ROSWELL, New Mexico – Opening Day 2025 saw milestones and records for the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team Saturday afternoon.
Head coach Drew Dallas earned his 50th victory on the Blue Dragon sideline after Hutchinson scored 20 first-quarter points and cruised past New Mexico Military 76-8 win at Colt Field on the campus of New Mexico Military Institute.
The Blue Dragons (1-0) will now return to Gowans Stadium for a matchup with No. 2 Iowa Western at Noon next Saturday. New Mexico Military fell to 1-1.
As for the milestones and records:
+ Dallas became just the fourth coach in Blue Dragon history to reach 50 wins, doing so the fastest in 55 games coached;
+ The 76 points scored is an opening day team record and the 68-point margin of victory is the second largest in opening-day history.
+ Quarterback Christian Johnson tied an opening-day individual record with five touchdown passes, tying Elliott Alford and Greg Meinzer.
+ The Blue Dragon defense set a single-game team record with eight total takeaways, including a single-game record five fumble recoveries.
The Blue Dragons had 545 yards of total offense, getting a combined 299 from Johnson and Hudson Ferralez. The Blue Dragons rushed for 246 yards.
Defensively, Hutchinson held New Mexico Military to 290 yards (217 passing, 73 rushing).
Johnson completed 14 of 18 passes for a career-high 237 yards with five touchdowns. Ferralez was 4 of 4 passing for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Eddie McLaughlin had a team-high five catches for 122 yards and two scores of 62 and 14 yards. Derrick Salley Jr. caught three passes for 74 yards and three touchdown receptions of 18, 22 and 56 yards. Bobby Shaw III had four receptions for 42 yards and a increcible one-handed grab for an 18-yard touchdown. L.T. Robinson caught three balls for 43 yards and a 24-yard touchdown. Seven different receivers caught passes for the Dragons.
Rayville Leak had two rushes for 102 yards to lead the Blue Dragon rushing attack. Leak broke loose for the third-longest run from scrimmage in program with a 93-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
M.J. Graham had two interceptions to lead the Blue Dragon defense. Jeffrey Manns had the other. The Dragons got fumble recoveries from Teegan Haines, Jawon Springs, Amir Hill, Kumaro Brown and a 15-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Kevin Moorer.
Titus Petteway capped a three-play, 60-yard scoring drive in the first quarter to start the scoring. Petteway’s 1-yard touchdown run gave the Dragons a 7-0 lead with 9:51 to play in the first quarter. Johnson and McLaughlin then connected on back-to-back possessions for touchdowns from 62 and 14 yards. The Dragons led 20-0 with 2:51 to play in the second quarter.
The only Hutchinson tally in the second quarter came with 9:27 to go after another Dragon takeaway. Salley caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to cap a five-play, 42-yard scoring drive for a 27-0 lead.
The Blue Dragons scored three touchdowns in a span of 5 minutes to open the third quarter. Salley caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Johnson with 14:02 to go for a 34-0 lead. Johnson then threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game, hitting L.T. Robinson on a 24-yard catch-and-run for a 41-0 lead with 9:03 remaining in the quarter. Another Dragon takeaway set up Ferralez’s first career touchdown pass, hitting Bobb Shaw with a 10-yard scoring strike with 8:42 to go for a 48-0 lead.
After a NMMI touchdown pass from Jake South, the Dragons scored two more touchdowns before the end of the quarter. Ferrelez found Salley for his third touchdown catch of the game, coming from 56 yards out. Then two plays later, Morrer’s strip and return of 15 yards for a touchdown gave the Dragons a 62-8 lead after three quarters.
Leak has his 93-yard touchdown run with 12:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. The scoring was closed by Daeshawn Carter’s 1-yard touchdown run with 2:10 remaining.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 57-45-2 in season openers, winning their fourth in a row and 23rd of the last 26. … The seven combined touchdown passes from Christian Johnson and Hudson Ferralez were the second most in single-game Blue Dragon history. … The last time the Blue Dragons had two receivers with 100-yard games in the same game came against Highland on Nov. 11, 2021 by Malik Benson and Cortez Braham. … The Dragons are 6-0 all-time against New Mexico Military, posting the most points scored and largest margin of victory in series history. … This was Hutchinson’s first 300-yard passing game since throwing for 300 against Iowa Central on Sept. 14, 2023. … Derrick Salley Jr. tied 10 nine others with three touchdown receptions in a game, the last by Malik Benson against Highland in 2021.
