KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael A. Taylor homered and drove in four runs, and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Diego Padres 15-7 on Sunday.

Salvador Perez also went deep for Kansas City, and Hunter Dozier had four of the Royals' 18 hits. Nick Pratto drove in three runs, including a two-run double off Josh Hader during a six-run eighth.

Kansas City had dropped the first two games of the series and 11 of 15 overall.

Jonathan Heasley (2-7) struck out seven in five innings in his first win since June 10. He was charged with three earned runs and four hits.

Manny Machado homered twice and drove in four runs for San Diego, which had won four of six. Juan Soto connected for his third homer with the Padres, and Josh Bell added an RBI single in the ninth.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael A. Taylor homered and drove in four runs, and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Diego Padres 15-7 on Sunday.Salvador Perez also went deep for Kansas City, and Hunter Dozier had four of the Royals' 18 hits. Nick Pratto drove in three runs, including a two-run double off Josh Hader during a six-run eighth.Kansas City had dropped the first two games of the series and 11 of 15 overall.Jonathan Heasley (2-7) struck out seven in five innings in his first win since June 10. He was charged with three earned runs and four hits.Manny Machado homered twice and drove in four runs for San Diego, which had won four of six. Juan Soto connected for his third homer with the Padres, and Josh Bell added an RBI single in the ninth.

⚾ Royals outslug Padres Sunday

MANHATTAN, Kan. —The four-year starter for the Husker threw 45 touchdowns and 30 interceptions while starting in 38 of 39 games. "We're doing a lot of good things good-on-good and he's having to go against the first-team defense (in fall camp)," Klieman said. "Has he made mistakes? You bet, and he's owned the mistakes and he's learning from the mistakes, and it's going to take some game reps as well as him getting more comfortable with how Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1641">Collin Klein</a>&nbsp;calls it.

"Those two are on the same page, but I think it's going to take some repetition in games." The 32-year-old Klein enters his first full season as offensive coordinator. The 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist is eager to unfurl a varied attack that could cause opposing defenses headaches this season.

K-State opens its season against South Dakota on September 3 at Bill&nbsp;Snyder Family Stadium. Klein, during a meeting with reporters after a fall practice said, "He's been awesome." "He has a great foundation and football IQ," Klein added. "He's great to work with and we love studying the game. He's been great." Martinez is expected to replace record-setting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7990">Skylar Thompson</a>, who was taken by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. "I see (Martinez) playing so fast and so much faster from practice one to practice four to practice eight to practice 14 and 15," Klieman said. "He's getting more and more comfortable." Already, Martinez has apparently earned the trust of his teammates.&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KStateFB/status/1561783693294931969">They voted him as one of six team captains this past Sunday.</a>&nbsp;Martinez also served as team captain three years at Nebraska. He is the only player in Nebraska history to do so. Klieman said that Martinez "deserved the honor of being a captain" for the Wildcats. "Part of it is the position and part of it is the demeanor of Adrian, the personality of Adrian," Klieman said. "He's a very engaging person, a very positive guy, and very mature, and just the way he bonds with all sorts of different positions, and not just on the offensive side, but on the defensive side. "He deserved it. He earned the right from his peers. I'm excited for him because I know he's finally comfortable at Kansas State and knows he has high expectations and knows that he has a lot of people around him who can help him."

MANHATTAN, Kan. —The four-year starter for the Husker threw 45 touchdowns and 30 interceptions while starting in 38 of 39 games. "We're doing a lot of good things good-on-good and he's having to go against the first-team defense (in fall camp)," Klieman said. "Has he made mistakes? You bet, and he's owned the mistakes and he's learning from the mistakes, and it's going to take some game reps as well as him getting more comfortable with how Coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1641">Collin Klein</a>&nbsp;calls it. <figure>
 <img src="https://d3a5n34dhi6aoo.cloudfront.net/images/2022/8/25/E29I1071_web.jpg?width=1024&amp;height=576&amp;mode=crop" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> "Those two are on the same page, but I think it's going to take some repetition in games." The 32-year-old Klein enters his first full season as offensive coordinator. The 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist is eager to unfurl a varied attack that could cause opposing defenses headaches this season. <figure>
 <img src="https://www.kstatesports.com/common/controls/image_handler.aspx?thumb_id=0&amp;image_path=/images/2022/8/25/E29I0578_web.jpg" alt="" />
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 </figure><figure>
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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>K-State opens its season against South Dakota on September 3 at Bill&nbsp;Snyder Family Stadium. Klein, during a meeting with reporters after a fall practice said, "He's been awesome." "He has a great foundation and football IQ," Klein added. "He's great to work with and we love studying the game. He's been great." Martinez is expected to replace record-setting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7990">Skylar Thompson</a>, who was taken by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. "I see (Martinez) playing so fast and so much faster from practice one to practice four to practice eight to practice 14 and 15," Klieman said. "He's getting more and more comfortable." Already, Martinez has apparently earned the trust of his teammates.&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/KStateFB/status/1561783693294931969">They voted him as one of six team captains this past Sunday.</a>&nbsp;Martinez also served as team captain three years at Nebraska. He is the only player in Nebraska history to do so. Klieman said that Martinez "deserved the honor of being a captain" for the Wildcats. "Part of it is the position and part of it is the demeanor of Adrian, the personality of Adrian," Klieman said. "He's a very engaging person, a very positive guy, and very mature, and just the way he bonds with all sorts of different positions, and not just on the offensive side, but on the defensive side. "He deserved it. He earned the right from his peers. I'm excited for him because I know he's finally comfortable at Kansas State and knows he has high expectations and knows that he has a lot of people around him who can help him."

🏈 KSU FB: Martinez Amping Up For Final College Season

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Behind 18 kills at a .516 clip from freshman&nbsp;Shaylee Myers, K-State rolled to a straight-set victory over Florida A&amp;M, 25-14, 25-13, 25-16, to complete an undefeated season-opening weekend and claim the K-State Invitational title Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats (3-0) never trailed in beginning their season with three straight wins for the first time since 2013, holding Florida A&amp;M (0-3) to a -.041 team hitting percentage. K-State's offense owned a 42-18 edge in total kills while hitting at a .395 pace. Playing six rotations and averaging 2.60 kills per set and 1.90 digs a set in addition to eight service aces, senior transfer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9672">Elena Baka</a>&nbsp;was named K-State Invitational MVP. Baka was joined on the all-tournament team by senior middle blocker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8186">Sydney Bolding</a>, who hit .537 in averaging 2.44 kills per set and producing 10 total blocks. Myers, in her first extended action at outside hitter, turned in 11 kills in the third set alone, needing just 18 swings in committing one error (.556). The Lincoln, Nebraska, product added six kills in the second set and finished the match with four of the Wildcats' eight aces. Freshman setter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9677">Ava LeGrand</a>&nbsp;also saw action in all three sets, handing out a career-best 31 assists along with five digs. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9683">Brenna Schmidt</a>&nbsp;turned in her first collegiate kill and blocks, as K-State utilized 12 of 13 players on its roster Saturday. <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8072">Kadye Fernholz</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8092">Haley Warner</a>&nbsp;tied for second on the team with seven kills apiece. Fernholz, who needed just nine attacks, also had a team-high six blocks (five assists, one solo). As a team, K-State held its opponents to a combined .049 hitting percentage at the K-State Invitational. HOW IT HAPPENED Set One K-State tallied the first four points of the match behind the serve of Baka on its way to opening an 11-4 lead over FAMU. Six different Wildcats produced kills in the opening set, with three coming from Baka. The Cats strung together four different scoring runs of at least three points, including a four-point spurt that included two aces by Myers. Behind three team blocks, Florida A&amp;M was forced into seven errors while it tallied just seven kills for a .000 team efficiency. Dominique Washington was responsible for five of her team's seven kills in the stanza. Set Two K-State used an early seven-point run to create a 10-3 advantage. The stretch featured kills by four different players in Bolding, Fernholz, Myers and Warner. The Wildcats' lead swelled to 12 points, 19-7, after another four-point run. Myers led the offense with six kills on 11 attacks with just one error (.455) while Fernholz added three kills on three swings. Fernholz and LeGrand each racked up three blocks in helping the Cats to five total blocks, forcing the Rattlers into 10 errors against three kills for a -.280 team hitting percentage. Morris piled up eight of K-State's 12 digs. Set Three Baka's serve against sparked an early rally, as K-State tallied the first three points of the final set. The Cats' lead later pushed to nine points at 18-9 following a 4-1 burst, while FAMU managed to string together consecutive points just twice in the third set. Eleven more kills from Myers upped her match-high total to 18, which equaled the Ratter's total for the entire match. Myers hit .556 in the final set. The Cats totaled 18 kills in the frame and hit .417. Warner compiled three kills on just four swings while Fernholz added two kills on three attempts. FROM THE HEAD COACH Head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1693">Suzie Fritz</a> On using her team's depth against Florida A&amp;M… "It's a good weekend for us. Twenty-four hours to try and play three matches is pretty difficult on a team, so the thing I was most grateful for was we did our job early in the games and use our team and use our personnel and get sone people in the match. That was incredibly beneficial for us and then to sustain a level of consistent level of play as we worked people in and out of the match, that was the part for me that felt really good. It allowed us to put some rested people in and I thought they took advantage of their opportunities." On freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9684">Shaylee Myers'</a>&nbsp;performance… "Shaylee does that every day. That doesn't surprise us because that what's doing every day. She's making a run every day and making the outside hitter position really competitive. I think to do that as a freshman, to be able to come in and challenge in the way that she does, they all give us a little bit something different, but I don't have any doubt she's going to be in the mix for us." On K-State's offensive balance and setters in the first weekend… "The better teams we face, you can't really rely on one or two, but balancing your offense matters a lot. It's a lot harder to defend, of course, if you can get everyone rolling at the same time. I think we are getting pretty good production. I am really happy with our setters right now. I thought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8073">Loren Hinkle</a>&nbsp;was wonderful in the first couple of matches. I think [Ava] LeGrand came in and got us rolling as well. We are really happy. Distribution, a lot of times, is based on two things: your ability to handle the ball and then your setter's ability to distribute it. I think we are in a good place for this early in the season. INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

