Iowa Western builds 24-0 lead, then has to dodge Ellsworth upset attempt late

IOWA FALLS, Iowa — Quarterback Jake Schuman and linebacker Colton Dinsdale started school together in kindergarten and led Gladbrook-Reinbeck to the 2015 Iowa Class A state football title.

On Saturday, they wore different uniforms.

And when Schuman was inserted as the Ellsworth quarterback to start the second half with his team trailing 24-0, Dinsdale, now at Iowa Western, knew what was possible.

Sure enough, Schuman led the Panthers on an improbable comeback. He threw for 193 yards and a score after the break, and Ellsworth threw a major scare into the No. 1 Reivers. But Iowa Western summoned enough defense to hang on for a 30-20 win at Dale Howard Stadium, keeping its national championship hopes alive.

"He showed a lot of fight," said Dinsdale of his childhood buddy. "He played one hell of a game. He brought them back, big time."

Iowa Western improved to 9-1 and claimed the Region XI championship for the eighth straight year at 2-0. But after a dominant first half, an injury-depleted Reiver lineup limped to the finish against a charged-up Panther squad (3-7, 1-1). Ellsworth outgained Iowa Western 439-316 and finished with a 25-16 advantage in first downs.

Iowa Western fought its emotions throughout the second half, and coach Scott Strohmeier acknowledged that.

"I felt there was some composure issues on our side," he said. "Coaches have got to do a better job, myself included, to be able to just calm them."

Schuman fired a 27-yard touchdown pass Malik Thornton with 13:36 left in the game, pulling Ellsworth within 30-17. Shadrach Martin recovered the ensuing onside kick for the Panthers, leading to Jack Lemke's 28-yard field goal that cut it to 30-20 with 9:17 remaining.

The Iowa Western defense then came up big down the stretch, denying Ellsworth on its final three possessions.

On the first one, DJ Curtis and Elijah James combined for a sack, leading to a Desmond Lockett interception on fourth-and-18.

On the second one, Schuman hit Thornton for an apparent 30-yard touchdown, but a chop block called it back. Dominic Quewon and Daviyon Nixon combined for a sack on fourth-and-25. Nixon and Val Martin combined for a sack on the Panthers' final possession to end it.

"We came up at the end when we needed to and made a play," Strohmeier said.

Ellsworth had other chances to chip into the deficit. It had first-and-goal from the 5 in the first half and was stopped inches short on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Panthers coach Jesse Montalto knew the chance was there to shock the junior college football world.

"Our kids have got some heart and they've got some fight in them," he said.

Iowa Western took a seemingly safe 24-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the first half. Brandon Mangram grabbed the first of his two interceptions and returned it 29 yards to the Ellsworth 21. Vincent Perry turned a short pass into a 21-yard touchdown catch on the next play to send the Reivers to the break with the 24-point cushion.

After Ellsworth trimmed it to 24-10, Perry's 71-yard kickoff return for a touchdown made it 30-10 with 56 seconds left in the third.

"He probably won us the game, to be honest with you," Strohmeier said. In addition to the return, Perry caught eight passes for 133 yards and the score.

As Schuman rallied the Panthers with his pinpoint passing and timely running, things got much too close for comfort for the Reivers.

"I was really trying to hit him, but he always threw it so I never got the chance, really," said Dinsdale, who led the Reivers with eight solo tackles and four assists and recently received an offer to walk on at Iowa.

Nixon, the defensive tackle who initially committed to Iowa and was recently offered by Alabama, said there's one more chance to show people his team deserves a spot in the championship game. Iowa Western is at the College of DuPage in suburban Chicago next week.

"If we keep our top spot, we keep it," Nixon said. "If we don't, then we've got to keep fighting."

Strohmeier tried to make sense of it all after his banged-up squad survived.

"I would hope that you win and that's what you're supposed to do when you're the top team in the country," he said. "It's not always the prettiest at all times. You've got to give Ellsworth a lot of credit because they came out fired up in that second half.

"At the end of the day, we're 9-1. All we can do is win and see what happens."

Iowa Western (9-1) ... 14 10  6  0 — 30

At Ellsworth (3-7) ......  0  0 10 10 — 20

IW: Kai Locksley 2 run (Eddie Ogamba kick)