MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (BlueDragonSports.com) – For the third time in five seasons, the Hutchinson Community College football team will be playing for an NJCAA national championship.
Paced by the 201-yard rushing performance of sophomore Waymond Jordan Jr., and a second-half shutout by the defense, the No. 3-ranked Blue Dragons advanced to the NJCAA Division I Football Playoff championship game with a 63-21 semifinal victory over No. 2 Georgia Military on Sunday at Davenport Field.
The Blue Dragons (10-1) will face off against No. 1 Iowa Western (11-1) in the NJCAA championship game on Wednesday, December 18 in Canyon, Texas. Hutchinson has played in the national championship game twice before – 2020/21 vs. Snow College and 2022 against Iowa Western.
Hutchinson reached the 10-victory plateau for the 10th time in program history, the third under head coach Drew Dallas, who has guided the Blue Dragons into the national playoffs in four of his five seasons with the Blue Dragons.
The 63 points scored by the Blue Dragons on Sunday was the second-highest postseason point total in team history, second only to the 70 points scored against Lackawanna in the 2012 Salt City Bowl.
Jordan rushed for 201 yards on 19 carries and touchdowns of 43 and 58 yards. Jordan led the Blue Dragons to a 370-yard rushing game, the second-highest total this season. This was Jordan’s second 200-yard game of the season.
Now with 1,532 yards and 20 touchdowns for the season, Jordan jumped four spots on the Blue Dragon single-season rushing chart to fourth place. He moved into second on the single-season rushing touchdown chart.
Overall, the Blue Dragons out-gained Georgia Military 519-367.
Jordan’s 58-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the second quarter gave the Blue Dragons a 21-14 lead. But the Bulldogs answered with a Keenan Phillips 43-yard pass from Chip Cooper with 40 seconds left in the second quarter to give Hutchinson a 28-21 lead at halftime.
Georgia Military had 298 total yards in the first half. That changed in the final two quarters.
The Blue Dragons limited the Bulldogs to 69 total yards in the second half (45 rushing, 24 passing). Led by Kedrick Walker‘s career-high 13 tackles and an interceptions and Tyler Blevins‘ career-high 10 tackles, the Blue Dragons dominated the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense in the final two quarters, outscoring Georgia Military 35-0 in the third and fourth quarters.
Blue Dragon quarterback Samari Collier accounted for 215 total yards and four touchdowns. Passing, Collier was 8 of 16 for 119 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He threw for touchdowns of 41 and 43 yards. Collier rush for 96 yards on nine carries with touchdown runs of 26 and 2 yards.
Thomas had four receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns.
Georgia Military controlled the ball for better than 12 minutes in the opening quarter and took a 7-0 lead Keenan Phillips’ 16-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left in the first quarter.
The Blue Dragons tied the game on the first play of the second quarter when Collier found Thomas for a 41-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 with 14:53 to play in the second period. The Bulldogs answered right back with seven-play, 65-yard drive that finished off with a Phillips’ 28-yard touchdown from Cooper for a 14-7 lead with 12:00 to go in the second quarter.
Back came the Dragons on a four-play scoring drive. Jordan had three carries on the drive, including a game-tying 41-yard sprint to the end zone to knot the score at 14-all with 10:06 to play
The Blue Dragons wound up scoring 28 points in the second quarter. Special teams turned in a huge play on the Bulldogs’ next possession. With Georgia Military punting, Walter Samuel blocked the punt and L.T. Robinson returned it 1 yard for a touchdown and a 21-14 Blue Dragon lead with 5:35 left in the half. The Dragons followed that with a defensive stop. Three plays after the GMC punt, Jordan weaved his way through the Bulldog defense for a 58-yard touchdown and a 28-14 lead.
The Bulldogs answered with Phillips’ third touchdown of the game, a 43-yard catch and run to cut the Dragon lead to 28-21 at halftime.
Hutchinson’s defense set the tone early in the second half. Walker’s interception 7 yards to the GMC 31. One play later, Thomas caught his second touchdown pass, this one a 43-yarder with 8:56 to play in the third quarter for a 35-21 Dragon lead.
The Dragons’ next possession was a 10-play, 81-yard scoring march that was completed with a Collier 26-yard TD run with 2:32 to go for a 42-21 Hutchinson lead after three quarters.
The Dragons scored 21 points in the fourth quarter; Collier ran it in from 2 yards out with 13:20 remaining. Christian Johnson hit Donte Ferrell Jr. with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 12:01 to go and Johnson added a two-yard rushing touchdown with 9:14 to play in the game.
GAME NOTES – Hutchinson snapped a two-game postseason losing streak and are now 17-9-2 all-time in NJCAA postseason games. … The Dragons are 2-1 in the NJCAA National semifinals. … Head coach Drew Dallas is now 48-5 in his career at Hutchinson. … The Dragons are 5-1 against nationally ranked opponents this season. … Now with 1,731 career rushing yards, Waymond Jordan Jr., ranks seventh on the Blue Dragon career rushing chart. … Jordan’s 22 career rushing touchdowns ties Brian Grimes for fourth. … Samari Collier had 32 career passing touchdowns, which ties Robert Coates for fourth. … The Blue Dragons rushed for better than 300 yards for the fourth time this season and surpassed 500 total yards for the fifth time this season.