K-STATE INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9672">Elena Baka</a>, K-State (MVP) <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8186">Sydney Bolding</a>, K-State Ava Brizard, NC State Kristen McDaniel, NC State Madison Dyer, Sam Houston Dominique Washington, Florida A&amp;M UP NEXT K-State heads to Orlando, Florida, for the UCF Challenge, where it will take on Syracuse, North Florida and UCF over three days beginning Thursday. The Cats' contest at UCF on Saturday will be streamed live on ESPN+ while all three contests will have radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM) and online at K-StateSports.com/watch.

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– Behind 18 kills at a .516 clip from freshman&nbsp;Shaylee Myers, K-State rolled to a straight-set victory over Florida A&amp;M, 25-14, 25-13, 25-16, to complete an undefeated season-opening weekend and claim the K-State Invitational title Saturday afternoon at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats (3-0) never trailed in beginning their season with three straight wins for the first time since 2013, holding Florida A&amp;M (0-3) to a -.041 team hitting percentage. K-State's offense owned a 42-18 edge in total kills while hitting at a .395 pace. Playing six rotations and averaging 2.60 kills per set and 1.90 digs a set in addition to eight service aces, senior transfer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9672">Elena Baka</a>&nbsp;was named K-State Invitational MVP. Baka was joined on the all-tournament team by senior middle blocker&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8186">Sydney Bolding</a>, who hit .537 in averaging 2.44 kills per set and producing 10 total blocks. Myers, in her first extended action at outside hitter, turned in 11 kills in the third set alone, needing just 18 swings in committing one error (.556). The Lincoln, Nebraska, product added six kills in the second set and finished the match with four of the Wildcats' eight aces. Freshman setter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9677">Ava LeGrand</a>&nbsp;also saw action in all three sets, handing out a career-best 31 assists along with five digs. Freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9683">Brenna Schmidt</a>&nbsp;turned in her first collegiate kill and blocks, as K-State utilized 12 of 13 players on its roster Saturday. <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8072">Kadye Fernholz</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8092">Haley Warner</a>&nbsp;tied for second on the team with seven kills apiece. Fernholz, who needed just nine attacks, also had a team-high six blocks (five assists, one solo). As a team, K-State held its opponents to a combined .049 hitting percentage at the K-State Invitational. HOW IT HAPPENED Set One K-State tallied the first four points of the match behind the serve of Baka on its way to opening an 11-4 lead over FAMU. Six different Wildcats produced kills in the opening set, with three coming from Baka. The Cats strung together four different scoring runs of at least three points, including a four-point spurt that included two aces by Myers. Behind three team blocks, Florida A&amp;M was forced into seven errors while it tallied just seven kills for a .000 team efficiency. Dominique Washington was responsible for five of her team's seven kills in the stanza. Set Two K-State used an early seven-point run to create a 10-3 advantage. The stretch featured kills by four different players in Bolding, Fernholz, Myers and Warner. The Wildcats' lead swelled to 12 points, 19-7, after another four-point run. Myers led the offense with six kills on 11 attacks with just one error (.455) while Fernholz added three kills on three swings. Fernholz and LeGrand each racked up three blocks in helping the Cats to five total blocks, forcing the Rattlers into 10 errors against three kills for a -.280 team hitting percentage. Morris piled up eight of K-State's 12 digs. Set Three Baka's serve against sparked an early rally, as K-State tallied the first three points of the final set. The Cats' lead later pushed to nine points at 18-9 following a 4-1 burst, while FAMU managed to string together consecutive points just twice in the third set. Eleven more kills from Myers upped her match-high total to 18, which equaled the Ratter's total for the entire match. Myers hit .556 in the final set. The Cats totaled 18 kills in the frame and hit .417. Warner compiled three kills on just four swings while Fernholz added two kills on three attempts. FROM THE HEAD COACH Head coach&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1693">Suzie Fritz</a> On using her team's depth against Florida A&amp;M… "It's a good weekend for us. Twenty-four hours to try and play three matches is pretty difficult on a team, so the thing I was most grateful for was we did our job early in the games and use our team and use our personnel and get sone people in the match. That was incredibly beneficial for us and then to sustain a level of consistent level of play as we worked people in and out of the match, that was the part for me that felt really good. It allowed us to put some rested people in and I thought they took advantage of their opportunities." On freshman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9684">Shaylee Myers'</a>&nbsp;performance… "Shaylee does that every day. That doesn't surprise us because that what's doing every day. She's making a run every day and making the outside hitter position really competitive. I think to do that as a freshman, to be able to come in and challenge in the way that she does, they all give us a little bit something different, but I don't have any doubt she's going to be in the mix for us." On K-State's offensive balance and setters in the first weekend… "The better teams we face, you can't really rely on one or two, but balancing your offense matters a lot. It's a lot harder to defend, of course, if you can get everyone rolling at the same time. I think we are getting pretty good production. I am really happy with our setters right now. I thought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8073">Loren Hinkle</a>&nbsp;was wonderful in the first couple of matches. I think [Ava] LeGrand came in and got us rolling as well. We are really happy. Distribution, a lot of times, is based on two things: your ability to handle the ball and then your setter's ability to distribute it. I think we are in a good place for this early in the season. INSIDE THE BOX SCORE<ul>
 <li>K-State hit .395 as a team (42 kills, 10 errors, 81 attacks).</li><li>Florida A&amp;M turned in a -.041 hitting percentage (18 kills, 21 errors, 74 swings).</li><li>Myers led all players with 18 kills while hitting .516 (2 errors, 31 swings).</li><li>Myers also added four service aces.</li><li>Baka and Hinkle each served up a pair of aces, as K-State finished with eight in the match.</li><li>Fernholz and Warner each added seven kills, with Fernholz hitting at a .778 clip.</li><li>LeGrand dished out 31 assists along with five digs in her first extended action of the season.</li><li>Morris produced a team-leading 14 digs, finishing with 46 for the weekend.</li><li>The Cats totaled nine team blocks, with Fernholz leading the way with six (five assists, one solo).</li><li>Schmidt recorded her first kill and first blocks of her career.</li><li>K-State utilized 12 of 13 players on its roster.</li><li>Washington led FAMU with nine kills.</li><li>Aja Jones was second for the Rattlers with three kills.</li><li>Libero Brooke Hudson led FAMU with 13 digs.</li><li>Nina Sharpton tallied 16 assists.</li>
 </ul>NOTES<ul>
 <li>K-State leads the all-time series with Florida A&amp;M 3-0.</li><li>K-State starts the season 3-0 for the first time since 2013.</li><li>Morris, a junior, surpassed 800 career digs (812) atter recording 46 over three matches in the opening weekend.</li><li>Hinkle's five aces this weekend pushed her over 80 career aces, as the senior now sits at 84 career service aces.</li>
 </ul> K-STATE INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9672">Elena Baka</a>, K-State (MVP) <a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8186">Sydney Bolding</a>, K-State Ava Brizard, NC State Kristen McDaniel, NC State Madison Dyer, Sam Houston Dominique Washington, Florida A&amp;M UP NEXT K-State heads to Orlando, Florida, for the UCF Challenge, where it will take on Syracuse, North Florida and UCF over three days beginning Thursday. The Cats' contest at UCF on Saturday will be streamed live on ESPN+ while all three contests will have radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM) and online at K-StateSports.com/watch.

