Tritons back on the road
Iowa Central heads back to Kansas
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IOWA CENTRAL
By DANA BECKER
dbecker@messengernews.net
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. – The No. 13 Iowa Central football team squares off with another ranked opponent when they tangle with 15th-ranked Coffeyville here Saturday.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Tritons (2-1 overall) scored a dominating 64-0 victory over Highland last Saturday, adding to a 63-7 win vs. Ellsworth the week before. The lone loss for Iowa Central and head coach Colby Kratch came at the hands of No. 12 Butler in the season opener.
"Just the same as any other week," Kratch said. "Competing against ourselves to get better. The nice thing about these guys is that they are buying into that."
Gabe McWilliams continues to flourish at quarterback, as the sophomore recorded three passing touchdowns vs. Highland. McWilliams now has over 800 yards in the air and eight touchdowns.
Louisville transfer Kamare Williams and South Dakota State transfer TyJohn Brooks each have multiple receiving touchdowns, as Ethan Johnson leads the rushing attack for the Tritons.
"We want to see continued improvement," Kratch said. "I felt like we started fast on offense last week. We were a little slow on defense in my opinion, but the kids played hard and competed regardless of the score."
This marks the second of four straight road games vs. Kansas junior college programs, with a bye week scheduled between playing Dodge City and Garden City.
Coffeyville (1-2) dropped games to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and top-ranked Iowa Western before besting Independence, 31-30. John Nicholas threw for 244 yards and five touchdowns, as TJ Ward ran 30 times for 117 with a score.
This year, Nicholas is 49-for-97 with 692 yards and eight touchdowns against five interceptions. Ward has 261 yards rushing and Tyler Jackson is the leading receiver with 13 catches for 151 yards and three scores.
"Just like last week, Coffeyville has good guys at the skill positions that we have to be aware of," Kratch said. "Defensively, they are talented up front. I hope to see our offensive line play at a higher level because of the competition they will face."
Coffeyville went 7-3 a year ago, including a 34-21 victory over Iowa Central.