Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: CJ Phillip of Iowa Central sheds a tackle on Saturday inside Dodger Stadium. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

There were plenty of reasons for Jesse Montalto to smile after his 15th-ranked Iowa Central football team posted a lopsided 77-0 season-opening victory over Central Lakes Saturday afternoon.

But the biggest grin from the veteran leader of the Tritons came when he was asked about freshman offensive lineman Jose Benitez, a former Newton standout.

Benitez came on late in the game to a rousing ovation from several family members among the upper-level seats of Dodger Stadium. And when he helped clear a hole for running back Drew Hanks, the noise level grew louder and louder.

“That’s such a great kid,” Montalto said. “He comes and works his butt off every single day at practice. I’m so happy we could get him in there for as many plays as we did, and so happy he was able to perform.”

Benitez, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs over 260 pounds, was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct pentaly during his time on the field. But not for doing anything aggressive.

As Benitez was locked up with a Central Lakes defender, his helmet was knocked off. According to the official rules, the player without a helmet must disengage instantly.

Instead, Benitez kept battling for position.

“That’s just the type of kid he is,” Montalto said. “He was being aggressive and kept working to make the play. No reason to be upset about that happening at all.”

Iowa Central scored a touchdown on its first 11 offensive possessions before allowing the clock to wind down to end the game. CJ Phillip — a former Southeast Polk star –and Kamare Williams — a Louisville transfer — each scored twice.

Williams capped off a four-touchdown opening quarter for his squad after Tyler Smith dropped in a perfect pass. Quarterbacks Smith, Ty Purdy, Damarcus Creecy and Jacari Patton combined to go 13-for-20 for 271 yards and four TDs in the first half.

“I thought they all four looked really good,” Montalto said. “Those guys can all lead the offense, and each one brings something special to the field.”

The Tritons also ran for 121 yards in the opening 30 minutes, as they held Central Lakes to negative-7 yards of total offense and no first downs before halftime. The Raiders finished with just two first downs and 33 yards.

Jacob Kania, Sencerre Brown, Patton, Terrance Topete, Creecy and Hanks all added offensive touchdowns. Jaden Turner returned a blocked punt for another score.

“I thought the defense played great,” Montalto said. “One of the big things we wanted was to be clean. We wanted to make sure we eliminated penalties and not turn the ball over.”

Iowa Central has the coming weekend off before returning to the field on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Highland. The next home action will be on Saturday, Sept. 20, vs. defending national champion and No. 1 Hutchinson.