🏐 KSU VB: Wildcats Roll to Sweep of Rattlers, K-State Invitational Title

<a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=97b4af712e&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Box Score</a>

SALT LAKE CITY&nbsp;– At the conclusion of a two-day tournament, No. 23 Kansas volleyball went 3-0 in three matches after taking down the Loyola Marymount Lions 3-0 (28-26, 30-28, 25-12) on August 27 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. &nbsp; “We saw some really contrasting styles,” stated head coach Ray Bechard. “Today was a team that played lightning quick. It took us awhile to adjust. The third set, we started controlling with our pass and serving a little bit.” &nbsp; Set One Kansas came out hot with a kill by graduate transfer Lauren Dooley and super-seniors Rachel Langs Anezka Szabo to advance the Jayhawks to a 3-1 lead. Dooley collected a block solo to advance the Jayhawks to 9-8.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Lions seemed to have found their rhythm, but redshirt freshman Ayah Elnady tied up the set at 14. Set one was forced into extra points, but the Jayhawks came out on top 28-26. &nbsp; Set Two Dooley and Szabo came out of the gates strong with a double block to kick off set two. LMU took the lead early while the Jayhawks tried to keep up. After a 4-1 run for KU, Loyola Marymount was forced to call a timeout at 19-16. LMU continued to maintain control up until set point. Sophomore Caroline Bien tied up the match at 24 after a kill down the middle. It was back and forth, but back-to-back errors by the Lions closed out the set 30-28.&nbsp; &nbsp; Set Three The Jayhawks began set three with a three-point run. Langs and Szabo shut down the LMU offense with a double block early in the set to advance to 5-1. After an ace by redshirt freshman Brynn Kirsch and an attack error, Loyola Marymount had to call a timeout. Szabo went up to the net for a block solo to advance the Jayhawks 16-7. It wasn’t until Bien had a kill to move Kansas to an 11-point lead, 20-9. Set three would end with another Jayhawk victory 25-12. &nbsp; Important Notes

&nbsp;“Camryn Turner is making a lot of good choices,” said Bechard. “She extremely reliable right now and playing at a really good level.” &nbsp; &nbsp;Up Next The Jayhawks will head to West Point, N.Y. for the Black Knights Invitational hosted by Army. KU will kick off the tournament on September 2 at 12:30 p.m. CT and take on Temple followed by a match at 5 p.m. CT against host Army at the Gillis Field House.

<figure>
 <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1/images/778d1bcd-aaa2-ed62-56d3-bd1ed59b7056.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://kuathletics.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3846a6408b9536a51afeabac1&amp;id=97b4af712e&amp;e=33e05464a3" target="_blank">Box Score</a>SALT LAKE CITY&nbsp;– At the conclusion of a two-day tournament, No. 23 Kansas volleyball went 3-0 in three matches after taking down the Loyola Marymount Lions 3-0 (28-26, 30-28, 25-12) on August 27 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. &nbsp; “We saw some really contrasting styles,” stated head coach Ray Bechard. “Today was a team that played lightning quick. It took us awhile to adjust. The third set, we started controlling with our pass and serving a little bit.” &nbsp; Set One Kansas came out hot with a kill by graduate transfer Lauren Dooley and super-seniors Rachel Langs Anezka Szabo to advance the Jayhawks to a 3-1 lead. Dooley collected a block solo to advance the Jayhawks to 9-8.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Lions seemed to have found their rhythm, but redshirt freshman Ayah Elnady tied up the set at 14. Set one was forced into extra points, but the Jayhawks came out on top 28-26. &nbsp; Set Two Dooley and Szabo came out of the gates strong with a double block to kick off set two. LMU took the lead early while the Jayhawks tried to keep up. After a 4-1 run for KU, Loyola Marymount was forced to call a timeout at 19-16. LMU continued to maintain control up until set point. Sophomore Caroline Bien tied up the match at 24 after a kill down the middle. It was back and forth, but back-to-back errors by the Lions closed out the set 30-28.&nbsp; &nbsp; Set Three The Jayhawks began set three with a three-point run. Langs and Szabo shut down the LMU offense with a double block early in the set to advance to 5-1. After an ace by redshirt freshman Brynn Kirsch and an attack error, Loyola Marymount had to call a timeout. Szabo went up to the net for a block solo to advance the Jayhawks 16-7. It wasn’t until Bien had a kill to move Kansas to an 11-point lead, 20-9. Set three would end with another Jayhawk victory 25-12. &nbsp; Important Notes<ul>
 <li>Graduate transfer Lauren Dooley hit .765 with 13 kills on 17 attempts.</li><li>Sophomore Camryn Turner earned a double-double with 40 assists and 10 digs.</li><li>Super-senior Anezka Szabo recorded 11 kills, hitting .588.</li>
 </ul>&nbsp;“Camryn Turner is making a lot of good choices,” said Bechard. “She extremely reliable right now and playing at a really good level.” &nbsp; &nbsp;Up Next The Jayhawks will head to West Point, N.Y. for the Black Knights Invitational hosted by Army. KU will kick off the tournament on September 2 at 12:30 p.m. CT and take on Temple followed by a match at 5 p.m. CT against host Army at the Gillis Field House.

🏐 KU VB: Kansas Defeats Loyola Marymount in 3-0 Sweep

HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Rich with returning veterans, the Hutch High volleyball team finished the AVCTL Pre-season volleyball tournament at the SAC on Saturday with a 4-1 record.

Hutch defeated Garden City:&nbsp; 25-17, 25-15

Hutch defeated Wichita East: 25-12, 25-20

Hutch defeated Valley Center: 22-25, 25-13, 25-23

Next action for Hutch High will be a triangular meet on Tuesday, August 30th at 5pm vs Liberal and Haysville-Campust at the SAC.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Rich with returning veterans, the Hutch High volleyball team finished the AVCTL Pre-season volleyball tournament at the SAC on Saturday with a 4-1 record.Hutch defeated Garden City:&nbsp; 25-17, 25-15Hutch defeated Andover: 25-21, 25-10Hutch defeated Wichita East: 25-12, 25-20Hutch defeated Valley Center: 22-25, 25-13, 25-23Andale defeated Hutch: 22-25, 18-25Next action for Hutch High will be a triangular meet on Tuesday, August 30th at 5pm vs Liberal and Haysville-Campust at the SAC.

VB: Hutch High starts season 4-1 in AVCTL preseason tournament

By Steve Carpenter - Hutchinson Sports Information

Quarterback&nbsp;Dylan Laible&nbsp;threw five touchdown passes and the Hutchinson Community College defense did something on Saturday that hadn't happened since 1997.

The No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College Football team held a Navarro College team that averaged more than 504 yards and 40 points per game last season to 136 total yards and shut out the Bulldogs in a 42-0 season-opening triumph on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.

The Blue Dragon defense posted a shutout against a Navarro team that hadn't been shut out since the fifth game of the 1997 season (Navarro lost to Tyler 21-0), a span of 257 games.

Hutchinson's defense held the Bulldogs to 80 rushing yards and 136 yards through the air. The Dragons also forced five takeaways from the Bulldogs in the largest margin of victory in series history.

Offensively, Laible threw for five or more touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his career. Laible now has 48 career touchdown passes, two shy of Luke Barnes' career record of 50 touchdowns

Laible completed 13 of 18 passes for 278 yards. Laible moved into 3rd place on the Blue Dragon career passing yardage list with 3,921 yards.

Back-up quarterback Collin Shields was 6 of 12 passing for 63 yards.

Marcello Bussey&nbsp;caught a career-high five balls for 85 yards and two touchdowns.&nbsp;Malik Benson&nbsp;caught two passes for 112 yards and a 90-yard touchdown. That play was the fifth-longest passing play from scrimmage in team history.&nbsp;Micah Woods&nbsp;caught two passes, both for touchdowns, for 68 yards.

Tre Bess and Ed Williams were the Dragons' leading rushers with 45 yards each.

The Blue Dragons amassed 521 total yards against Navarro – 180 rushing yards and 341 passing yards. Navarro had 123 passing yards and 80 rushing yards.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons got interceptions from&nbsp;Jaden Mosley, Montero Smith and&nbsp;Ja'Maric Morris.&nbsp;Terry Kirksey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dylan Kedzior&nbsp;both had fumble recoveries.

The Blue Dragons scored on the opening drive of the season when Rontavius Richmond scampered 23 yards to the end zone to cap a three-play, 36-yard scoring drive for a 7-0 lead with 12;41 remaining in the opening quarter. The Dragons made it 14-0 late in the first quarter when Laible connected with Woods for a 50-yard touchdown pass.

Hutchinson broke the game open early in the second quarter with two touchdowns in a span of 17 seconds.

Laible connected with Bussey for a 48-yard scoring strike with 11:25 remaining in the second quarter after Kirksey recovered a fumble on Navarro's next offensive play, Laible and Bussey connected again for a 15-yard touchdown strike and a 28-0 lead with 11:08 remaining in the first half.

Just 3 minutes, 44 seconds later, Laible hit Benson in the flat and out-sprinted the Bulldog defense to the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown and a 35-0 Hutchinson lead with 7:24 to go.

