FORT DODGE, Iowa – The Hutchinson Community College Football team needed a big second quarter to complete the seventh undefeated regular season in the 95-year history of the program on Saturday.
Hutchinson’s 16 points in the second quarter erased just the second deficit the team faced all season and the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons went on to defeat No. 11 Iowa Central 26-10 at Dodger Stadium.
The 2026 Jayhawk Conference Champion Blue Dragons clinched a berth in the four-team NJCAA Division I National Playoffs, which will be either November 20, 21 or 22. The NJCAA will announce the playoff field at 6 p.m. on Tuesday on the NJCAA Network.
With Saturday’s victory, the Blue Dragons complete the first 11-win regular season in program history and tie the 2014, 2022, 2024 and 2025 teams for most victories in a season.
Saturday’s win also extended a program record with its 30th-consecutive victory in a true road game, a streak that dates back to 2021.
Quarterback Randy Phillips completed 19 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Blue Dragons, who had 355 total yards against Iowa Central. Hutchinson passed for 225 yards and rushed for 120 yards on 36 carries.
Jeremiah Looney had seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Bobby Shaw III had three catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Karlan Ransom had four receptions for 41 yards.
JB Price led the Blue Dragon ground game with 43 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Ravelle Leak had eight carries for 39 yards and Ryan Campbell had 36 rushing yards on five carries.
Defensively, Dylan Gill and Juwon Springs had interceptions, each with their four picks of the season. Kameron Graham had a pair of quarterback sacks and a tackle for a safety late in the second quarter.
Freshman placekicker Parker Grizzell also had a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter, which tied the Blue Dragon single-season record for field goals with his 14th of the season.
The Blue Dragons stalled on downs on their first two possessions of the game deep in Iowa Central territory and could only come up with three points on first-quarter interceptions from Gill and Springs. That was Grizzell’s 21-yard field goal with 1:42 remaining in the first quarter.
Iowa Central then stunned the Blue Dragons on the first play after Grizzell’s kickoff. Triton running back Jace Quadrick got around the right side and dashed 88 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 Iowa Central lead with 1:27 to play in the first quarter.
The Tritons then tried to shock the Dragons again with an onside kick that was recovered by Hutchinson at its own 45. On third and three, Phillips was sacked, but the Tritons were called for a personal foul to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, the Dragons capped off the six-play drive when Shaw caught a 22-yard strike from Phillips in the back of the end zone for a touchdown and the Blue Dragons regained the lead at 10-7 with 13:08 to play in the second quarter.
Price’s 16-yard touchdown run made it 17-7 with 2:29 to go in the second quarter.
The Dragons got the ball back, but were forced to punt. Denzel More booted a 43-yard punt that was downed at the ICCC 2 with 55 seconds remaining in the first half. Iowa Central quarterback Nick Cyrus tried to run out of the end zone on first down and barely got to the Triton 1. The Dragons got the safety on the next play as Graham tackled Brock Natress three yards deep in the end zone to cap the 16-point quarter for a 19-7 Hutchinson lead at halftime.
The Blue Dragons took a 26-7 lead with 5:27 to go in the third quarter when Looney took a swing pass from Phillips and weaved his way for a 27-yard touchdown.
Iowa Central had the only scoring in the fourth quarter, a 43-yard Ashton Lutz field goal with 3:56 to play in the game.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 29-9 all-time in the KJCCC/ICCAC Alliance. … The Blue Dragons are now 11-1 all-time against Iowa Central, including six consecutive victories in the series. … The Dragons are 4-0 against nationally ranked opponents this season. … The Dragons are now 33-5 in the Drew Dallas era against nationally ranked opponents. … Parker Grizzell tied Kevin Coleman (2004) and Cole Segraves (2022) for the single-season program record with 14 made field goals. … Randy Phillips ups his season passing total to 2,245 yards. … Now with 43 receptions for the season, Jeremiah Looney is tied with Malik Benson (2021) for 16th on the single-season receptions list.
