By Hutchinson CC Sports Information
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (BlueDragonSports.com) – The No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team needed a defensive stop on the final play of the game to secure a victory over No. 1 Iowa Western on Saturday at Titan Stadium.
Back-up quarterback Christian Johnson scored a go-ahead touchdown with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter only to see Iowa Western score with 3 seconds remaining in regulation to pull within one points. The Blue Dragons forced an incomplete pass on the two-point try and the No. 2-ranked Blue Dragons defeated the No. 1 Reivers 38-37.
Hutchinson improved to 2-0 for the fourth time in the head coach Drew Dallas’ five seasons. Dallas also captured his 40th Blue Dragon victory. Iowa Western is 1-1.
The Blue Dragons led 21-7 after one quarter and 31-21 at halftime. Iowa Western tied the game at 31 when Hunter Dekkers stung the Blue Dragons with a 79-yard touchdown pass with 8:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Dragons answered with a 65-yard, nine-play scoring drive as Johnson bulled his way into the end zone from 2-yards out. With Nestus Burger‘s extra point, the Blue Dragons led 38-31 with 4:22 to play in the fourth quarter.
Iowa Western answered back on the arm of Dekkers, who completed 29 of 47 passes for 425 yards and five touchdowns. The Reivers drove 75 yards in 11 plays, converting on a third- and fourth-down play. With 3 seconds remaining, Dekkers hit Titus Myers in the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown to pull with 38-37. The Reivers elected to go for two and Dekkers’ pass was high and out of the back of the end zone to secure the victory.
Running back Waymond Jordan Jr. led the Blue Dragons’ offense with 178 yards on 25 carried and one touchdown. Quarterback Samari Collier rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries and two scores. Johnson rushed for 10 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Collier completed 8 of 11 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown. Johnson was 4 of 5 for 45 yards.
Benson Prosper led the Blue Dragon receivers with six catches and 78 yards. Ja’Cory Thomas had two catches for 54 yards.
Defensively, Kedrick Walker had nine tackles to lead the Blue Dragons Avian Rice had seven tackles. Rayshawn Reynolds finished with six tackles. The Dragons had one quarterback sack by Mickel Williams and Devan Lowe.
The Blue Dragons rushed for 255 yards and passed for 197 yards. The Dragons were out-gained by Iowa Western 538-452. The Reivers had 425 passing yards and 113 rushing yards.
The Blue Dragons scored on their first three possessions in the first quarter.
After Reynolds recovered a fumble forced by Kollin Collier at the Reiver 40, the Dragons needed six plays to score. Samari Collier went right up the middle and scored from 28 yards out for a 7-0 lead with 11:45 to play in the opening quarter.
Iowa Western immediately answered with a 70-yard, 12-play drive and tied the game on Lucci Fidone’s 10-yard touchdown pass from Dekkers to tie the game at 7-7.
The Dragons came right back with a three-play, 74-yard scoring march set up by Thomas’ 55-yard reception. Collier finished off the drive with a 2-yard run and the Dragons led 14-7 with 5:15 to go in the quarter.
Hutchinson took a 21-7 lead when tight end Tate Hoover‘s first career reception went for a 32-yard touchdown catch and run with 2:46 to play in the first quarter.
The teams traded scores in the twice in the second quarter.
After Jonathan Humpal’s 22-yard touchdown reception pulled the Reivers within 21-14, the Dragons took a 24-14 lead with a Burger 25-yard field goal with 4:47 to play.
Dekkers stung the Dragons two plays later with a 78-yard touchdown pass from Kevon Brown to pull within 24-21. The Dragons answered right back with a 77-yard scoring drive when Jordan broke loose for a 26-yard touchdown run with 1:35 to play to give the Dragons a 31-21 halftime lead.
The Blue Dragons and Reivers were scoreless in the third quarter, but Iowa Western made it 31-24 on a Max Bartachek 20-yard field goal with 12:26 to go in the fourth quarter. The Dragons went three-and-out on its next drive, Iowa Western tied the game on Dekker’s 79-yard touchdown pass to Myers with 8:43 to play.
After the IWCC kickoff went out of bounds, the Dragons took the ball over at the 35. The key play waw a 20-yard pass from Johnson to Aiden Bruce to the Iowa Western 9. Four plays later, Johnson smashed his way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:22 remaining.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons and Reivers are now 5-5 in their all-time series. The Dragons are 3-2 in games played in Council Bluffs. … The Blue Dragons now 17-2 in true road games under Drew Dallas, 18-3 in nationally ranked games and 14-3 in games facing Top 10 opponents. … The Blue Dragons are 3-1 in games when they play in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup. … Waymond Jordan Jr. has 353 rushing yards in two games this season. … The Blue Dragons had 209 total yards in the first half. … IWCC started the game converting 6 of its first 7 third-down conversions and went 1 for 7 for the remainder of the game.
