit that racked up 400 yards with 197 and a touchdown. Monta Thomas had 146 yards and three scores on the day.
Proctor is completing 67 percent of his passes on the year with 339 yards. Massey has 222 yards and Thomas 151, as both were held in-check by Iowa Western.
Coffeyville currently ranks sixth in NJCAA in rushing yards per game with 263 and 12th in total offense, averaging almost 450. They are also 30th in points per game (28).
Last year, the Red Ravens went 4-7 including a 45-21 victory over the Tritons. They had 458 yards of total offense and forced five turnovers.