Reivers Add Another ICCAC Crown as NJCAA Playoff Picture Clears

Council Bluffs, IA

NJCAA No. 2 Iowa Western scored on its first three possessions and forced six turnovers in a 60–0, ICCAC Championship clinching win over Ellsworth on Saturday afternoon at Titan Stadium.

The Reivers (9–1, 2–0) totaled 601 yards of offense, scored 50 points in the first half, and held the Panthers to 180 yards while recording their first shutout of the season en route to their eighth straight victory.

Iowa Western opened the game with an eight-play, 60-yard drive capped by a 22-yard zig-zagging touchdown run up the middle from Jamari Ford. After forcing a punt, the Reivers struck again when Malachi Marshall connected with Jimmy Trilla for a 46-yard strike to make it 13–0. A defensive stand and short field later led to a short field goal from Gus Bashore for a 16–0 lead.

Ellsworth (3–7, 0–2) crossed midfield twice in the first quarter but lost both drives to negative plays. Iowa Western took advantage early in the second quarter when Marshall hit DeAndre Horn for an 81-yard touchdown on the first play of a drive, extending the lead to 23–0.

After another defensive stop, Makelle Taylor broke free for his first score as a Reiver, a 49-yard touchdown run to make it 29-0. On the ensuing kickoff, Sam Kueter forced and Oliver Kniss recovered a fumble at the Ellsworth 12. Marshall found Jaivyn Moore for a touchdown on the next snap, pushing the margin to 36–0 with over 10 minutes still remaining in the quarter. Moore added another score later in the quarter, his 10th touchdown catch of the season, on Roderick Hartsfield's first TD pass of the season from 30 yards out.

Iowa Western added one more first-half touchdown when Kaeden Johnson added his first career score, a two yard rumble to make it 50-0 into halftime.

Ellsworth's best scoring opportunity came early in the third quarter when the Panthers reached the Iowa Western 18, but a fumble recovered by Keagan Augustine ended the threat. Iowa Western responded with a short touchdown drive after recovering a muffed punt, with Taylor scoring his second of the day from five yards out to make it 57–0.

Bashore closed the scoring with a 28-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

Marshall finished 9 of 14 for 206 yards and three touchdowns, while Taylor rushed 10 times for 100 yards and two scores. Jamari Ford continued his late season assault, adding 76 yards on nine carries. Moore's two touchdowns pushed him into the Top 10 for career touchdowns with 13 in his two seasons in Council Bluffs. 

Iowa Western's defense recorded 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, an interception by Tim Roberson, and recovered all five fumbles it forced. The four sacks gives the team 59 and a 1/2 on the year, moving the 2025 'Darkside' into second all time for sacks in a season, just two and a half behind 2023's all-time high of 62.

While the second ranked Reivers rolled, so did #1 Hutchinson with a 49-7 victory over Highland on the road. The Blue Dragons finish the season versus #11 Garden City on Saturday (11/22). The NJCAA Playoff picture cleared up slightly outside of the KJCCC/ICCAC schedule, with the MACCC (Mississippi) playoffs crowning fourth ranked Northwest Mississippi as its champion, all but assuring the Rangers a place in the 4-team field. The SWJCFC's championship game is set for this coming weekend between NJCAA No. 3 Tyler and upstart Northeast Oklahoma A&M. An Apaches' win would see them finish undefeated and secure a place in the NJCAA Semi-finals. Fifth-ranked Georgia Military will root for upsets in at least one of the three games Saturday as they sit on the outside looking in, however nothing is definite until after the invitations from the NJCAA are issued early next week.

Iowa Western closes the regular season with a 1:00 PM kickoff at home against Highland. The winless Scotties will be looking to play spoiler in their season finale. Highland replaced NJCAA Hall of Fame Head Coach Tom Minnick leading up to their loss to Hutchinson last weekend and a win against the Reivers would be the ultimate finish in an otherwise forgettable year. Minnick and his staff were hired in April and were expected to head into 2026 with their own recruiting class after being hired late. The Reivers have lost just one all-time match-up with the closest opponent mileage wise to Council Bluffs, with the campuses just over 120 miles apart.

The FREE tailgate (sponsored by Barley's) for fans begins approximately two hours before kickoff in the parking lot at Lewis Central.

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 12:30 PM from Titan Stadium.

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