Creston football team focuses on fast starts before facing Winterset

The Creston football team travels to face Winterset this week following two consecutive games defined by slow starts. Head coach Brian Morrison expressed concern that his squad has repeatedly fallen into early deficits, forcing the team to rally throughout the second and third quarters. Creston opened its season with a win against Centerville after overcoming a 22-0 gap, but a similar slow start against Clarinda resulted in a 59-45 loss last week. Despite the defensive struggles in the opening minutes of those contests, quarterback Tanner Ray has maintained a high-performing offense, leading Class 3A with 533 passing yards. Winterset enters the matchup in a rebuilding phase after a 40-6 loss to ADM in their season opener. The Panthers aim to establish an early lead this Friday to avoid the catch-up scenarios that have hindered their performance thus far.

• 7:50 PMYahoo Sports — Panthers seek faster start