Hutchinson had just one score in the second half when Woods caught Laible's fifth touchdown pass of the game on an 18-yard scoring reception. The Dragons led 42-0 with 12:09 remaining in the third quarter.

The Blue Dragons (1-0) are on the road for the first time next Saturday when they travel to Iowa Falls, Iowa to take on the Ellsworth Panthers.

GAME NOTES: Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas tied Andy Hill and Craig Jersild for sixth place on the Blue Dragons' coaching wins' list with 19. … Dallas is now 8-1 with the Blue Dragons in games against nationally ranked competition. … The Blue Dragons even the all-time series with Navarro at 2-2. … With Saturday's 90-yard touchdown pass,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/laible_dylan_elo2">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>&nbsp;now own four of the top 12 longest passes from scrimmage in team history. … Benson moved past Cortez Braham and DeQuan Bowman into fifth place on the Blue Dragon career receiving yards list, now with 1,341 yards. … Benson now has sixth-straight 100-yard receiving games dating back to last season. He has eight 100-yard receiving games for his career. … The Blue Dragons are now 54-35-1 all-time in season openers. … The Dragons have won seven games in a row.

<figure>
 <img src="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/photos/0001/fb082722.jpg?max_width=650" alt="Micah Woods catches one of his two touchdowns Saturday to help the No. 3 Blue Dragon football team defeat No. 13Navarro 42-0 on Saturday at Gowans Stadium. (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Micah Woods catches one of his two touchdowns Saturday to help the No. 3 Blue Dragon football team defeat No. 13Navarro 42-0 on Saturday at Gowans Stadium. (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>By Steve Carpenter - Hutchinson Sports InformationQuarterback&nbsp;Dylan Laible&nbsp;threw five touchdown passes and the Hutchinson Community College defense did something on Saturday that hadn't happened since 1997.The No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College Football team held a Navarro College team that averaged more than 504 yards and 40 points per game last season to 136 total yards and shut out the Bulldogs in a 42-0 season-opening triumph on Saturday at Gowans Stadium.The Blue Dragon defense posted a shutout against a Navarro team that hadn't been shut out since the fifth game of the 1997 season (Navarro lost to Tyler 21-0), a span of 257 games.Hutchinson's defense held the Bulldogs to 80 rushing yards and 136 yards through the air. The Dragons also forced five takeaways from the Bulldogs in the largest margin of victory in series history.Offensively, Laible threw for five or more touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his career. Laible now has 48 career touchdown passes, two shy of Luke Barnes' career record of 50 touchdownsLaible completed 13 of 18 passes for 278 yards. Laible moved into 3rd place on the Blue Dragon career passing yardage list with 3,921 yards.Back-up quarterback Collin Shields was 6 of 12 passing for 63 yards.Marcello Bussey&nbsp;caught a career-high five balls for 85 yards and two touchdowns.&nbsp;Malik Benson&nbsp;caught two passes for 112 yards and a 90-yard touchdown. That play was the fifth-longest passing play from scrimmage in team history.&nbsp;Micah Woods&nbsp;caught two passes, both for touchdowns, for 68 yards.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/onzn2OkYEoM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Tre Bess and Ed Williams were the Dragons' leading rushers with 45 yards each.The Blue Dragons amassed 521 total yards against Navarro – 180 rushing yards and 341 passing yards. Navarro had 123 passing yards and 80 rushing yards.Defensively, the Blue Dragons got interceptions from&nbsp;Jaden Mosley, Montero Smith and&nbsp;Ja'Maric Morris.&nbsp;Terry Kirksey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dylan Kedzior&nbsp;both had fumble recoveries.The Blue Dragons scored on the opening drive of the season when Rontavius Richmond scampered 23 yards to the end zone to cap a three-play, 36-yard scoring drive for a 7-0 lead with 12;41 remaining in the opening quarter. The Dragons made it 14-0 late in the first quarter when Laible connected with Woods for a 50-yard touchdown pass.Hutchinson broke the game open early in the second quarter with two touchdowns in a span of 17 seconds.Laible connected with Bussey for a 48-yard scoring strike with 11:25 remaining in the second quarter after Kirksey recovered a fumble on Navarro's next offensive play, Laible and Bussey connected again for a 15-yard touchdown strike and a 28-0 lead with 11:08 remaining in the first half.Just 3 minutes, 44 seconds later, Laible hit Benson in the flat and out-sprinted the Bulldog defense to the end zone for a 90-yard touchdown and a 35-0 Hutchinson lead with 7:24 to go.Hutchinson had just one score in the second half when Woods caught Laible's fifth touchdown pass of the game on an 18-yard scoring reception. The Dragons led 42-0 with 12:09 remaining in the third quarter.The Blue Dragons (1-0) are on the road for the first time next Saturday when they travel to Iowa Falls, Iowa to take on the Ellsworth Panthers.GAME NOTES: Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas tied Andy Hill and Craig Jersild for sixth place on the Blue Dragons' coaching wins' list with 19. … Dallas is now 8-1 with the Blue Dragons in games against nationally ranked competition. … The Blue Dragons even the all-time series with Navarro at 2-2. … With Saturday's 90-yard touchdown pass,&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/laible_dylan_elo2">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>&nbsp;now own four of the top 12 longest passes from scrimmage in team history. … Benson moved past Cortez Braham and DeQuan Bowman into fifth place on the Blue Dragon career receiving yards list, now with 1,341 yards. … Benson now has sixth-straight 100-yard receiving games dating back to last season. He has eight 100-yard receiving games for his career. … The Blue Dragons are now 54-35-1 all-time in season openers. … The Dragons have won seven games in a row.

🏈 FB: Blue Dragons win season opener over No. 13 Navarro

Frisco, TX- The Wind Surge defeated the Frisco RoughRiders 8-6 on Saturday night as Wichita’s seven-run third inning powered them to their second win in the series.

The RoughRiders scored four early runs in the first inning courtesy of an RBI single from Justin Foscue. Blaine Crim followed with a two-run RBI double and later scored on a sacrifice fly ball to give Frisco a 4-0 lead.

Crim led the way at the plate for Frisco where he finished the game three for four with two RBIs and a walk.

The Surge responded in the third inning where they scored seven runs and forced an early exit from Frisco starting pitcher Avery Weems. Austin Martin and Edouard Julien got the rally started with RBI singles and Jair Camargo followed with a sacrifice fly to score another run. Yunior Severino capitalized with a two-run home run to give Wichita a commanding 7-4 lead.

Wichita added an insurance run in the fifth inning behind a solo home run from Camargo to give the Surge an 8-6 lead. Camargo finished one for two with two RBIs and a walk in the game.

The Wind Surge will remain in first place leading Springfield by five games.

Frisco, TX- The Wind Surge defeated the Frisco RoughRiders 8-6 on Saturday night as Wichita’s seven-run third inning powered them to their second win in the series.The RoughRiders scored four early runs in the first inning courtesy of an RBI single from Justin Foscue. Blaine Crim followed with a two-run RBI double and later scored on a sacrifice fly ball to give Frisco a 4-0 lead.Crim led the way at the plate for Frisco where he finished the game three for four with two RBIs and a walk.The Surge responded in the third inning where they scored seven runs and forced an early exit from Frisco starting pitcher Avery Weems. Austin Martin and Edouard Julien got the rally started with RBI singles and Jair Camargo followed with a sacrifice fly to score another run. Yunior Severino capitalized with a two-run home run to give Wichita a commanding 7-4 lead.Wichita added an insurance run in the fifth inning behind a solo home run from Camargo to give the Surge an 8-6 lead. Camargo finished one for two with two RBIs and a walk in the game.The Wind Surge will remain in first place leading Springfield by five games.

Surge win Saturday over Frisco

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wil Myers hit a two-run homer against his former team, Yu Darvish recovered from a rocky start and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Saturday night.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Padres took the lead in the third and held on. Myers connected in the second, and San Diego went ahead on RBI singles by Manny Machado and Brandon Drury an inning later.

Darvish (11-7) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two. The right-hander has lasted at least six innings in 22 of his 24 starts, most in the National League.

Robert Suarez worked the eighth and Nick Martinez got three outs for his sixth save.

Kansas City scored three times in the first on Nick Pratto’s two-run double and an RBI single by Hunter Dozier.

After that, Darvish locked in. He retired 13 in a row and 17 of 18, and had a four-pitch inning in the fifth.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Wil Myers hit a two-run homer against his former team, Yu Darvish recovered from a rocky start and the San Diego Padres beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Saturday night.After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Padres took the lead in the third and held on. Myers connected in the second, and San Diego went ahead on RBI singles by Manny Machado and Brandon Drury an inning later.Darvish (11-7) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. He struck out six and walked two. The right-hander has lasted at least six innings in 22 of his 24 starts, most in the National League.Robert Suarez worked the eighth and Nick Martinez got three outs for his sixth save.Kansas City scored three times in the first on Nick Pratto’s two-run double and an RBI single by Hunter Dozier.After that, Darvish locked in. He retired 13 in a row and 17 of 18, and had a four-pitch inning in the fifth.

