BLUE vs WHITE SPRING-GAME

TREYNOR – The most interesting day of Iowa Western’s fall may be the day it finalizes its travel roster.

If Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage was any indication, talented players will be left behind.
The Midwest Football Conference only allows a team to carry 20 out-of-state players on its active travel roster. With an influx of mid-year transfers, IWCC may already be at the limit.
And the Reiver staff hasn’t even seen what its incoming freshman class has to offer.

“That’s the challenge,” IWCC coach Scott Strohmeier said. “You try to get a lot of people some reps. At receiver and tailback, we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. But we’ve got a bunch of guys, if the ball’s in their hands, they can score.”

The Reivers certainly have plenty of offensive weapons, although they only stuck the ball in the end zone twice during the situational scrimmage at Treynor High School.

Iowa Western’s three transfers from New Mexico – quarterback Ricardo Young, and receivers Deon Long and Martize Barr – all displayed explosiveness. Washington State placement Don Jackson was the game’s leading rusher. And transfers Vernard Roberts (West Virginia) and Antwan Gilbert (Grand Rapids Community College) combined to average five yards per carry.

Returning All-Conference and All-American running back Aaron Wimberly got only three touches so the other backs could be evaluated in game situations. Quarterback Jake Waters was efficient, completing 14 of 17 passes for 122 yards, while working with the newcomers on offense.

“Our running backs are really, really good. And we’ve got a crop of receivers that just make my job a heck of a lot easier,” he said. “It’s fun. I can throw it to them, and they can take it to the house on any given play. That gives me a lot of confidence, too.”

Waters completed seven passes to returning starter Andrew Stone and five to Long, who had 47 catches for 809 yards as a freshman with the Lobos last season. Devin Thomas turned a pair of receptions from backup Sean Skradis into 57 yards to tie Long for team-high honors.

Glenn Lewis caught the lone touchdown pass on the day, a 9-yard fade from Skradis late in the scrimmage. Gilbert ran for the only other TD on the last of his three carries.

The Reivers struggled a little in the kicking game, but Strohmeier said that had as much to do with his spring drills taking place on a smaller field than anything. Kickers Gabe Meis and Lance Irvin both missed early field goal attempts before connecting later on. Punters Jake Dunbar and Carr Terpstra also weren’t sharp.

Defensively, returning tackle Jordan Heiderman had a sack of Waters, although quarterbacks wore red jerseys and were considered down at first touch. Transfer Vance Roberts, Vernard’s twin brother, had the lone interception, a pick of Skradis along the sideline.

Strohmeier said earlier in the week that he could be game-ready with the team he had on the field, even though the Reivers were thin along the line and transfer linebacker Terrell Porter (Grand Rapids) didn’t play due to a sprained ankle.

“We’ve got a long ways to go, but there are some good things on both sides of the ball,” he said. “Some individuals made some plays. But you could tell it was the first main scrimmage.”

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING:
Jackson 8-40, Young 8-21, Skradis 6-38, Waters 6-21, Vernard Roberts 5-25, Michael Freeman 4-21, Pat Chizek 3-22, Wimberly 3-20, Gilbert 3-15, Kerry Henderson 2-5.

PASSING:
Waters 14-17-0 122, Young 2-8-0 63, Skradis 6-14-1 107.

RECEIVING:
Stone 7-49, Long 5-57, Gilbert 3-41, Thomas 2-57, Barr 2-16, Spencer Scar 1-39, Brock Hinkel 1-24, Lewis 1-9.