CAPTION: For the second time in five seasons, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons are NJCAA Division I football champions. HutchCC defeated Iowa Western 28-23 in the national title game Wednesday night at West Texas A&M University’s Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas. CREDIT BLUE DRAGON SPORTS/HUTCHCC SPORTS INFORMATION
By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Blue Dragon football team is the NJCAA Division I national champions for the second time in five years and denied Iowa Western Community College a three-peat.
Hutchinson denied Iowa Western a game-winning touchdown drive with 57 seconds left and held on for a 28-23 victory Wednesday night at West Texas A&M University’s Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium in Canyon, Texas.
The Blue Dragon football team joined the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team as 2024 national champions. The Blue Dragon women’s team won the NJCAA championship in April.
The Blue Dragon football team finished the season with an 11-1 record. Iowa Western finished the season 11-2.
In five seasons as HutchCC head football coach, Drew Dallas has a 49-5 record.
Hutchinson’s Kordell Ghoulsby was named Player of the Game. He returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown with 3:26 left in the third quarter that gave HutchCC a 28-17 lead.
The Blue Dragons played the Iowa Western Reivers for the fifth time in the last three seasons. HutchCC defeated IWCC 38-37 on Sept. 7.
Iowa Western scored the first touchdown of the game on a 27-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hunter Dekkers to Keyon Brown with 11:23 left in the first quarter. Max Bartachek kicked the extra point to give the Reivers a 7-0 lead.
The Reivers blocked Hutchinson’s punt and recovered the football at the Blue Dragon 38-yard line.
On the fifth play of the series, Dekkers connected with Titus Myers on a 14-yard TD pass with 6:49 left in the first quarter. Bartachek kicked the extra point and the Reivers led 14-0. That was the score of the end of the first quarter.
Hutchinson finally got on the board when quarterback Samari Collier, a 6-3, 225-pound sophomore from DeSoto, Texas, scampered 27 yards for a touchdown with 13:28 left in the second quarter.
HutchCC Nestus Burger kicked the extra point and the Blue Dragons cut Iowa Western’s lead in half at 14-7.
Bartachek kicked a 42-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the first half to give Iowa Western a 17-7 lead.
HutchCC sophomore running back Waymond Jordan Jr., the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Juco Weekly Trophy (awarded to the best player in NJCAA Football), finally broke free for a couple long runs late in the second quarter.
However, the Blue Dragons’ drive stalled when Collier was sacked. Burger missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.
The Reivers final drive in the first half fell short as time expired. Iowa Western led at halftime 17-7.
HutchCC got the ball first in the second half and drove 54 yards on 10 plays, capped on a diving TD catch by Benson Prosper on an 8-yard pass from Collier. Burger’s PAT kick was good despite being partially blocked. Hutchinson cut the Reivers’ lead to 17-14.
Collier, who went to the sidelines after taking a big hit on a 21-yard run, was replaced by freshman quarterback Christian Johnson, who connected with Tre Brown for a 34-yard TD pass. Burger’s PAT kick with 5:11 left in the third quarter gave the Blue Dragons their first lead at 21-17.
The Blue Dragons stopped the Reivers short on their next series and forced them to punt.
HutchCC’s Ghouldsby then broke loose for his 73-yard punt return TD. Burger kicked the PAT and the Blue Dragons led 28-17 with a 3:26 left in the third quarter. HutchCC outscored IWCC 21-0 in the period for the 28-17 lead.
Iowa Western’s Kevin Brown scored on an 11-yard reverse run with 10:52 left in the fourth quarter to cap a 10-play, 93-yard drive. The Reivers 2-point conversion pass failed. IWCC cut HutchCC’s lead to 28-23.
Burger’s 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by IWCC with 4:04 left in the game.
Hutchinson stopped Iowa Western on a 4th-and-goal play at the 11-yard line with 57 seconds left.
Iowa Western outgained Hutchinson 448-305 in total yardage. Hutchinson passed for 114 yards and rushed for 191. The Reivers passed for 412 yards and rushed for 36.
Collier passed for 80 yards and Johnson 34. Collier rushed for 109 yards and Jordan 79. Tre Brown caught 3 passes for 66 yards and Prosper 3 for 35 yards.
Dekkers completed 29-of-51 passes for 412 yards and two TDs.
Marshon Oxley led the Blue Dragons with 7 tackles, including 3 sacks. Avian Rice also had 7 tackles. Kollin Collier and JaQuel Mack each had 6 tackles. Kedrick Walker made 5 stops. Jeffrey Manns and Duke Clayton Jr. teamed up for 1 sack.
Game notes …
• Walt Gray, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound sophomore defensive end, plays football at Iowa Western. Gray attended Hutchinson Trinity for his freshman and sophomore years and transferred to Bishop Carroll for his junior and senior years.
Way to go Coach Dallas and the Blue Dragons! 49-5 record is pretty incredible!