Coming off a tough loss to Iowa Western, the 10th-ranked Iowa Central football team has been focusing on the basics ahead of Saturday's game vs. the Grand View JV.
Kickoff is set for noon inside Dodger Stadium.
The Tritons (1-1 overall) opened the year with a convincing 52-0 win over Southern-Shreveport before dropping a 34-20 decision to the sixth-ranked Reivers. The two ICCAC rivals will meet again to close out the month in Council Bluffs.
"We got back to fundamentals in practice," Iowa Central head coach Jesse Montalto said. "We had some physical practices and just really hit the basics hard. We had several opportunities against Iowa Western and didn't take advantage of them.
"When you do that against good teams, you pay the ultimate price."
Brady Pope threw a touchdown to Savion Johnson for the lone offensive touchdown of the game for the Tritons, finishing with 133 yards passing. Johnson caught five passes for 71 yards and Jadon Washington ran for 71 yards.
Aniik McKenzie provided the other score, taking the opening second half kickoff back while Colin Swygman connected on two field goals. Iowa Central, though, had a handful of miscues that led to points for Iowa Western.
"We never got into a rhythm on offense," Montalto said. "We had an interception in the end zone, a snap go over the head of our punter and gave up some big plays. But that's all in the past now and we're moving forward."
Pope leads the team with 266 yards passing and a pair of scores, Byron Jarrett has thrown for 120 yards and a TD, and Washington has 139 yards on the ground. Madison Ridgeway paces the receivers with 12 receptions and 94 yards.
On defense, Dylan Cain, CJ Christian and Joshua Reid all have double-digit tackle totals. Deonte Bryant has a team-high three sacks and the Tritons have forced eight turnovers.
Grand View is ranked second in NAIA and set to compete in the NAIA Football Championship Series later this spring. The Viking coaching staff features former Tritons Andy Jepson, Jon Pilcher, E.J. Peterson and Adam Dutcher.
-By Dana Becker