LAIBLE, BENSON CAREER GAMES POWER DRAGONS PAST CONQS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

DODGE CITY – Dylan Laible had for the fourth-most passing yards and Malik Benson racked up the fifth-most receiving yards in Hutchinson Community College football history on Saturday as the Blue Dragons finished out the regular season with a decisive victory over Dodge City at Memorial Stadium.

The Blue Dragons scored 28 first-quarter points on just 14 plays as Hutchinson earned a Jayhawk Conference road victory, defeating Dodge City, 49-17.

Hutchinson completes its 2021 regular season at 4-3 overall and 4-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons are still in the running for a Region VI Playoff opening-round home game. Dodge City is now 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the KJCCC.

Laible blitzed the Conquistadors in the first 15 minutes with four touchdown passes. Laible was 7 of 9 for 189 yards in the first quarter and threw touchdown passes of 11, 57, 15 and 39 yards as Hutchinson roared out to a quick 28-point lead.

Laible had career highs of 363 passing yards – he was 16 of 24 on passing attempts – and five touchdown passes. Laible and Daisean Cash combined for six touchdown passes with tied a single-game record. This was the sixth game in Blue Dragon history with six touchdown passes in the game.

Laible is the first Blue Dragon quarterback to have a 300-yard passing game since September 8, 2018 when Mason Schmucker threw for 324 yards against Iowa Western. Laible surpassed the 2,000-yard career passing plateau and moved past Tony Phillips into 12th place on the Hutchinson career passing list with 2,280 yards.

With his five touchdown passes, Laible jumped from a tie for 10th all the way to fifth on the career list with 25 TD passes. Luke Barnes has the record with 50 touchdown passes. Laible's five passing touchdowns are tied for fifth with five other quarterbacks in single-game history.

Laible hit eight different receivers with passes led by Benson, who had five catches for a career-best 187 receiving yards, which is the fifth-best day for a Dragon receiver in team history. Benson had an 81-yard touchdown reception to highlight a huge day.

Micah Woods had three catches for 76 yards and a 57-yard touchdown. Cortez Braham had three receptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Braham also moved last Jeremy Lutz into 10th place on the career receiving' yards list with 1,024 yards.

Marcello Bussey and Rykem Laney both had touchdown receptions.

The Blue Dragons' season-high passing attack offset a season-low 82 rushing yards. Tim Byrd had a team-high 34 rushing yards to lead the Dragons. Anwar Lewis as limited to 29 yards on 16 carries. He did have a 2-yard touchdown run to extend his consecutive games streak of scoring at least one rushing touchdown to six games.

The Blue Dragons out-gained Dodge City 468-292. The Conquistadors ran for 204 yards and were limited to 83 yards through the air. Linebacker Martavius French returned to the lineup to have a team-high seven tackles. Davion Westmoreland and Juwon Gaston had six team. Gaston also had an interception.

Hutchinson's first touchdown was set up by an R.J. Evans' blocked punt. The Dragons needed five plays to cover 38 yards as Braham caught an 11-yard TD strike from Laible in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 lead with 10:57 to play in the opening quarter.

Hutch's next three drives all went for touchdowns on drives of two, five and one play. Laible threw for touchdowns of 57 yards to Woods, 15 yards to Braham and 39 to Laney for a 28-0 lead after one quarter.

Dodge City outscored Hutchinson 10-0 after a 28-yard Landry Guidry 28-yard field goal and Willis Gaines' 80-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Dragons made it 35-10 when Laible completed another one-play scoring drive when he found Benson in stride for a career-long 81-yard touchdown pass with 11:22 to play.

Leading 35-17 after three quarters, the Blue Dragons put the game away with a Lewis 2-yard touchdown run with 12:33 to play and Cash's 14-yard touchdown pass tom Bussey with 7:25 to go in the game.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 51-36-4 all-time vs. Dodge City, going 24-22-2 in Dodge City. … The Dragons have won five-straight games over Dodge City. … Hutch's 468 total yards are the second most in a game this season. … This was Hutch's first 300-yard passing game since throwing for 326 against Independence last season.