This three-game run of home games have not gone exactly how Iowa Central head football coach Jesse Montalto hoped they would.

But the Tritons can finish off the stretch strong when they take on ICCAC rival Ellsworth here Saturday inside Dodger Stadium.

Kickoff is set for noon.

Injuries continue to mount for Iowa Central (2-5 overall, 0-1 in league) as they have dropped five of six around a win over No. 1 (Div. III) College of DuPage at the start of the month.

“We’ve got a couple more guys out but are hopeful to get a couple more back this week,” Montalto said. “Going into the Coffeyville game, it felt like the first time this year where we weren’t playing with a full deck.

“The kids came out this week, though, and had a great week of practice.”

Dallas Sauser, a former Ames standout, threw for 159 yards and a touchdown in his most extensive playing time of the season. Ty Purdy started and Nyqua Lett also saw snap.

Cyncir Bowers ran for 60 yards while catching five passes for 23 with a trip to the end zone. Dalen Huston had five receptions for a team-high 62 yards.

Bowers, a freshman, has 411 yards rushing and leads the Tritons with 21 receptions. He is averaging almost 140 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks second in the country.

“They understand the importance of this one,” Montalto said. “We need to get the win and give ourselves some momentum going into November. From there, we can control our outlook.”

The Iowa Central defense, though, saw Coffeyville convert 6 of 14 third-downs while rushing for 139 yards and throwing for 209.

Ellsworth (0-6, 0-1) fell to Dodge City last week, 39-15, after closing out September with a 99-0 defeat at the hands of No. 1 Hutchinson.

Kellen Cockrell has thrown for 228 yards, Calvin Swinney leads the team with 373 yards rushing and Kacen Boyer is the top receiver with 135 yards. The Panthers have yet to rush for a touchdown and have just four offensive TDs on the season.

Iowa Central can still secure the runner-up spot in the ICCAC with a win over Ellsworth, a team Montalto coached at prior to joining the Tritons. Montalto led the Panthers to four consecutive bowl wins and has since helped Iowa Central win six straight postseason games.