NO. 20 BLUE DRAGONS ROLL BY TRITONS FOR 4TH-CONSECUTIVE WIN

HutchCC Sports Information

Eric Forrest threw for three touchdown passes in his first career start to pace the No. 20-ranked Hutchinson Community College Football team to a 42-14 victory over Iowa Central on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

Hutchinson's fourth-straight victory ups its season record to 5-1 heading into the bye week next Saturday. The Blue Dragons handed the Tritons (0-6) their 21st-consecutive loss, a streak that dates back to 2015.

Starting for an injured Cam Jones, who ironically made his first career start last year against Iowa Central, Forrest completed 8 of 12 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

Forrest marched the Blue Dragons right down the field on the first series of the game and capped off a six-play 58-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Johnny Lumpkin. Forrest then threw two more touchdown passes – 8 yards to Jaylen Erwin and 58 yards to Marcus Whitmire – in a 21-point Hutchinson second quarter.

The Blue Dragons rolled up 422 yards on 64 offensive plays. The Dragons rushed for 238 yards and passes for 184 more.

Desmon Jackson was Hutchinson's leading rusher with 66 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. Andrew Lee had three carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. B.J. Emmons had 46 yards on 13 carries, DeShawn Waller had 45 yards on 11 carries and Otis Williams had eight rushes for 34 yards.

Erwin was Hutch's top receiver with 60 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. Marcus Edwards had two catches for 28 yards.

Hutchinson's defense at times had trouble containing Iowa Central quarterback BJ Phillips on Saturday. Phillips was 10 of 18 passing for 183 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was quite elusive at times when pressured. Phillips was Iowa Central's leading rusher with 63 yards on 23 carries. He was sacked six times for 42 yards.

ICCC receiver Chris McLeod had two catches for 80 yards, including a 68-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Both catches came in the first quarter and the Blue Dragons shut him out the rest of the game.

The Blue Dragons held Iowa Central to 278 yards total offense (188 passing, 90 rushing).

After Lumpkin's 14-yard touchdown reception gave the Blue Dragons a 7-0 lead with 12:01 to go in the opening quarter, the Tritons struck right back two plays after the ensuing kickoff. Phillips hit McLeod down the sideline for a 68-yard touchdown and the game was tied at 7 with 11:12 to play in the first period.

The Dragons took a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter when Jackson capped a five-play, 58-yard scoring drive with a 20-yard run for a touchdown with 13:03 remaining in the second period.

Hutchinson scored on its next two possessions as well.

After and 3-and-out, the Dragons marched 57 yards in 12 plays as Erwin's 8-yard touchdown catch from Forrest gave Hutch a 21-7 lead with 4:36 to go.

A second-straight Triton 3-and-out led to Hutch striking on the next play after the ICCC punt. Forrest hit Whitmire in stride for a 58-yard touchdown strike and a 28-7 lead with 2:59 to play in the half.

Iowa Western got the aid of a Hutch unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on 4th and 19 to keep a late second-half drive alive. On the final play of the first half, Roddrick Bryant caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to cut the Hutchinson lead to 28-14 at halftime

After another Triton 3-and-out to open the second half, Andrew Lee bolted through the line on the next play for a 52-yard touchdown run and a 35-7 lead with 12:22 to go in the third quarter. Waller added a 3-yard touchdown run with 8:12 to play in the fourth quarter to give Hutch a 42-14 lead.

Hutchinson's defense held Iowa Western to 102 yards in the second half.

GAME NOTES – Now with seven touchdown passes for the season, quarterback Eric Forrest is the team leader in that category. …The Blue Dragons are now 5-0 all-time against Iowa Central, 3-0 at Gowans Stadium. … Marcus Whitmire had a team-high 126 all-purpose yards on Saturday (58 receiving, 68 on kick returns). … With a time of possession of 30:09, this is the third-straight game the Blue Dragons have led in that category. … With six quarterback sacks on Saturday, the Blue Dragons have 30 for the season. … Hutch held Iowa Central to 3 of 15 on third down and 1 of 5 on fourth down. … Freshman cornerback Jerry Jacobs had his team-high third interception on a pass picked off in the end zone during the fourth quarter.