Padres win over Royals Saturday

STEVE CARPENTER HutchCC Sports Information

STERLING, Colo. – Adriana Delgado’s first collegiate goal was one to remember.

Delgado scored a game-winning goal with less than 3 minutes remaining in double overtime to lift the Hutchinson Community College Women’s Soccer team to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Northeastern Junior College on Saturday.

Delgado found a loose ball in the NJC box and hammered home the game winner with a strong left-footed shot from 15 yards out with 2:40 remaining in the second overtime.

The victory completed a historic comeback for Blue Dragon Soccer.

Before Saturday, the Blue Dragons had never rallied to win a game from a deficit of two or more goals. Hutchinson trailed NJC 2-0 with 12 minutes to play in the first half.

The victory snapped a seven-game winless streak in overtime for the Dragons.

This was the first overtime win since the Blue Dragons defeated Rose State 3-2 on Sept. 22, 2015. This was the first double-overtime win for Hutchinson since defeating Coffeyville 2-1 on Nov. 2, 2013 in the opening round of the Region VI Tournament.

The Blue Dragons are now 8-6-9 all-time in overtime games.

The Plainsmen scored in the 8th and 33rd minute to take that two-goal advantage over the Blue Dragons.

Hutchinson cut the deficit to a single goal late in the first half when sophomore Hadlie Lowe netted her fourth goal of the weekend with 6:39 remaining in the first half to cut the NJC lead to 2-1, which was the halftime score.

Now with 22 career goals, Lowe tied Kayla Delzer and Esther Karhayu for 16th on the Hutchinson career goals list.

The Blue Dragons scored the tying and go-ahead goals four minutes apart early in the second half.

Playing the ball off an Emma Scholl corner kick, Jayda Wyatt scored her first career goal with a header to tie the game at 2-all with 32 minutes remaining in the second half.

Wyatt and Scholl teamed up again to give Hutchinson a 3-2 lead, this time with Scholl scoring from a Wyatt assist, for a 3-2 Dragon lead with 28:04 left in regulation time.

The Plainsmen scored the equalizer with 12:47 to play in regulation, sending the game to overtime tied at 3-3.

The Blue Dragons fired 18 shots with eight shots on goal Northeastern cast 13 total shot with seven on goal.

Blue Dragon sophomore goalkeeper Madison Quarles had four saves.

Hutchinson (2-0) opens Jayhawk Conference play on Wednesday at Kansas City.

STEVE CARPENTER HutchCC Sports InformationSTERLING, Colo. – Adriana Delgado’s first collegiate goal was one to remember.Delgado scored a game-winning goal with less than 3 minutes remaining in double overtime to lift the Hutchinson Community College Women’s Soccer team to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Northeastern Junior College on Saturday.Delgado found a loose ball in the NJC box and hammered home the game winner with a strong left-footed shot from 15 yards out with 2:40 remaining in the second overtime.The victory completed a historic comeback for Blue Dragon Soccer.Before Saturday, the Blue Dragons had never rallied to win a game from a deficit of two or more goals. Hutchinson trailed NJC 2-0 with 12 minutes to play in the first half.The victory snapped a seven-game winless streak in overtime for the Dragons.This was the first overtime win since the Blue Dragons defeated Rose State 3-2 on Sept. 22, 2015. This was the first double-overtime win for Hutchinson since defeating Coffeyville 2-1 on Nov. 2, 2013 in the opening round of the Region VI Tournament.The Blue Dragons are now 8-6-9 all-time in overtime games.The Plainsmen scored in the 8th and 33rd minute to take that two-goal advantage over the Blue Dragons.Hutchinson cut the deficit to a single goal late in the first half when sophomore Hadlie Lowe netted her fourth goal of the weekend with 6:39 remaining in the first half to cut the NJC lead to 2-1, which was the halftime score.Now with 22 career goals, Lowe tied Kayla Delzer and Esther Karhayu for 16th on the Hutchinson career goals list.The Blue Dragons scored the tying and go-ahead goals four minutes apart early in the second half.Playing the ball off an Emma Scholl corner kick, Jayda Wyatt scored her first career goal with a header to tie the game at 2-all with 32 minutes remaining in the second half.Wyatt and Scholl teamed up again to give Hutchinson a 3-2 lead, this time with Scholl scoring from a Wyatt assist, for a 3-2 Dragon lead with 28:04 left in regulation time.The Plainsmen scored the equalizer with 12:47 to play in regulation, sending the game to overtime tied at 3-3.The Blue Dragons fired 18 shots with eight shots on goal Northeastern cast 13 total shot with seven on goal.Blue Dragon sophomore goalkeeper Madison Quarles had four saves.Hutchinson (2-0) opens Jayhawk Conference play on Wednesday at Kansas City.

⚽️  Dragons complete historic comeback with 2-1 2OT win

TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Hutchinson Community College Volleyball team completed a 4-0 weekend at the SOCO Classic at Trinidad State College on Saturday and extended its winning streak to 10 games.

The Blue Dragons opened Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Clarendon College (25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 25-20). Hutchinson then finished off its undefeated weekend with a sweep of Casper College (25-19, 25-11, 25-20).

The Blue Dragons improved to 10-2 overall. Hutchinson will travel to No. 17 Seward County on Wednesday night in a Jayhawk West matchup.

The last time the Blue Dragons had a winning streak of 10 or more games came in 2013 when Hutchinson had an 11-game winning streak. The last time the Dragons have had a win streak this long was eight games in the 2020/21 season.

Blue Dragon middles Blondie Penaflor and Anna Dean combined for 19 kills and 10 blocks to power the Blue Dragons against Clarendon.

Penaflor had a team-high 10 kills with four block assists and one solo block. Dean had nine kills with four block assists and a solo stuff block.

Freshman Taniya Golden chipped in eight blocks, while sophomore Sophie Connor had six kills and three block assists.

Sophomore setter Andrea Serrano posted her fourth double-double of the season with 20 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Giovanna Ravenhani had eight assists and freshman Kaitlin Yoder had six assists.

Alejandra Briseno had 10 digs with Perrine Blanc adding eight digs.

Blanc, sophomore Morgan Harvey, Ravenhani and sophomore Chloe Conway all had a service ace.

The Blue Dragons won the first two sets, but dropped a tightly contested third set.

Connor had a season-high 10 kills to lead the Blue Dragons’ sweep of Casper in the Classic finale.

Sophomore Baylee Miller finished with nine kills. Golden had seven kills and a team-high five total blocks, including two solo stuffs. Dean finished with six kills and five total blocks.

Serrano had 18 assists and Ravenhani added 16 assists.

Harvey tallied two service aces with one each from Briseno and Ravenhani.

Perrine finished with eight digs. Briseno had seven digs.

TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Hutchinson Community College Volleyball team completed a 4-0 weekend at the SOCO Classic at Trinidad State College on Saturday and extended its winning streak to 10 games.The Blue Dragons opened Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Clarendon College (25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 25-20). Hutchinson then finished off its undefeated weekend with a sweep of Casper College (25-19, 25-11, 25-20).The Blue Dragons improved to 10-2 overall. Hutchinson will travel to No. 17 Seward County on Wednesday night in a Jayhawk West matchup.The last time the Blue Dragons had a winning streak of 10 or more games came in 2013 when Hutchinson had an 11-game winning streak. The last time the Dragons have had a win streak this long was eight games in the 2020/21 season.CLARENDON RECAPBlue Dragon middles Blondie Penaflor and Anna Dean combined for 19 kills and 10 blocks to power the Blue Dragons against Clarendon.Penaflor had a team-high 10 kills with four block assists and one solo block. Dean had nine kills with four block assists and a solo stuff block.Freshman Taniya Golden chipped in eight blocks, while sophomore Sophie Connor had six kills and three block assists.Sophomore setter Andrea Serrano posted her fourth double-double of the season with 20 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Giovanna Ravenhani had eight assists and freshman Kaitlin Yoder had six assists.Alejandra Briseno had 10 digs with Perrine Blanc adding eight digs.Blanc, sophomore Morgan Harvey, Ravenhani and sophomore Chloe Conway all had a service ace.The Blue Dragons won the first two sets, but dropped a tightly contested third set.CASPER RECAPConnor had a season-high 10 kills to lead the Blue Dragons’ sweep of Casper in the Classic finale.Sophomore Baylee Miller finished with nine kills. Golden had seven kills and a team-high five total blocks, including two solo stuffs. Dean finished with six kills and five total blocks.Serrano had 18 assists and Ravenhani added 16 assists.Harvey tallied two service aces with one each from Briseno and Ravenhani.Perrine finished with eight digs. Briseno had seven digs.

🏐 Dragons post first 10-game win streak since 2013

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dylan Laible had as many touchdown passes Saturday afternoon as he did incompletions: five.

