Byron Jarrett led seven first half scoring drives and the 11th-ranked Iowa Central football team handled Grand View JV here Sunday, 63-21.
Jarrett completed 21 of 24 passes for 350 yards and six touchdowns, adding another 31 yards and a score on the ground. He hit Aniik McKenzie for two scores while also finding Jamarien Wheeler, Daylen Boddie, Madison Ridgeway and Jalen Willis.
"It was good to see our first team offense come out and really move the ball and finish drives," Iowa Central head coach Jesse Montalto said. "Byron has a chance to be the national player of the year and his game shows why he is in the running for that award. He was patient, found the open receiver and made plays.
"We do have to get better production from our second unit. If we want to become an elite program, we have to have guys ready to step in and make plays when we put them on the field."
Boddie ran for 70 yards and had 45 receiving on four catches, Willis had four receptions and Desna Washington had 77 yards receiving. Ten different Tritons (7-2 overall) caught a pass and seven had rush attempts.
Zach Marker threw a TD pass to Washington to start the second half, giving Iowa Central a 56-0 lead at that point. Marker was 3-for-4 passing for 46 yards with 22 yards rushing in limited action.
Jarrett connected on his first nine passes for over 200 yards before an incompletion. All of his production came in the opening 30 minutes of play as the Tritons generated 18 first downs.
"It was great to be back at home," Jarrett said. "Our crowd is always great for us no matter where we are. We just trusted our system and played within it. Execution was great for the most part, but there is always room for improvement."
Three of Jarrett's six passing scores came in the first 11 minutes of the game, as did his rushing TD. The highlight was an 83-yard connection with Wheeler that made it 28-0.
The Iowa Central defense allowed just 40 yards in the first half and six first downs against the Vikings, who have also played against Iowa Western and Ellsworth this fall.
"Over the past few weeks, the defense has really played well," Montalto said. "They are doing a good job of stopping teams on third-down and getting the ball back for our offense."
The Tritons will conclude their regular season on Saturday when they host Ellsworth back here at noon.
-By Dana Becker