Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Iowa Central's Akili Mattox stretches to try and make a catch on Saturday against No. 2 Iowa Western inside Dodger Stadium. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

The 15th-ranked Iowa Central football team is just a handful of plays from being in contention for an NJCAA playoff bid.

Instead, the Tritons find themselves 1-3 overall following a disappointing 41-34 setback here Saturday afternoon to No. 2 Iowa Western.

Led by former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers, the two-time defending national champion Reivers (3-1 overall, 1-0 in the ICCAC) improved to 15-1 vs. Iowa Central. Dekkers was 17 of 26 for 199 yards with a TD to Fresh Walters.

Dekkers, an honorable mention all-Big 12 selection in 2022, threw for over 3,000 yards with the Cyclones before being caught up in the gambling probe and suspended from the team. A former West Sioux standout, he is the only Iowa high school player with back-to-back 4,000-yard all-purpose seasons.

“When we score, we’ve got to keep the momentum going,” ICCC head coach Jesse Montalto said. “If we get a big stop on defense, we’ve got to come down and score. Those are the kind of things we have to get better at and find out who we are and what we need to do.

“We’ve got some tough kids and they know they are capable of winning these games against elite opponents. Now, we just have to do it.”

Making his first start opposite Dekker under center, former Sergeant Bluff-Luton star Tyler Smith threw for 347 yards and four touchdown passes, connecting with nine different receivers. Smith completed 22 of 31 in place of Trevon Taylor, who will miss the rest of the year with a knee injury.

“Tyler is a winner and a gamer,” Montalto said. “He played great. We knew he was going to bring some different things to our offense.”

Last week, the Tritons dropped a 33-30 overtime decision to top-ranked Hutchinson, who downed Iowa Western earlier this year to replace them atop the poll. Iowa Central would take a 7-0 lead early in the first on a 60-yard pass and catch from Smith to Cyncir Bowers.

Bowers showed his abilities throughout the game, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a score while catching five passes for 89 yards. Anthony Hall, Bryce Anderson and Tyreik Thorpe all caught a TD while Austin Ayobamidele had three receptions for 100 yards.

After a 27-27 draw at the half, the Reivers struck first on a short Daniel Swinney TD run. Three minutes later, Swinney hit paydirt again to make it 41-27 and put the Tritons on their heels.

Swinney had a game-high 75 yards rushing with three scores. Walters caught five passes for 109.

Trevor Burnett also had a rushing touchdown in the win, and Ahmad Johnson returned a blocked field goal for six.

With just under three minutes to go, Smith hit Thorpe on a 22-yard strike to complete a quick seven-play drive and make it a one-score game. After the Iowa Central defense held and forced a punt, the Reivers earned one final stop to seal the win.

“This will be another reality check for our kids,” Montalto said. “Are they going to figure out what they need to do, or are they going to fold and quit? Life ain’t easy and you have to face adversity, which is what we are doing right now.

“We’ve got to take care of business on the back end of our schedule.”

Iowa Central closes out the month with a second road trip to Kansas where they will face Dodge City (2-2) on Saturday. DCCC knocked off eighth-ranked Highland this past weekend, 9-6.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Iowa Central: Tyler Smith 12-34, Anthony Hall 2-2, Adriel Fussel 1-0, Cyncir Bowers 6-(minus-4), Ty Purdy 1-(minus-5). Iowa Western: Daniel Swinney 13-75, Jonathan Humpal 13-40, Trevor Burnett 7-12, Nolan Geislinger 2-5, Hunter Dekkers 4-(minus-18), Team 1-(minus-12).

PASSING – Iowa Central: Tyler Smith 22-31-0-347, Ty Purdy 0-0-0-0. Iowa Western: Hunter Dekkers 17-26-1-199.

RECEIVING – Iowa Central: Austin Ayobamidele 3-100, Cyncir Bowers 5-89, Anthony Hall 1-48, Bryce Anderson 5-38, Tyreik Thorpe 2-25, Jalen Lueth 3-21, Adriel Fussell 1-10, Jaquez Hall 1-8, Akili Mattox 1-8. Iowa Western: Fresh Walters 5-109, Naivyan Cargill 1-43, Lucci Fidone 7-25, Titus Myers 3-17, Keyon Brown 1-5.