The 6-5 quarterback from Little Elm, Texas, is in his third season with the Blue Dragons after getting an extra year of eligibility from the pandemic. Coach Drew Dallas said Laible had that veteran look in the season opener against No. 13 Navarro.

"There was just a different look in Dylan's eyes," Dallas said, referencing Laible's ability to see the defense better pre-snap and make necessary adjustments.

Laible went 13 of 18 for 278 yards and five touchdowns. His day was done early in the third quarter, something reminiscent of the Dragons six-game run to finish the season No. 5 in the country last year before the playoff.

While the passing game stole the show Saturday, it was actually the run game that put the first points on the board.

Rontavious Richmond broke free on a 23-yard scamper to put Hutchinson on top 7-0 with less than three minutes of game time gone.

From there, Laible found Micah Woods once, Marcello Bussey twice, and Malik Benson once to close out the first half.

The longest touchdown play of the day went to the nation's top recruit, Malik Benson. The Alabama commit took a short pass from Laible and turned it into a 90-yard touchdown.

The Dragons took a 35-0 lead into the locker room thanks to the 50-yard bomb to Woods, the 48-yard dagger to Bussey, a 15-yard shot to Bussey that came one play after a Terry Kirksey fumble recovery,&nbsp;and the short pass that went 90 yards to Benson.

Kirksey, a 6-3 sophomore, led Hutchinson with five tackles, two for loss.

The Dragons allowed 216 yards, only 80 on the ground. Hutchinson's offense put up 521 yards, 341 came through the air.

The Dragons missed long field goal opportunities from 41, 40 and 50. The 50-yard field goal would have set a Blue Dragon record. Kicker Cole Segraves actually made the kick from 50, but the play was blown dead for a timeout as the play clock expired. On the attempt, Segraves was hurt. Connor Gellender stepped in for the long kick and came up just short.

The Dragons forced three fumbles, recovered two, and intercepted the Bulldogs three times.

Hutchinson's special teams took advantage of a gap in Navarro's return formation. The sky and squib kicks offered the Dragons more offensive opportunity. "The wind played tricks and gave us a short field," Dallas said of Navarro's muffed kick returns.

The Dragons did have 12 penalties for 110 yards, but Dallas said many of those infractions were "effort" penalties that were hard to criticize.

"They flew around, they played hard, they played together," Dallas said of his team's 42-0 victory.

Laible found Woods again early in the third quarter. The 18-yard TD pass capped a six-play, 65-yard drive. That drive marked the longest of the day for Hutchinson as the previous five drives took three plays or fewer.

Hutchinson is on the road next Saturday to play Ellsworth in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

The Panthers (0-1) lost 48-25 earlier this week at DuPage.

<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661635332839.jpeg" alt="Dylan Laible (7) threw for five touchdowns Saturday. He had touchdowns of 50, 48, 15, 90 and 18 yards." />
 <figcaption>Dylan Laible (7) threw for five touchdowns Saturday. He had touchdowns of 50, 48, 15, 90 and 18 yards.</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAREN DUNN Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dylan Laible had as many touchdown passes Saturday afternoon as he did incompletions: five.The 6-5 quarterback from Little Elm, Texas, is in his third season with the Blue Dragons after getting an extra year of eligibility from the pandemic. Coach Drew Dallas said Laible had that veteran look in the season opener against No. 13 Navarro."There was just a different look in Dylan's eyes," Dallas said, referencing Laible's ability to see the defense better pre-snap and make necessary adjustments.Laible went 13 of 18 for 278 yards and five touchdowns. His day was done early in the third quarter, something reminiscent of the Dragons six-game run to finish the season No. 5 in the country last year before the playoff.While the passing game stole the show Saturday, it was actually the run game that put the first points on the board.Rontavious Richmond broke free on a 23-yard scamper to put Hutchinson on top 7-0 with less than three minutes of game time gone.From there, Laible found Micah Woods once, Marcello Bussey twice, and Malik Benson once to close out the first half.The longest touchdown play of the day went to the nation's top recruit, Malik Benson. The Alabama commit took a short pass from Laible and turned it into a 90-yard touchdown.The Dragons took a 35-0 lead into the locker room thanks to the 50-yard bomb to Woods, the 48-yard dagger to Bussey, a 15-yard shot to Bussey that came one play after a Terry Kirksey fumble recovery,&nbsp;and the short pass that went 90 yards to Benson.Kirksey, a 6-3 sophomore, led Hutchinson with five tackles, two for loss.The Dragons allowed 216 yards, only 80 on the ground. Hutchinson's offense put up 521 yards, 341 came through the air.The Dragons missed long field goal opportunities from 41, 40 and 50. The 50-yard field goal would have set a Blue Dragon record. Kicker Cole Segraves actually made the kick from 50, but the play was blown dead for a timeout as the play clock expired. On the attempt, Segraves was hurt. Connor Gellender stepped in for the long kick and came up just short.The Dragons forced three fumbles, recovered two, and intercepted the Bulldogs three times.Hutchinson's special teams took advantage of a gap in Navarro's return formation. The sky and squib kicks offered the Dragons more offensive opportunity. "The wind played tricks and gave us a short field," Dallas said of Navarro's muffed kick returns.The Dragons did have 12 penalties for 110 yards, but Dallas said many of those infractions were "effort" penalties that were hard to criticize."They flew around, they played hard, they played together," Dallas said of his team's 42-0 victory.Laible found Woods again early in the third quarter. The 18-yard TD pass capped a six-play, 65-yard drive. That drive marked the longest of the day for Hutchinson as the previous five drives took three plays or fewer.FINAL: Hutchinson 42 Navarro 0Hutchinson is on the road next Saturday to play Ellsworth in Iowa Falls, Iowa.The Panthers (0-1) lost 48-25 earlier this week at DuPage.<a href="https://hutchpost.com/download" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to download the Hutch Post mobile app. <a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/5e73b532afae0f4d5f5d90ea" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏈  FB: No. 3 Dragons dominant in opener

By Steve Carpenter Hutchinson CC Sports Information Director

The past two seasons have been extraordinary for the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon football team.

Within a nine-month span, the Blue Dragons captured three championships - the 2020-21 KJCCC and NJCAA national championship and 2021 Jayhawk Conference playoff championship.

Over that time, the Blue Dragons won 17 of 19 games and enter the 2022 season riding a six-game winning streak.

For third-year Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas, that high level of success has turned into a benchmark for his program.

"The returners have been through a successful season and they know what the expectation is," Dallas said. "Now what we do is not just an expectation, but it's a standard. This is what we do and how we do it. This is now the baseline of what we do."

The preseason No. 3-ranked Blue Dragons open the 2022 season on Saturday against No. 13 Navarro at 1 p.m. at Gowans Stadium.

The 2021 Blue Dragons had a slow start, going just 3-2. Hutchinson then caught fire with six-straight wins, including outscoring three KJCCC playoff opponents 168-19 and rolling up 707 total yards on a 66-34 Salt City Bowl win over No. 8 Hinds last December.

For the first time in Dallas' three seasons at the helm, the Blue Dragons had a normal off-season.

Remember, from the time Hutchinson captured the 2020-21 national championship to the opening night of the 2021 season, the returning Blue Dragon players and the coaches had only six weeks in between seasons.

"From a mental refresher standpoint, getting back to what we know is normal is a big thing," Dallas said of having a full spring and summer routine of rest, spring ball and summer workouts.

"Getting a full off-season was big for us. There were a lot of big strides made in the weight room and summer conditioning and the skill-set development we got there has been big, too."

Looking forward to the 2022, the Blue Dragons have 11 total starters (5 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams) returning from last year's 9-2 team that tied for third in the Jayhawk Conference, but impressively swept through the KJCCC playoffs and Salt City Bowl.

Offensively, all eyes will be on what became a dynamic duo in quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/laible_dylan_elo2">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;and big-play receiver&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>.

"Malik and Dylan know each other well," Dallas said. "They work well together and the connection they had continued to grow throughout the course of the season. Having a player like Malik on the edge, there is always a chance for an explosive play. Dylan is a strong-armed quarterback. Those two things go hand-in-hand."

Last season, Laible threw for the third-best single season in Blue Dragon history with 2,861 yards and tied for the second-most touchdown passes with 32.

Benson, a University of Alabama commit, had a single-season record 1,229 receiving yards with nine touchdowns.

Laible and Benson linked up for the fifth-longest (87) and ninth-longest (82) passes from scrimmage in single-game history last season.

2021 OFFENSE Despite some sluggish moments early in the 2021 season, the Blue Dragons still averaged 40.3 points and 461.3 total yards per game last season.

Led by 2021 KJCCC Offensive Player of the Year Anwar Lewis, the Blue Dragons averaged 182.9 rushing yards per game with 23 touchdowns. Hutchinson passed for 278.4 yards per contest, the second-highest average in team history.

The 2021 Dragons were lethal inside the red zone, scoring 77.6 percent of the time. That number climbed to 88.9 percent (24 of 27) during the six-game win streak.

