Des Moines Christian made some key plays in the second half and limited the Atlantic offense to grab a 17-9 win on Friday night at the Trojan Bowl. Davis Tokheim’s 43-yard touchdown run with 9:32 left proved to be the clincher for the Lions.

Des Moines Christian came in the 5th ranked team in Class 3A and opened the game with a 12-play touchdown drive. Quarterback Max Town capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run to put the Lions up 7-0. Atlantic thought they went three and out on their first possession but a Lions mistake on special teams kept the possession alive. The punt hit the Lions return man and Atlantic recovered. 13-plays later the Trojans got a 3-yard touchdown run from Gavin McLaren. The point after was just wide keeping it 7-6.

Later in the second quarter Atlantic failed to cash in on an 8-play drive when a 20-yard field goal attempt was blocked. The Lions then executed a nice end of the half drive to get a 33-yard field goal from Andrew Clement to make it 10-6 at half.

Tokheim’s long run and a Zander Killion 42-yard field goal for Atlantic were the only points scored in the second half. Killion’s field goal with 5:07 left gave Atlantic a chance. The defense got the ball back for the Trojans with 2:56 left but the Lions got some pressure on the second play of the drive and grabbed an interception to seal the win.

Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer said the Trojans just couldn’t find the consistency they need on offense.

The Trojans drop to 1-2 and will have a long road trip to Storm Lake next week. Des Moines Christian improved to 3-0 and will return home to face Creston next week.

Catch the full postgame interview with Coach Brummer below.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell expects to face a motivated Arkansas State team when the 14th ranked Cyclones visit the Red Wolves on Saturday. It is rare for a group of five team to host a team from a power four conference and two years ago in a similar situation the Cyclones lost at Ohio.

Arkansas State quarterback Jaylon Raynor has four touchdown passes in two games and is also a running threat.

The kickoff temperature in Jonesboro on Saturday is expected to be in the mid 90s but Campbell says the Cyclones are prepared.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says the first goal for the Hawkeyes is to win. They close out non conference play Saturday night at home against UMass and are still looking for some kind of passing game that has been non-existent the first two weeks.

Ferentz wants to see improvement in all areas of the pass game.

First year UMass coach Joe Harasymiak is a former defensive coordinator at Minnesota and Rutgers so Ferentz says they have an idea what they will be going up against.

Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 6 vs Kuemper Catholic – 3

Kuemper Catholic winners: Charlotte Schwabe, Meredith Sturm/Mirabel Abrahem (doubles)

Clarke – 8 vs Southwest Valley – 1

SWV winner: Sidney Crill

Coming off a win at Denison-Schleswig a week ago, the Atlantic Trojans return home to face the number five team in 3A in Des Moines Christian. The Lions are riding high after wins against Van Meter (defending state champions) and Roland-Story. Head coach Joe Brummer, complimented what Des Moines Christian has done and says it is the reason they are on the schedule.

For the Trojans, improving on last week’s performance, especially in the run game, is crucial. Although Ethan McNeal ran for 119 yards against the Monarchs, there is still fine tuning to be done, especially when it comes to blocking.

Defensively, the Trojans will be going up against an offense that is physical and has numerous weapons. Three Lions have over 20 carries including senior quarterback Max Town and junior running back Davis Tokheim who leads the team with 233 yards.

Ultimately, the Trojans are going to have to be technically sound if they are going to come away with a win, especially in the trenches.

Kickoff is scheduled from 7 pm and you can catch all the action on KJANTV with coverage beginning at 6:30 pm.

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Red Oak – 3 vs Glenwood – 0

Lewis Central – 3 vs Harlan – 0

Western Iowa Conference 

Riverside – 3 vs AHSTW – 0

Tri-Center – 3 vs Audubon – 1

Underwood – 3 vs IKM-Manning – 1

Treynor – 3 vs Logan-Magnolia – 0

Rolling Valley Conference 

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 3 vs Exira-EHK – 0

Boyer Valley – 3 vs Ar-We-Va – 0

Glidden-Ralston – 3 vs Paton-Churdan – 0

West Central Activities Conference 

ACGC – 3 vs Panorama – 0

Non-Conference 

Atlantic – 2 vs Griswold – 0

Atlantic – 2 vs CAM – 0

CAM – 2 vs Griswold – 0

Pella Christian – 2 vs Creston – 0

Woodward-Granger – 2 vs Creston – 1

St. Albert – 3 vs Fremont-Mills – 2

Mount Ayr – 2 Pleasantville – 0

Mount Ayr – 2 vs Clarke – 0

Pleasantville – 2 vs Clarke – 1

Perry Invitational

Earlham – 2Nodaway Valley – 0

South Hamilton defeats Nodaway Valley

South Hamilton – 2 vs Earlham – 1

Ogden – 2 vs Perry – 0

Ogden – 2 vs Des Moines East – 1

Nodaway Valley – 2 vs Perry – 1

Earlham – 2 vs Ogden – 1

Earlham – 2 vs South Hamilton – 1 (Championship)

The AHSTW Vikings are set to host the Riverside Bulldogs Friday after an impressive 54-13 road victory at Red Oak last week. Head Coach Davis Pattee said he saw a major improvement from week one to week two, and his team has shown no signs of slowing down.

AHSTW has taken 11 of the last 13 from Riverside including four consecutive victories. Despite the recent success for the Vikings, they anticipate the Bulldogs will bring energy in what both teams believe is a rivalry.

AHSTW is led by Sophomore Quarterback Dayton Osbahr who has thrown 283 yards and three touchdown passes. Pattee says it is hard to believe Osbahr is an underclassman based on his maturity level.

Seniors Drew Lee and Collin Harder are the key playmakers for the Vikings with four touchdowns combined. Pattee says they are some of the best all-around athletes he has coached on and off the field.

AHSTW believes Riverside has a very diverse playbook which has required them to be prepared for anything and everything.

Pattee believes it’s going to be a battle from start to finish.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm in Avoca and you can catch all the action on KJAN with the coverage starting at 6:30 pm

A challenging schedule is nothing new for Fremont-Mills as the fifth ranked Knights prepare to visit number six Woodbine in 8-player. Fremont-Mills coach Greg Ernster.

Ernster says Woodine combines a big play passing attack with a powerful ground game.

Ernster on the key for the Knights defense.

Ernster says his team has high expectations for the post season and this will be a big early test.