COUNCIL BLUFFS — When the clock hit zeroes after nearly three-and-a-half hours Saturday, the final score read: Iowa Western 39, Fort Scott 7.
Just don't mistake that for a sense of satisfaction from Iowa Western coach Scott Strohmeier.
"I don't think we were ready to play,'' he said. "I thought defensively we played really well. Offensively, we weren't ready to play. Before the game, in warmups, I didn't think it. Were they looking at a 2-5 football team and they saw the film and they thought they were going to dominate? Maybe, I don't know. That's on us as coaches. We've got to do a better job.''
Third-rated Iowa Western kept alive its dreams of playing in the NJCAA national championship game with the 32-point win at Titan Stadium. The Reivers improved to 7-1 entering next week's game at No. 13 Butler (7-2).
However, Iowa Western too often showed a lack of discipline. It racked up 17 penalties for 152 yards. Mike Hill was ejected for fighting. And Nick Singleton was called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the Greyhounds' 6-yard line, a second or two before he was about to complete a 41-yard touchdown catch.
"Our guys need to do a better job of having a little bit more discipline,'' Strohmeier said.
Dropping Fort Scott to 2-6 on the season, Iowa Western again leaned on its defense to control the game while its offense got untracked. The Reivers held their opponent to 238 total yards, including 55 rushing yards on 45 attempts.
Sophomore All-America candidate Willie O'Hara set the tone from his linebacker post with 11 solo tackles and two assists. He broke the school's single-season tackle record with his 103rd stop and moved into second place on the career list with 132.
"It's kind of an honor,'' he said. "I'm just proud of myself and my teammates, helping me get there, and my coaches. It's been a journey.''
The Reivers turned it over on their first two possessions, and when starting quarterback T.J. Starks was hobbled by an ankle injury, Clay Beathard replaced him at the 3:54 mark of the first quarter and went most of the way. Beathard finished 17 of 37 for 241 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Iowa Western led just 10-0 midway in the second quarter. However, Beathard threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Michael Zachary at the 4:28 mark of the second, and a 50-yard scoring strike to Marcell Marbee with 2:59 left before the break to extend the lead to 24-0. The Reivers finished with 491 total yards.
Strohmeier said Beathard wasn't perfect, but he was more than good enough to direct the victory.
"For what they were doing to us, it fit Clay,'' he said. "He's going to see the film, and he missed some things. I just felt if (T.J.) wasn't 100 percent, and if we're winning and making some progress …''
Iowa Western blanked the Greyhounds in the second half, but the final two quarters were marred by a barrage of penalties and chippiness. Both sidelines were angered by calls. Moe Hill of Fort Scott was ejected on the play involving the ejection of Iowa Western's Hill.
"We were kind of flat in the pregame,'' O'Hara said. "I think we kind of picked it up, but we were a little distracted, I would say.''
Iowa Western is expected to get a major challenge next week at Butler (7-2), which handled Ellsworth 42-6 on Saturday. Last year, Butler's 21-19 victory kept the Reivers out of the national championship game. The Grizzlies blasted Iowa Western 40-7 in 2015.
"That's a big game,'' O'Hara said. "We're ready. We've got to take care of them, especially after last year, them upsetting us.''
Strohmeier said Saturday's effort won't cut it.
"We'll find out what our team is made of,'' Strohmeier said. "If you really, truly think you're as good you are, you'd better be ready to go. Because if you play like this, it will be like 2015. That was the only time in any game that we've been physically dominated in this school's history.''
Fort Scott (2-6) 0 7 0 0— 7
Iowa Western (7-1) 10 14 5 10—39
IW: Nick Singleton 17 pass from T.J. Starks (Hunter Pinegar kick)
IW: FG Pinegar 21
IW: Marcell Barbee 50 pass from Beathard (Pinegar kick)
FS: Ahmir Mitchell 43 pass from Justin Agner (Dustin Rieser kick)
IW: FG Pinegar 23
IW: Safety, Fort Scott player tackled in end zone
IW: FG Pinegar 35
IW: Milton Sargbah 28 run (Pinegar kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: FS, Donte Fils-Aime 12-56, Collinge Woolridge 3-22, Kareem Walker 11-12, Damos Bonds 2-4, Alex Fumbah 1-4, Justin Agner 12-(minus 21), Gunnar See 4-(minus 22). IW, Milton Sargbah 6-82, Gayflor Flomo 13-36, Yeshuwa Hicks 8-32, Clay Beathard 7-14, Nyfease West 3-5, T.J. Starks 1-4.
PASSING: FS, Justin Agner 12-21-1 162; Gunnar See 5-10-1 21. IW, Clay Beathard 17-37-1 241; T.J. Starks 5-9-1 77.
RECEIVING: FS, Jon Jiles 6-91, Ahmir Mitchell 4-47, Askri Smith 1-24, Steven Smothers 4-12, Damos Bonds 1-6, Donte Fils-Aime 1-3. IW, Michael Zachary 10-133, JaVonte' Richardson 5-69, Nick Singleton 6-66, Marcell Barbee 1-50.
TACKLES (solos-assists): FS, Lawrence Asiedu 7-1, Askri Smith 7-0, Tarayton Kalkai 7-0. IW, Willie O'Hara 11-2, Elijah James 7-1.