2021 DEFENSE With back-to-back shutouts in the playoffs, the 2021 Blue Dragon defense allowed just 17.5 points per game.

The Dragons allowed 292.7 total yards - 104.5 yards on the ground and 188.3 yards through the air.

The Blue Dragons did force 21 takeaways and produced 48 quarterback sacks last season.

The Dragons were solid in the red zone, allowing scores 53 percent of the time and only nine touchdowns were relinquished in 30 red zone situations.

QUARTERBACKS With two seasons experience, Laible (6-5, 190, Little Elm, TX) will pull the trigger on the Blue Dragon offense.

Laible completed 158 of 282 passes for 2,861 yards with 32 touchdowns last season. Laible has 15 starts in his Blue Dragon career.

"Dylan has a lot of starts under his belt and he has played in some big games for us," Dallas said. "He's had his ups and downs, too. He's made tremendous strides and he's come a long way since he's been here."

Collin Shields (6-1, 200, Maize South) also returns. Shields, in limited duty, completed 7 of 10 passes for 72 yards with a touchdown.

RUNNING BACKS The Blue Dragons will have to replace a 1,000-yard rusher in Lewis and Tye Edwards – he was the MVP of both the NJCAA Championship Game and the 2021 Salt City Bowl. Those two players combined for 1,536 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

Still, the Blue Dragons return four running backs and all have seen solid playing time.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/kedzior_dylan_601l">Dylan Kedzior</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 207, Claremore, OK), like Laible is a third-year sophomore who played on the national championship team. Kedzior has 18 games played as a Blue Dragons with 353 career yards and three touchdowns.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/simmons_jaheim_h2xm">Jaheim Simmons</a>&nbsp;(5-9, 192, Pensacola, FL) played in 10 games, but saw significant duty late in the season. Simmons racked up 197 yards on 47 carries and scored five touchdowns.

"Fortunately we have four guys coming back who have playing time," Dallas said. "That's going to help us."

RECEIVERS/TIGHT END Three starters and five letter winners return to this position group.

With the likelihood that Benson will see a lot of blanket coverage, there is an opportunity for another Blue Dragon receiver to have a breakout season.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/woods_micah_qrwd">Micah Woods</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 182, Pinson, AL) started last season and had 17 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/bussey_marcello_ub6p">Marcello Bussey</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 230, Junction City) had six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

Also look for redshirts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/roper_darby_wdm8">Darby Roper</a>&nbsp;(5-10, 172, Haven) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/logan_tariq_e8an">Tariq Logan</a>&nbsp;(5-11, 174, Coffeyville) to be in the mix this season.

"People are going to know who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>&nbsp;is when we step on the field each Saturday," Dallas said. "We will have to find ways to keep him involved, but he should be able to open things up for others.

"We have a good group of guys in the receivers' room who are capable to making big plays."

As for the tight end/H-back position, two players return.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/chislom_jamauri_0uay">Jamauri Chislom</a>&nbsp;(6-1, 283, Jackson Gap, AL) has just one reception in two years, but does the dirty work that made him a two-time first-team all-KJCCC selection.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hayden_sloan_bbiq">Sloan Hayden</a>&nbsp;(6-4, 240, Eudora, KS) had one reception for seven yards in seven games last season.

"I'm really excited to see what Jamauri will bring to us. He's a big, physical presence and continues to work hard in the weight room," Dallas said. "Sloan played a lot of reps last fall, but in the off-season, he's made one of the biggest improvements overall."

OFFENSIVE LINE Last season, the Blue Dragons had six starters returning from the national championship team on the offensive line.

For the 2022 season, only all-conference selection&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hall_brandon_6q9s">Brandon Hall</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 332, Ellenwood, GA) is the lone returning starter.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/barlow_hunter_9wcq">Hunter Barlow</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 356, Haven HS) also played in 10 games on a deep offensive line last season.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/porter_troy_f5hh">Troy Porter</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 300, Baton Rouge, LA) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/vimahi_izaya_rb2t">Izaya Vimahi</a>&nbsp;(6-5, 396, Kahuku, HI) also saw playing time last season.

Redshirts J'onre Reed (6-2, 315, Houston, TX) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/schuster_dez-mond_0ra7">Dez'Mond Schuster</a>&nbsp;(6-5, 313, Gonzales, LA) will also be in the mix.

Over the last two seasons, the Blue Dragon offensive line has produced eight all-conference players, four All-Americans and 11 four-year linemen.

"I would like to use the term 'reload' because I think this group will pick right up where the last group left off," Dallas said. "<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hall_brandon_6q9s">Brandon Hall</a>&nbsp;has played a ton of reps for up and we expect him to be a leader.

"I think the O-line could be a position of strength. We have a lot of good kids. We just have to find the right mix."

DEFENSIVE LINE This position group was hit hardest by graduation from last season. No starters and only three letter winners return from a dominant group that constantly put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Third-year defensive tackle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/schofield_jakobe_7fp0">JaKobe Schofield</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 284, Wagener, SC) has played in 16 games in his career and has shown flashes of being a dominant defensive tackle. He has 15 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in his career.

"Losing Jalen Bass and Demeco Roland up there are big losses for us," Dallas said. "JaKobe needs to find the consistency. He has the skill set to be great, but he was still coming into his own physically. He's made big strides in the weight room and that's transitioned to the practice field."

Also returning on the interior is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/matina_stephen_eb31">Stephen Matina</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 354, Lansing, KS), who played in nine games last season and had four tackles with one sack.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/lamar_adam_unip">Adam Lamar</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 287, Macon, GA) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/stillman_xavier_ec1z">Xavier Stillman</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 266, St. Joseph, MO) are redshirts returning who will battle for playing time.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/taylor_nikko_9nhe">Nikko Taylor</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 237, Overland Park) is the only defensive end returning from last year. He played in all 11 games and had 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and one blocked kick.

"We have a lot of guys who will battle. Nikko saw a lot of reps last year. Again, we have to find the right combination."

Redshirts back for 2022 are Emmanuel Cannon (6-4, 230, Snellville, GA),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/jones_jaden_e2v5">Jaden Jones</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 45, Montgomery, AL) and James Yelbert (6-5, 246, Wilmington, DE).

LINEBACKERS The linebacker position group has the most returning starters with three starters and one other letter winner back.

Both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/drummer_ja-mez_cv52">Ja'Mez Drummer</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 210, Stanford, FL) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/evans_r.j._sj3u">R.J. Evans</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 220, Hanceville, AL) had impactful seasons for the Blue Dragons in 2021, especially during the six-game winning streak. Both were all-KJCCC honorable mention selections.

Evans is a fourth-year sophomore who had 57 total tackles with 10 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks, an interception and blocked kick. he also had eight quarterback hurries.

Drummer had 43 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 quarterback sacks.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/kirksey_terry_evb1">Terry Kirksey</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 233, Theodore, AL) is the third returning starter. He had 22 tackles with an interception and two passes broken up.

"<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/evans_r.j._sj3u">R.J. Evans</a>&nbsp;is back for a fourth season after a redshirt year and covid year," Dallas said. "He was a tight end/H-back when he got here, but made the transition over. Last year was the first season, R.J. really felt comfortable at linebacker.

DEFENSIVE BACKS <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/jackson_dasheen_tva1">Dasheen Jackson</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 197, Columbus, GA) is the lone returning starter in the secondary at safety. A third-year sophomore, Jackson has 31 tackles and three passes broken up.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/thomas_jalik_t0ea">Jalik Thomas</a>&nbsp;(5-11, 195, Macon, GA) played a lot as a backup. The third-year sophomore had 27 tackles and six passes broken up at safety last season.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hinton_terrente_qq6o">Terrente Hinton</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 197, Saraland, AL), Philippe Manga (6-0, 197, Nickerson),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/mosley_jaden_03k4">Jaden Mosley</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 2-7, Eightmile, AL),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/smith_monterio_j5t6">Monterio Smith</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 186, Irondale, AL) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/wunderly_will_6a55">Will Wunderly</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 172, Fort Scott) are all redshirts who are back.

"We have some really good depth back there. It's just going to take some time who it will be."

SPECIAL TEAMS <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/ngo_ashton_vp1q">Ashton Ngo</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 226, Andover) is already a highly sought long snapper who returns for the Blue Dragons.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/thomas_jalik_t0ea">Jalik Thomas</a>&nbsp;has returned 14 kickoffs in his two-year Blue Dragon career. He averaged 24.9 yards per return and has a school-record 100-yard kickoff return to his credit.

<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/whiteman_trevor_vo0f">Trevor Whiteman</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 186, Udall, KS) was a backup punter last season. He averaged 34.3 yards per punt on 11 punts last season.

