Reivers Continue Dodge City Domination, Sail Home With Victory

Dodge City, KS

Iowa Western quarterback Malachi Marshall turned in his sharpest performance of the young season, throwing for 333 yards and four touchdowns as the Reivers used a second half surge to roll past Dodge City, 31–7.

Marshall completed 27 of 37 passes, spreading the ball to nine different receivers. His favorite target was sophomore wideout Jaivyn Moore, who burned the Conquistadors' secondary for 154 yards on six catches, including a 53-yard strike that flipped field position in the third quarter and set up another Reiver touchdown.

Dodge City briefly led after a 17-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter, but the advantage didn't last. Marshall answered before halftime with a 21-yard scoring toss to Cyrus Courtney, sending the Reivers into the break up 10–7. From there, Iowa Western dominated. In the third quarter Marshall found Moore on a 41-yard touchdown, then connected with Lamar Seymore from 26 yards early in the fourth for his 1st touchdown of the season. He capped the day with a 15-yard dart to Council Bluffs' Tony Busch, completing a balanced four-receiver touchdown showcase.

Although the ground game wasn't the headline, the Reivers still managed 98 rushing yards. Backs Daniel Swinney and Kaeden Johnson each contributed 29 yards, while Roderick Hartsfield added 20, enough to keep Dodge City's defense honest and open up lanes for the passing game.

The other side of the ball was just as decisive. Iowa Western's defense racked up six sacks, with Jeremy Lewis leading the charge for two, plus a forced and recovered fumble. Linebacker Santana Miller added both a sack and an interception for 'The Darkside', while Andy Burburija, BJ Campbell, and Andrew Joseph also recorded sacks. In all, the Conquistadors were held to just 56 net passing yards and converted only one of 12 third-down attempts. Running back Derick Shanks Jr. was Dodge City's lone bright spot, grinding out 120 rushing yards on 23 carries, but the Reivers bottled up everything else.

Special teams contributed as well: kicker Gus Bashore hit a 32-yard field goal to start the scoring and finished a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points, while punter Jake Kracl averaged over 41 yards with two punts pinned inside the 20.

By the end, Iowa Western had piled up 431 total yards, more than doubling Dodge City's 225, and outscored the Conqs 21–0 in the second half.

The win keeps the Reivers inside the top five of the latest rankings with rival and the NJCAA's tenth ranked team, Iowa Central headed to town on Saturday. 

The game is set for a 2:30 pm kickoff from Titan Stadium. Iowa Western currently holds a 19-2 advantage in the series, dating back to the very first game in program history in September of 2009.

All the action can be heard, free of charge, on the Reiver Sports Network. The game, with Jake Ryan, Russ Nelsen, Josh Odson, and Tony Boone on the call, can also be found on Iowa Western's 100,000-watt FM radio station, 89.7 The River. The RSN Countdown to Kickoff begins at 2:00 PM from Titan Stadium.

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