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The eighth-ranked Iowa Central football team returns home for the regular season finale vs. No. 10 Butler here Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Kickoff is set for noon.
Last week, the Tritons (7-3 overall) picked up their third consecutive win, besting 14th-ranked Garden City in overtime, 23-17, on an Ethan Johnson touchdown run.
Damarcus Creecy had another big game, throwing for 128 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 89 yards. Johnson added 36 yards and Sejhe Jackson had three receptions for 49 yards and a score.
Creecy led two impressive first half scoring drives, as the first covered 65 yards on 13 plays and took up six-plus minutes, with Denver Longden catching a 7-yard TD pass.
"Our kids did a great job of battling through some adversity and getting a big road win," ICCC head coach Jesse Montalto said. "I think that shows a lot about our kids and how determined they are.
"We won nine games back in 2021, and that was without this current schedule (being tougher). If we can get to nine wins and go 6-3 (in games with ICCAC and Jayhawk Conference opponents), that would big a big statement for us."
Near the end of the second quarter last Saturday, Iowa Central took over and drove 99 yards on 12 plays. Jackson caught a 15-yard TD pass from Creecy to make it 14-7 at the break.
Anderson Trejo had a short field goal to cap another extended drive that consisted of 15 plays and 55 minutes, taking up eight-plus minutes of the period.
On the year, Creecy is 61-for-111 for 840 yards and 11 touchdowns, rushing for 532 yards and eight scores as well. Johnson has a team-high 586 yards with five TDs, while Jacob Kania has caught 34 passes for 458 yards and seven scores.
Kamare Williams has 465 yards and five receiving touchdowns. Williams is a former University of Louisville player.
Dalen Huston, who has 14 catches and a pair of TDs on the year, committed to Louisiana Monroe earlier this week.
"We've got some guys out, so we'll have some new kids out there looking to put together great film for themselves and help us win a game," Montalto said. "These kids have had a good week of practice and are excited for the challenge."
On defense, Taylor Schaefer leads with 97 tackles, recording five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. The sophomore linebacker continues to receive major Div. I interest, picking up recent offers from schools such as Nebraska, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky, Purdue and Iowa State.
Mason Chandler has 74 tackles, and both Christian Barney and Ahmad Grayer have three interceptions each.
The three losses this year by the Tritons have come to squads ranked ahead of them in No. 1 Hutchinson, second-ranked Iowa Western and No. 7 Coffeyville. Two of those were on the road.
Butler (6-3) snapped a two-game losing skid with a 30-10 victory over Dodge City last week. The Grizzlies had lost to both Hutchinson and Iowa Western prior to that, as well as Coffeyville.
Tate McNew has thrown for 910 yards and 12 touchdowns, as Markellus Bass leads the offense with 1,127 yards and eight scores. The leading receiver for Butler is DeColdest Crawford, a former top high school prospect who previously played at Nebraska and Louisana Tech.
Crawford has 20 receptions for 308 yards with five touchdowns this fall.
The Tritons are expected to soon accept an invite to the Game One Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 7, in Cedar Falls at the UNI-Dome.