by Tony Boone, WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE , Omaha World-Herald

Interested spectators stretched nearly the length of the practice field on campus. Athletic Director Brenda Hampton joked that had she known the spring game would be such a hit, she would have charged admission.

The players took notice too.

"The first thing, when I came down here and was warming up, I saw my mom," quarterback Austin McBeth said. "I was like, 'Yeah, this is football again.'"

The Reivers had waited nearly the entire academic year to really cut loose on the field. The team ran 7-on-7 drills in the fall and had 19 previous spring practices but had to hold back a little to limit the number of injuries on their current 43-man roster.

Friday afternoon, however, IWCC went at it full bore. The offense outpointed the defense 41-11 in the scrimmage, which used a scoring system to award plays on both sides of the ball.

As expected, there were good and bad things. But coach Scott Strohmeier and his staff got a final chance to evaluate the players already on campus before nearly 120 more join the team in August.

"It's really only the second time this spring that we've seen guys live because we were trying to keep guys healthy," Strohmeier said. "But we got to see a lot of guys."

It was evident Iowa Western has some playmakers on offense. After the Reivers struggled through their first four series, their spread finally got going when former Iowa recruit David Blackwell ripped off consecutive first-down runs of more than 10 yards.

IWCC scored for the first time on that drive when Blackwell connected with Marcus Sullivan from 14 yards out. The Reivers added TDs on their next four possessions, including a 20-yard, highlight-reel run by McBeth on an option play that seemed destined to lose yards.

"I did something I used to do in high school and wasn't supposed to do in college because the game is a little quicker -- I stopped," he said. "Everybody said I hit the back button on the joystick, then I saw a crease and took off. And my guys made some great blocks for me."

McBeth and Blackwell alternated series on offense. IWCC took only one snap from under center, and that came on a 1-yard scoring sneak late in the game.

There were some down moments, too. Although the defense forced two turnovers, it missed a few tackles. McBeth was hit in the head with a snap while looking at the sideline. Blackwell and running back Matt Thompson collided once, causing a fumble in the backfield. And there were four penalties in the game's first eight snaps.

"We've got a long ways to go," Strohmeier said. "We're nowhere near where I feel we need to be on either side of the ball. But I think there's some promise coming out of this group."

The Reivers open their season Sept. 5 at home against Iowa Central Community College. While the school builds a football stadium on campus, the team will play home games at Council Bluffs Stadium, 21st and J Streets.

Dennard's twin

to join Reivers

The twin brother of Nebraska sophomore defensive back Alfonzo Dennard has signed a letter of intent with Iowa Western, Huskers Illustrated reported.

Lorenzo Dennard, a dual-threat quarterback, originally signed with Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College after high school but left before fall camp due to homesickness. Playing in Council Bluffs will put him a little more than an hour away from his brother.

The Dennards played high school football at Wilcox County in Rochelle, Ga.

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