By: Eric Pratt
Messenger Sports Editor
CEDAR FALLS — The Iowa Central football team experienced plenty of euphoric highs and crushing lows during their 2023 regular season. There were big wins, devastating losses and everything in between along their journey to the 46th Game One Bowl at the UNI-Dome on Sunday.
The 11th-ranked Tritons carried out their gameplan to perfection in a 44-9 dismantling of traditional national power and No. 5 Snow College. Jesse Montalto's squad played with the kind of energy, emotion and execution that rendered the Badgers virtually helpless in a matchup that — on paper, at least — seemed to lean in Snow's favor.
The performance itself was a coaching staff's dream. Montalto wasn't completely surprised, though. He knew what his players were capable of, witnessing it first hand when Iowa Central won five of its first six games and reached the Top-5 in the NJCAA Div. I national rankings.
More importantly, he saw the resilience and commitment his Tritons displayed when injuries began to take their toll and they dropped three consecutive decisions from mid- to late-October.
"I think that stretch told me more about the kind of group we had here, because we faced a lot of adversity and got pretty banged up for a while (in the two-deeps)," said Montalto, who has still never lost in the postseason as head coach. "Of course I was proud when we were sitting at 5-1 and ranked third in the country, but I think I was even more proud of the way they handled things at 5-4 a few weeks after that. I didn't see anyone making excuses or hanging their head. Our guys just kept working and believing in each other, which showed their leadership and maturity at the time."
The perseverance paid dividends yesterday afternoon, as Iowa Central (7-4 overall) extended its remarkable program bowl win streak to 13 games. This one was never in doubt after a relatively uneventful first quarter, as the Tritons scored 44 consecutive points to bury Snow (8-3) in an avalanche of touchdowns.
Iowa Central was dominant up front offensively and unrelenting on defense. Sophomore quarterback Justin Silverstein threw for 206 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in securing offensive most valuable player honors. The Tritons were balanced — with 208 rushing yards flanking Silverstein's efforts through the air — while the Badgers managed only 45 net yards and had five pass attempts intercepted.
"Snow is traditionally a very physical program, so we knew we had to be ready to set the tone (in the trenches and on defense)," Montalto said. "After watching film, we felt like we would have a size advantage and could force some things by putting pressure on their quarterback.
"Our staff works incredibly hard and really had the players ready to go. If you give them extra time to prepare, I like our chances. We healed up (during the four-week layoff) and were really ready to go back out there and get after it."
Defensive backs Stephen Saywahn — the Game One Bowl defensive MVP — and Caleb Moore both intercepted two passes for the Tritons. Linebacker Jawarren Corbin returned an interception for a score.
Snow boasted one of the nation's best offenses before Sunday, with quarterback Donovan Smith throwing for nearly 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season. But Smith was completely shut down by Iowa Central, attempting 37 passes but connecting on just 18 for 98 passing yards.
Silverstein and Sione Fifita had rushing touchdowns for the Tritons. Harold Trainer IV hit paydirt on a 55-yard strike from Silverstein, with Ja'Vontae Williams and Mario Sanders adding receiving TDs as well.
After two relatively-uneventful possessions to open the contest, Iowa Central drove 71 yards in 10 plays to tie the score at 3 on a 25-yard field goal by Kongolo Mwenemkamba. The Tritons began to take over at the line of scrimmage from that point forward, marching 78 yards in 12 plays — 10 on the ground — to set up the short Williams touchdown for a 10-3 advantage. It was the first of six consecutive Iowa Central TDs.
The Badgers didn't have a single first down until their seventh possession, finally moving the chains right before the intermission.
Ahead 17-3 at halftime, the Tritons showed it would be more of the same to open the third quarter. An 11-play, 78-yard drive — capped by a Silverstein TD scramble — made it a 21-point edge. The rout was on.
Kolben Miller — who doubles as Iowa Central's punter — led the Tritons in overall tackles. Isaiah Bruce recorded a sack.
Iowa Central hasn't lost in the postseason — or at the UNI-Dome — since 2004. Montalto is 6-0 as the program's head coach in bowls and 10-0 overall since the start of his junior college coaching career, which began at Ellsworth.
"I think finishing the regular season (with a home victory) the way we did built some momentum into our preparation for this game," Montalto said. "The pressure was off and the team just got back to having fun playing football.
"A successful season isn't just marked by your record or your achievements, but whether or not you develop these young men into good students and people. I'm confident in saying, above all else, this group of guys will be (walking away from 2023) better both on and off the field. We're excited for this win, but their progress wasn't just limited to what they accomplished in football. I have my staff, the administration and the support system at Iowa Central to thank for that."
IC SC
First Downs 23 10
Rushes-Yards 34-208 27-45
Passing Yards 206 98
Comp-Att-Int 16-34-0 18-42-5
Total Yards 427 143
Punts-Avg. 3-39.5 4-35.0
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 1-1
Penalties-Yards 12-110 7-56
Iowa Central 3 14 7 20 — 44
Snow 3 0 0 6 — 9
Scoring Summary
Snow — Casey Keeslar (40-yard field goal), 8:08 left first quarter.
Iowa Central — Kongolo Mwenemkama (25-yard field goal), 3:36 left first.
Iowa Central — Ja'Vontae Williams (3-yard pass from Justin Silverstein), 9:39 left second. Mwenemkama kick.
Iowa Central — Michael Bartololotta (16-yard pass from Silverstein), 5:58 left second. Mwenemkama kick.
Iowa Central — Silverstein (8-yard run), 9:24 left third. Mwenemkama kick.
Iowa Central — Harold Trainer IV (55-yard pass from Silverstein), 13:18 left fourth. Mwenemkama kick.
Iowa Central — Jawarren Corbin (19-yard interception return), 11:36 left fourth. Kick failed.
Iowa Central — Sione Fifita (5-yard run), 5:28 left fourth. Logan Mayberry kick.
Snow — Jared Wilson (15-yard pass from Donovan Smith), 3:00 left fourth. Kick failed.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Iowa Central: Spencer Zinn 10-64, Justin Silverstein 5-38, Gabriel Hillard 2-29, Jaylon Washington 6-28, Adriel Fussell 3-16, Zach Connell 2-15, Trevon Taylor 2-8, Javion Jondle 2-5, Simone Fifita 1-5, Logan Williams 1-0. Snow: Spencer Lambert 15-34, Jared Wilson 1-9, Donovan Smith 4-8, Austin Bell 1-1, Ayo Shotomide-King 1-(minus-1), DJ Overstreet 1-(minus-3), AJ Tillman 4-(minus-3).
Passing — Iowa Central: Justin Silverstein 16-32-0-206, Bryce Aspengren 0-1-0-0, Kolben Miller 0-1-0-0, Trevon Taylor 0-0-0-0, Logan Williams 0-0-0-0. Snow: Donovan Smith 18-37-3-98, Kamen Best 0-5-2-0.
Receiving — Iowa Central: Harold Trainer IV 2-58, Jalen Lueth 3-54, Jaquez Hall 2-25, Ja'Vontae Williams 3-18, Mario Sanders 2-17, Tyler Schenkelberg 1-16, Michael Bartolotta 1-15, Spencer Zinn 2-3. Snow: Jared Wilson 4-32, Amir McGruder 2-15, Solo Pitau 1-13, Russell Wilkerson 1-12, Ayo Shotomide-King 2-10, AJ Tillman 2-8, Damarion Holloway 1-5, Kobe Peters 1-3, Samson Peaua 1-0, Tyrique Carter 2-0, Spencer Lambert 1-0.