-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Levi Johnson of Iowa Central wrestles against Hawkeye Jackson Turner on Friday

The third-ranked Iowa Central men’s wrestling team continues to work on the little things as the season slowly moves along.

Competing inside Hodges Fieldhouse for the first time here Friday night, the Tritons handled Hawkeye, scoring a 48-6 ICCAC victory.

Three late forfeits in the dual put the victory easily in the hands of Iowa Central (2-0 overall, 2-0 in league), who also earned a win over Iowa Lakes on the road last month.

Between the two duals, the Tritons have competed in a pair of open events, something they will turn right around and do on Saturday in Storm Lake at the Buena Vista Open.

“It will be good to continue getting matches up our belt and building up our conditioning,” ICCC head coach Luke Moffitt said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s early in December, so we have plenty of time to work on things.”

Teagan Sherk, ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds, got the ball rolling in favor of Iowa Central with a technical fall. Sherk joined the program after finishing third at nationals competing for Ridgewater last year.

DJ Bramman, a state medalist for Riverside Oakland, picked up a forfeit at 141, as fifth-ranked Matt Roche followed with a fall. Roche, who was an All-American as a freshman last season, needed just 61 seconds to secure the win and six points.

Levi Johnson, a former Spencer wrestler, picked up a technical fall at 157 pounds, as did top-ranked Kaden King at 165. King, who finished third a year ago for the Tritons at nationals, scored 11 points in the first period.

“I thought we had some dominating performances, but we’ve got to work harder for those bonus points,” Moffitt said. “When it comes to nationals, those will be the difference.”

CJ Mikeley, Damarcus Powe and Cole Rogers all were awarded forfeit, as Zamin Anwar finished things off with a 4-2 decision at heavyweight.

At 125 pounds, Shane Schwab dropped a match after taking an early 5-1 lead to Hawkeye.

Iowa Central concludes the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule on Wednesday in Council Bluffs vs. Iowa Western. They return from the break on Friday, Jan. 9 by competing in Miami, Okla. at the NJCAA National Duals.