Iowa Central head coach Jesse Montalto has made it known that if you are doing all the right things, you will be rewarded.

Elijah Freking heard Montalto's words and ran with them.

The Triton linebacker made his first career start this past weekend, recording eight tackles, a sack and picking off a pass in a 39-21 victory over Dodge City on the road. 

Freking had played in four other games this year, but this one was different.

"Earning the starting spot this weekend was very rewarding," Freking said. "It gave me a chance to show all the hard work that I've put in, not only this summer, but all offseason."

A former standout at LeMars Gehlen, Freking finished his senior season in high school with 431 yards from scrimmage, nine touchdowns, a team-leading 55 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He did all of that with a torn labrum.

"I chose Iowa Central because my senior year I played with a torn labrum, so I was kind of limited in what I was able to do," he said. "But I wanted another chance at football."

And after joining the Triton program last year, Freking continued to work towards his big opportunity.

"Receiving the start definitely motivated me because it meant that the coaches trusted me enough to give me a chance to prove myself," Freking said. "The area I think I have improved the most on since Week 1 would have to be the football IQ part of the game."

Iowa Central will look to secure the ICCAC regular season title this Saturday when they travel to Iowa Falls to face Ellsworth.