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Tritons finish season with No. 6 Hutchinson

The Iowa Central football team concludes their regular season here Saturday afternoon inside Dodger Stadium against Hutchinson.

Kickoff is set for noon.

For the sixth time, the Tritons (6-5 overall) face a ranked opponent, as the Blue Dragons come in No. 6 in the nation. Iowa Central returned to the Top-20 at 19th after a 53-31 win at Fort Scott last Saturday.

“Our schedule has been a tough one, and coupled with the amount of injuries, it’s been a rough situation,” ICCC head coach Jesse Montalto said. “But the kids are feeling pretty good and we’ve had a lot of players step up when someone has gone down.”

Three of the five losses by the Tritons have been by 11 points or less, with three of them coming on the road.

DJ Irons continues to get closer to 100 percent after suffering an injury back in September. Irons has completed 98 of 155 passes for 1,724 yards and 18 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 191.1 leads the nation.

Jadon Washington made the most of his first career start last week, rushing for 145 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Kurt Taylor leads the ground attack on the season with 682 yards.

Tanarious Achan and Rashad Witty are two of the top receiving targets for Irons. Achan has 49 receptions for 717 yards and nine TDs, with Witty adding 28 for 493 and four.

Achan is tied for third in the country in catches and sixth in yards.

“We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Montalto said. “We can get to eight wins, the kids can get one more film for recruiting and we can head into the bowl game with some momentum.”

Iowa Central will face an opponent yet to be determined on Dec. 8 in Cedar Falls in the Graphic Edge Bowl.

Earlier this year, Hutchinson was ranked No. 1 in the nation after scoring consecutive wins over Iowa Western, Fort Scott and Butler. The Blue Dragons lost at Highland, 29-27, and were clipped by Garden City last week, 20-19.

That loss knocked them from a shot at playing for the national title and will likely keep them out of the postseason with Independence and Garden City earning the league bowl invites.

Mark Wright leads the Blue Dragon offense, having thrown for 1,501 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mitchell Tinsley is his favorite target, catching 35 passes for 510 yards, with Karim Brown adding 230 and four scores.

Wright is a dual-threat quarterback, leading the team with 519 yards and six scores. Kendall Cross has 427 yards and five TDs.

Iowa Central snapped a four-game losing streak to Hutchinson last year on the road, winning 54-16.

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