DRAGONS COMPLETE 4TH-QUARTER COMEBACK TO BUMP OFF BUSTERS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

GARDEN CITY – Sophomore quarterback Dylan Laible threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to lead the Hutchinson Community College football team to a comeback win over No. 8 Garden City on Saturday night at Broncbuster Stadium.

Laible hit Cortez Braham and Micah Woods for fourth-quarter touchdown passes and the Blue Dragons had to survive an incomplete pass on fourth down in the end zone on fourth down with 1:32 remaining to complete a 24-16 victory over the Broncbusters.

Hutchinson climbs back to .500 at 2-2 overall and 2-2 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Busters slipped to 2-2 overall and 2-2 in the league. The Blue Dragons will play host to No. 2 Independence at Noon on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

The first three quarters were a struggle for Laible, who was only 9 of 25 for 98 yards as the Blue Dragons trailed 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter and 16-10 with 13:53 remaining in the game.

The fourth quarter belonged to Laible and the Blue Dragons, who outgained Garden City 173-57 in the final 15 minutes. Laible completed 5 of 6 passes for 124 yards in the fourth quarter.

Laible and the Dragons took a 17-16 lead with 9:45 to play on a 44-yard touchdown catch and run by Braham to complete a one-play scoring drive. The Dragons then pushed the lead to eight points when Micah Woods caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone with 5:32 remaining for a 24-16 lead.

The Busters put together a potential game-tying scoring drive, marching from the Garden City 25 to the Hutchinson 19. Garden City had fourth-and-8 from the Hutch 21 and couldn't complete a pass in the end zone with 1:32 remaining and turned the ball over on downs.

Laible finished 14 of 31 for 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Blue Dragons to 357 total yards.

Braham posted his third career 100-yard receiving game with five receptions for 134 yards.

Sophomore running back Anwar Lewis had a second-straight big game with 205 all-purpose yards, going for 162 yards on 16 carries. Lewis also had 33 receptions on a career-high four receptions and 10 yards on kickoff returns.

Lewis surpassed the 1,000-yard career rushing mark with 1,066 yards.

The Blue Dragons rushed for 135 yards against the No. 2 rushing defense that had allowed 58 total yards on its first three games.

Linebacker Martavius French had a career-high 15 tackles and defensive end Davion Westmoreland had 11 tackles to lead the Dragons. French, Ja'Mez Drummer and R.J. Evans had quarterback sacks, Evans' sack was a 12-yard loss in Garden City's potential game-tying drive that moved the Busters back to the Hutch 31.

Garden City Rhett Ricedorff completed 26 of 38 passes for 192 yards. Running back William Knight rushed for 116 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. Dedrick Talbert had 84 rushing yards on 18 carries. Jacobi Bellazin had five catches for just 14 yards. The Broncbusters had 399 total yards.

The teams traded big plays in the first quarter. The game's second play, Lewis sprinted for an 84-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 Hutchinson lead just 25 seconds into the game. The 84-yard run by Lewis is the 12th longest in from scrimmage in Blue Dragon history.

Just 4 1/2 minutes later, Knight stung the Blue Dragons for a 77-yard touchdown. The point-after try was no good and the Dragons maintained a 7-6 lead with 8:07 remaining in the opening quarter.

Garden City took a 13-7 lead late in the second quarter. The Busters had kicked a short field goal, but a penalty gave the Busters first-and-goal at the Hutchinson 3-yard line. Talbert ran in for a touchdown on the next play with 1:32 remaining in the half for a 13-7 lead.

The Blue Dragons cut their deficit to 13-10 on a C.J. Moya 26-yard field goal with 11:05 to play in the third quarter. Garden City pushed the lead back to six points with 13:53 to play in the fourth quarter on a 42-yard William Greig field goal for a 16-10 lead.

GAME NOTES – Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas is now 4-0 against teams ranked in the NJCAA Top 10. … The overall series between Hutchinson and Garden City is tied at 40-40. … Hutchinson was 1 of 11 on third-down conversions. The only conversion came on the final series of the game, a 22-yard Anwar Lewis run on third-and-8. … The Blue Dragons have an all-time road record of 209-210-11. … Punter Alfonso Deleon had nine punts and averaged 40.9 yards per kick gross and 38.6 yards net with four punts inside the Garden City 20.