INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — The Iowa Central football team had its patience and mettle tested during a brutal September stretch that saw them lose four times by a total of 12 points.

October went better for the Tritons, who won two of three games and used a bye week to heal up. Now that November has arrived, head coach Jesse Montalto is hoping to see his squad truly turn a corner.

Iowa Central (4-5 overall) took a strong first step toward doing so on Saturday, pulling away in the second half for a 20-10 road win at Independence.

Ty Purdy took on the Triton quarterback duties in the second half and threw a short go-ahead touchdown pass to Bryce Anderson, and Cyncir Bowers sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter with a 26-yard scoring run.

The Iowa Central defense, meanwhile, pitched a second-half shutout.

“The defense was very active and played really well,” ICCC head coach Jesse Montalto said. “They did a solid job not giving up much in the second half, and we got a big fourth-down stop (on a sack) and an interception (by Caleb Moore) to finish it off.

“I don’t think our guys ever lost confidence or panicked when we were (1-4). We’d faced some outstanding teams and were right there. We knew we could play with anybody. It was just a matter of finding the evidence…that’s what we talked about (Saturday). Being able to finish and showing the evidence to back it all up.”

Bowers rushed for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with Purdy adding 80 passing yards in the second half. Austin Ayobamidele caught four passes for 55 yards, with Anderson adding three for 49 and the score.

Kadarius Williams and Moore picked off passes for Iowa Central. Tyler Smith and Tyreik Thorpe recovered fumbles.

Taylor Schaefer recorded a team-best nine tackles, with Schaefer, Howard Brown, Patrick Brown III and Samuel Haeuser all contributing sacks.

Independence is now 2-6.

“We’re going to enjoy this win and then turn our attention to Garden (City),” Montalto said. “It’s our last home game so we want to finish up strong.”

The Tritons face Garden City inside Dodger Stadium this Saturday at 11 a.m. It will be the school’s Hall of Fame weekend.