Bilhal Kone was one of the many Iowa Central football players that took advantage of his opportunity late in the season.

Kone capped it all off by being named the defensive MVP of the Graphic Edge Bowl as the Tritons downed New Mexico Military, 23-21. The freshman picked off two passes as Iowa Central earned its third consecutive win - and third straight victory in the postseason.

"It felt great being called MVP, especially how I attacked my opportunity to play," Kone said. "Coach (Jeremy) Conley just kept us in positions to make plays and told us what to expect all week so I just took it out on the field and the game came to me."

Kone, from Apple Valley, Minnesota, sstarted seeing more action just as the win streak began to take shape for the Tritons. He had five tackles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in a 62-20 victory over Ellsworth.

In wins over Ellsworht and ASA Miami, Kone broke up five passes out of the secondary.

"Having all year to prepare helped me out a lot," he said. "I had more time to become mentally tough and listen to players on my team who've had experience at high levels before help me out with my game both mentally and physically.

"It was a long season for us, but that got us super tight and created a good bond between coaches and players. This season coming up will be a fun one, but we have to be locked in coming in because we know what we missed out on last season and I believe we're going to be even stronger and hungrier."

-By Dana Becker