Deonte Bryant has made quite the instant impact on the Iowa Central defense.

The 6-foot-5, 248-pound freshman from Minneapolis already has five sacks and three forced fumbles for the seventh-ranked Tritons, who head to Council Bluffs on Saturday to meet No. 6 Iowa Western. 

Bryant is coming off a two-sack game in a 58-6 victory over Ellsworth that helped Iowa Central get to 3-1 on the year and 1-1 in the ICCAC.

"The main reason for my success is my team around me," Bryant said. "I can't do it alone and my team and coaches have put me in a position to make the plays I have to make."

After waiting with his teammates for several months to step on the field, Bryant immediately showed his skills with three sacks and two forced fumbles in a season-opening win over Southern-Shreveport. He has 12 tackles on the year. 

While the delay wasn't the easiest thing to handle, Bryant feels it did have its advantages.

"It was a hard time not playing for just over a year," he said. "But we got through it as a team. It's been great playing this spring. It's a lot of fun and it works out better than the fall because all of my friends that are athletes can come to the games."

Bryant said he decided on Iowa Central after a standout high school career because "I loved the coaches and it felt like a great fit for me to get to the next level." His future plans include going to a Div. I Power 5 program and continuing to pursue his career as a teacher.

-By Dana Becker