DRAGONS COMPLETE RUN TO KJCCC CHAMPIONSHIP

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College football team won its seventh Jayhawk Conference championship in program history Sunday, rolling up some massive offensive numbers against Dodge City in doing so.

The NJCAA No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons racked up 610 total yards and 789 all-purpose yards in a 70-14 Jayhawk Conference victory over Dodge City at Gowans Stadium.

Hutchinson completes the 2021 regular season undefeated at 7-0, joining only the 1947 and 1969 Blue Dragon teams to have unbeaten regular seasons. This is the sixth time the Blue Dragons have started a season 7-0 (1947, 1948, 1969, 2010 and 2014).

Now the top-ranked Blue Dragons will have to wait for a little more than a week for an official invitation to play in the NJCAA National Championship game on June 5 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The NJCAA football regular season ends next weekend.

An announcement from the NJCAA is expected either May 24 or 25.

The Blue Dragons captured their first Jayhawk Conference title since 2014. Hutchinson head coach Drew Dallas is the first Blue Dragon coach to win a KJCCC title in his first season as head coach.

For the third-straight week, the Blue Dragons amassed a season-high total offense output, rolling up 610 total yards against the Conquistadors. Those 610 yards came on only 44 offensive plays and it's the seventh most total yards in Blue Dragon single-game history.

The Blue Dragons have scored 70-plus points in back-to-back games for the second-time in program history. Last week the Blue Dragons scored 77 points against Highland. The 70 points against Dodge City tied for the 10th-most points scored in Hutchinson single-game history and it's the 13th time in team history the Dragons have scored 70 or more points.

The Dragons rushed for a season-high 366 yards, averaging 14.1 yards per carry on just 26 attempts. Back-up quarterback Daiseasn Cash had a 95-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which is the second-longest run from scrimmage in Blue Dragon history. On the Dragons next rush attempt on their next possession, Dylan Kedzior broke loose for an 85-yard touchdown. That run tied for the eighth-longest run from scrimmage in program history.

Quarterback Dylan Laible became the 13th Hutchinson QB to throw for five touchdown passes. Laible's scoring passes were 78 yards to Cortez Braham, 62 yards to Ivan Thomas, 9 yards to Kedzior and a pair of scoring strikes of 22 and 28 yards to Tyrone Howell. Laible completed 9 of 15 passes for 247 yards. Laible is the first Blue Dragon quarterback to throw for five touchdown passes in a game since Dalton Demos in 2014.

Defense and special teams also joined in putting up points against Dodge City.

Marquise Gilbert returned a Dodge City fumble 57 yards for a touchdown that gave the Blue Dragons a 35-0 lead with 13:39 to play in the second quarter. Over his last three games, Gilbert has three interceptions, a fumble recovery and two defensive touchdowns.

After Dodge City scored its first points in the third quarter, the Blue Dragons immediately responded with an Emmanuel Mann 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the Blue Dragons' second kickoff return for a score this season. Mann has also scored special teams touchdowns in back-to-back weeks. He had a 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown last week against Highland.

The other Blue Dragon to reach the end zone was running back Tye Edwards, who scored on a 42-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Hutchinson led 21-0 after the first quarter, 42-0 at halftime and 70-7 after three quarters.

GAME NOTES – Hutchinson has won Jayhawk Conference titles in 1947, 1963, 1969, 1974, 1995, 2014 and 2021. … Head coach Drew Dallas ties Tom Saia for 14th on the Blue Dragon all-time wins list with seven. … The Blue Dragons extend their winning streak to nine games dating back to last season. … The Blue Dragons are now 50-36-4 all-time against Dodge City, 27-15-2 in Hutchinson. … The Dragons scored 70 or more points against Dodge City for the fourth time in series history. … This is the first game the Dragons have amassed 600 or more yards in a game since the Sterling JV in 2015 and first 600-yard game against a KJCCC team since 2014. … The 366 rushing yards are the 11th most in Hutchinson single-game history. It's the first 300-yard rushing game since 314 yards against Dodge City in 2019. … Dodge City running back C.J. Hall is the first 100-yard rusher against the Blue Dragons this season. … The last time the Dragons had back-to-back 70-plus point games was 2019 when Hutchinson scored 85 against Dodge City and 82 against RPA.