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Forgive first-year Iowa Central head coach Colby Kratch if he looks a little lost this Saturday when he leads his team into Dodger Stadium.
It will have been 42 days since Iowa Central (4-2 overall, 1-0 in ICCAC) last played at home when it kicks off with third-ranked Iowa Western at 1 p.m. this weekend
The Tritons posted a convincing win over Ellsworth back on Sept. 5, 63-7, going 3-1 during an extended four-game stretch of road games vs. Kansas junior college programs.
"We've told the guys it's a big game (vs. Iowa Western), but it's just the next game on our schedule," Kratch said. "Obviously, being who they are and an in-state school, but we just have to worry about us.
"That means taking care of the little things, not trying to do too anything crazy and giving us our best chance to win."
Gabe McWilliams has over 700 yards passing and six TDs, with Ethan Johnson and Quadrick Jones leading the Iowa Central rush attack. Kamare Williams and TyJohn Brooks are the top receivers for McWilliams.
In a 17-12 win over Garden City last weekend, it was the defense that got the job done, holding the Broncbusters to just three points over the final 30 minutes. They allowed just 240 yards of total offense and stopped all six fourth-down attempts.
The Reivers (5-1, 0-0) dropped a 26-0 decision to No. 1 Hutchinson last month in a rematch of the national title game from last year, which was won by Iowa Western. They have rolled Garden City and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M since that loss.
Garrett Ames and Maealiuaki Smith have almost 500 yards passing each, with Smith throwing four touchdowns and Ames two. Dylan VanDyke has 245 yards in the air and three scores.
"They have a tremendous defensive line and they are well coached," Kratch said. "They have good players, but we have good players, too. We just need to execute, do what we need to do, do our jobs and we'll be just fine."
As a team, the Reivers are averaging over 390 yards of total offense, including 151 on the ground, and scoring over 33 points per game.
Iowa Western is 18-2 all-time vs. Iowa Central, including eight straight wins and nine of the last 10. The two play for the Kinney Cup, named in honor of former ICCC President Dan Kinney, now president of Iowa Western, and his father, whom he replaced in that position.