Reivers collect first-ever football win
By Tony Boone, Senior Writer

For two quarters Saturday at C.B. Stadium, Iowa Western seemed destined to let another winnable football game slip away. The Reivers managed only 114 yards in the first half and trailed 10-7 to Harper College before turning things around after the intermission.

Back-to-back big runs by Kevis Streeter and Jaime Goldsmith to open the third quarter set up a 333-yard second half for Iowa Western (1-3), which led to school’s first-ever victory – a 30-24 win over the defending NJCAA Division III national champion Hawks.

Austin McBeth completed 23 of 28 passes, including his last 15 in a row, for 255 yards and a pair of scores to complement the Reivers’ 156 rushing yards after halftime. His two touchdown passes to Willie Baughman in the second half put Iowa Western ahead to stay.

“We can keep people on their toes running and passing,” IWCC coach Scott Strohmeier said. “You got a little bit of a taste in the second half of what our offense can do. We’ve got to shore up some things, but that second half was key. We controlled it and did some good things.”

The Reiver offense was bolstered by a defensive effort, led by Chris Shelley’s 10 tackles, that was outstanding outside of two plays. Harper’s Zavier Steward ran through a tackle for a 46-yard touchdown on the first series of the game, and two IWCC defensive backs missed Dello Davis on a 48-yard TD in the third quarter. But the Hawks (2-2) managed only 130 total yards the rest of the game, 57 of which came in the final minute.

Iowa Western answered Harper’s first two scores immediately. Streeter returned the kickoff following Steward’s run 91 yards for a TD, and McBeth hit Baughman from 25 yards out on the series after the Davis score. That duo connected from 6 yards out on IWCC’s next possession to make it an 11-point game at 28-17.

“We’ve had our hand on the button for about three weeks now, it’s time to finally push it,” said McBeth, who made his second consecutive start at quarterback. “We came out in the second half saying ‘it didn’t matter how special teams goes or how the defense goes; we are going to put the ball in the end zone every time we get it.’”

Goldsmith and Streeter combined for 181 rushing yards in the game and had runs of 24 and 17 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage in the second half. Iowa Western rolled from there offensively, finishing with 439 total yards and scoring on three of its first four series after the break.

Strohmeier praised the play of his offense’s second-half effort while showing an expression of relief following three weeks of tough losses.“I would have had it (be) a little bit sooner,” he said of the win. “But it does feel good.”

Harper (2-2) 7 3 7 7 – 24

Iowa Western (1-3) 7 0 14 9 – 30

H: Zavier Steward 46 run (Keith Wilson kick)

IW: Kevis Streeter 91 kickoff return (Dan Biddick kick)

H: Wilson 22 FG

IW: Jaime Goldsmith 1 run (Biddick kick)

H: Dello Davis 48 pass from Cam Kinley (Wilson kick)

IW: Willie Baughman 25 pass from Austin McBeth (Biddick kick)

IW: Baughman 5 pass from McBeth (Biddick kick)

IW: Safety, Kinley sacked by Kyle Farrelly in end zone

H: Jake Kane 21 pass from Kinley (Wilson kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: H, Steward 8-58, Czerwiec 8-(-2), Alton 7-29, Kinley 2-(-8). IW, Goldsmith 16-97, Streeter 14-84, McBeth 7-10, Corder 4-10, Team 3-(-7), Grobe 1-(-11), Schuett 1-1.

PASSING: H, Czerwiec 7-16-0 73, Kinley 9-18-0 131, Team 0-2-0 0. IW, McBeth 23-28-0 255.

RECEIVING: H, Kane 6-93, Davis 5-54, Bychowski 3-47, Le Seur 1-21, Steward 1-(-1). IW, Thompson 6-98, Kos 5-48, Streeter 4-41, Baughman 3-33, Sullivan 3-27, Campbell 2-8.


Notes and Quotes:
QB question answered?

David Blackwell started the first two games. Austin McBeth got the nod in games three and four. And Dominique Corder has seen a lot of action along the way.
But no one had stepped up to become the guy for Iowa Western at quarterback this season… until Saturday. McBeth may have claimed the reigns for good with a second-half performance against Harper College that will be hard to top.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pounder from Waco completed his final 15 pass attempts in the Reivers’ first victory, finishing with 255 yards on a 23-for-28 afternoon. But McBeth didn’t want to take any credit for his big day.“Coach Strohmeier has a great system,” he said. “I’m in no way the one that’s out there making things work. I just follow the system.”

Using a short passing game of mainly slants and screens, McBeth found six different receivers on the afternoon as the Reivers cranked up their offense in the second half.“Coach just took what they gave us,” he said. “And we rolled with it.”

Big Willie style
Prior to Saturday, Willie Baughman’s Iowa Western football career was defined by his willingness to step into the long-snapper’s role for his club’s struggling special teams.
Against Harper College, however, the freshman from Harlan found a new way to contribute.
Baughman, a 6-foot-3 receiver, caught the first three passes of his collegiate career, including a pair of second-half touchdowns that led the Reivers to victory.
“I was nervous,” he said. “Before that first touchdown, my stomach was turning. I did not feel good at all. After it, it felt good.”
Baughman’s first catch came on a slant pattern two plays before his first TD reception. On that play, McBeth pump-faked then through down the sideline to the freshman for a 25-yard score.His second TD came on the next possession on a 6-yard pass from McBeth. There was no defender even in Baughman’s neighborhood when he hauled it in.

Game changer
Kevis Streeter answered Harper’s first score on Saturday with an electrifying 91-yard kickoff return to even the score early in the game. But his biggest play may have come on his first touch of the second half.
The sophomore raced off tackle for a 24-yard gain that opened the door for a big offensive second half for the Reivers. IWCC racked up 170 yards on the ground in the final two quarters after having only 14 rushing yards before intermission.
Streeter had 67 of his 84 yards in the third period alone.“It’s just starting to connect now, starting to click,” he said. “Everybody’s on the same page. That’s what it is.”
Streeter was shaken up a bit in the second half, giving Jaime Goldsmith an opportunity to carry the load for the Reivers late. He responded in a big way, picking up 86 of his game-high 97 yards in the fourth quarter.