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL

<figure>
 <img src="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/photos/0001/fb082622.jpg?max_width=650" alt="Malik Benson and the No. 3 Blue Dragon football open opens the 2022 season on Saturday against No. 13 Navarro at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Gowans Stadium (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)" />
 <figcaption>Malik Benson and the No. 3 Blue Dragon football open opens the 2022 season on Saturday against No. 13 Navarro at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Gowans Stadium (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)</figcaption>
 </figure>By Steve Carpenter Hutchinson CC Sports Information DirectorThe past two seasons have been extraordinary for the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon football team.Within a nine-month span, the Blue Dragons captured three championships - the 2020-21 KJCCC and NJCAA national championship and 2021 Jayhawk Conference playoff championship.Over that time, the Blue Dragons won 17 of 19 games and enter the 2022 season riding a six-game winning streak.For third-year Blue Dragon head coach Drew Dallas, that high level of success has turned into a benchmark for his program."The returners have been through a successful season and they know what the expectation is," Dallas said. "Now what we do is not just an expectation, but it's a standard. This is what we do and how we do it. This is now the baseline of what we do."The preseason No. 3-ranked Blue Dragons open the 2022 season on Saturday against No. 13 Navarro at 1 p.m. at Gowans Stadium.The 2021 Blue Dragons had a slow start, going just 3-2. Hutchinson then caught fire with six-straight wins, including outscoring three KJCCC playoff opponents 168-19 and rolling up 707 total yards on a 66-34 Salt City Bowl win over No. 8 Hinds last December.For the first time in Dallas' three seasons at the helm, the Blue Dragons had a normal off-season.Remember, from the time Hutchinson captured the 2020-21 national championship to the opening night of the 2021 season, the returning Blue Dragon players and the coaches had only six weeks in between seasons."From a mental refresher standpoint, getting back to what we know is normal is a big thing," Dallas said of having a full spring and summer routine of rest, spring ball and summer workouts."Getting a full off-season was big for us. There were a lot of big strides made in the weight room and summer conditioning and the skill-set development we got there has been big, too."Looking forward to the 2022, the Blue Dragons have 11 total starters (5 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams) returning from last year's 9-2 team that tied for third in the Jayhawk Conference, but impressively swept through the KJCCC playoffs and Salt City Bowl.Offensively, all eyes will be on what became a dynamic duo in quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/laible_dylan_elo2">Dylan Laible</a>&nbsp;and big-play receiver&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>."Malik and Dylan know each other well," Dallas said. "They work well together and the connection they had continued to grow throughout the course of the season. Having a player like Malik on the edge, there is always a chance for an explosive play. Dylan is a strong-armed quarterback. Those two things go hand-in-hand."Last season, Laible threw for the third-best single season in Blue Dragon history with 2,861 yards and tied for the second-most touchdown passes with 32.Benson, a University of Alabama commit, had a single-season record 1,229 receiving yards with nine touchdowns.Laible and Benson linked up for the fifth-longest (87) and ninth-longest (82) passes from scrimmage in single-game history last season.2021 OFFENSE Despite some sluggish moments early in the 2021 season, the Blue Dragons still averaged 40.3 points and 461.3 total yards per game last season.Led by 2021 KJCCC Offensive Player of the Year Anwar Lewis, the Blue Dragons averaged 182.9 rushing yards per game with 23 touchdowns. Hutchinson passed for 278.4 yards per contest, the second-highest average in team history.The 2021 Dragons were lethal inside the red zone, scoring 77.6 percent of the time. That number climbed to 88.9 percent (24 of 27) during the six-game win streak.2021 DEFENSE With back-to-back shutouts in the playoffs, the 2021 Blue Dragon defense allowed just 17.5 points per game.The Dragons allowed 292.7 total yards - 104.5 yards on the ground and 188.3 yards through the air.The Blue Dragons did force 21 takeaways and produced 48 quarterback sacks last season.The Dragons were solid in the red zone, allowing scores 53 percent of the time and only nine touchdowns were relinquished in 30 red zone situations.QUARTERBACKS With two seasons experience, Laible (6-5, 190, Little Elm, TX) will pull the trigger on the Blue Dragon offense.Laible completed 158 of 282 passes for 2,861 yards with 32 touchdowns last season. Laible has 15 starts in his Blue Dragon career."Dylan has a lot of starts under his belt and he has played in some big games for us," Dallas said. "He's had his ups and downs, too. He's made tremendous strides and he's come a long way since he's been here."Collin Shields (6-1, 200, Maize South) also returns. Shields, in limited duty, completed 7 of 10 passes for 72 yards with a touchdown.RUNNING BACKS The Blue Dragons will have to replace a 1,000-yard rusher in Lewis and Tye Edwards – he was the MVP of both the NJCAA Championship Game and the 2021 Salt City Bowl. Those two players combined for 1,536 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.Still, the Blue Dragons return four running backs and all have seen solid playing time.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/kedzior_dylan_601l">Dylan Kedzior</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 207, Claremore, OK), like Laible is a third-year sophomore who played on the national championship team. Kedzior has 18 games played as a Blue Dragons with 353 career yards and three touchdowns.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/simmons_jaheim_h2xm">Jaheim Simmons</a>&nbsp;(5-9, 192, Pensacola, FL) played in 10 games, but saw significant duty late in the season. Simmons racked up 197 yards on 47 carries and scored five touchdowns."Fortunately we have four guys coming back who have playing time," Dallas said. "That's going to help us."RECEIVERS/TIGHT END Three starters and five letter winners return to this position group.With the likelihood that Benson will see a lot of blanket coverage, there is an opportunity for another Blue Dragon receiver to have a breakout season.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/woods_micah_qrwd">Micah Woods</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 182, Pinson, AL) started last season and had 17 receptions for 238 yards and three touchdowns.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/bussey_marcello_ub6p">Marcello Bussey</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 230, Junction City) had six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns.Also look for redshirts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/roper_darby_wdm8">Darby Roper</a>&nbsp;(5-10, 172, Haven) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/logan_tariq_e8an">Tariq Logan</a>&nbsp;(5-11, 174, Coffeyville) to be in the mix this season."People are going to know who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/benson_malik_obrm">Malik Benson</a>&nbsp;is when we step on the field each Saturday," Dallas said. "We will have to find ways to keep him involved, but he should be able to open things up for others."We have a good group of guys in the receivers' room who are capable to making big plays."As for the tight end/H-back position, two players return.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/chislom_jamauri_0uay">Jamauri Chislom</a>&nbsp;(6-1, 283, Jackson Gap, AL) has just one reception in two years, but does the dirty work that made him a two-time first-team all-KJCCC selection.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hayden_sloan_bbiq">Sloan Hayden</a>&nbsp;(6-4, 240, Eudora, KS) had one reception for seven yards in seven games last season."I'm really excited to see what Jamauri will bring to us. He's a big, physical presence and continues to work hard in the weight room," Dallas said. "Sloan played a lot of reps last fall, but in the off-season, he's made one of the biggest improvements overall."OFFENSIVE LINE Last season, the Blue Dragons had six starters returning from the national championship team on the offensive line.For the 2022 season, only all-conference selection&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hall_brandon_6q9s">Brandon Hall</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 332, Ellenwood, GA) is the lone returning starter.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/barlow_hunter_9wcq">Hunter Barlow</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 356, Haven HS) also played in 10 games on a deep offensive line last season.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/porter_troy_f5hh">Troy Porter</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 300, Baton Rouge, LA) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/vimahi_izaya_rb2t">Izaya Vimahi</a>&nbsp;(6-5, 396, Kahuku, HI) also saw playing time last season.Redshirts J'onre Reed (6-2, 315, Houston, TX) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/schuster_dez-mond_0ra7">Dez'Mond Schuster</a>&nbsp;(6-5, 313, Gonzales, LA) will also be in the mix.Over the last two seasons, the Blue Dragon offensive line has produced eight all-conference players, four All-Americans and 11 four-year linemen."I would like to use the term 'reload' because I think this group will pick right up where the last group left off," Dallas said. "<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hall_brandon_6q9s">Brandon Hall</a>&nbsp;has played a ton of reps for up and we expect him to be a leader."I think the O-line could be a position of strength. We have a lot of good kids. We just have to find the right mix."DEFENSIVE LINE This position group was hit hardest by graduation from last season. No starters and only three letter winners return from a dominant group that constantly put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.Third-year defensive tackle&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/schofield_jakobe_7fp0">JaKobe Schofield</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 284, Wagener, SC) has played in 16 games in his career and has shown flashes of being a dominant defensive tackle. He has 15 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in his career."Losing Jalen Bass and Demeco Roland up there are big losses for us," Dallas said. "JaKobe needs to find the consistency. He has the skill set to be great, but he was still coming into his own physically. He's made big strides in the weight room and that's transitioned to the practice field."Also returning on the interior is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/matina_stephen_eb31">Stephen Matina</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 354, Lansing, KS), who played in nine games last season and had four tackles with one sack.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/lamar_adam_unip">Adam Lamar</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 287, Macon, GA) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/stillman_xavier_ec1z">Xavier Stillman</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 266, St. Joseph, MO) are redshirts returning who will battle for playing time.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/taylor_nikko_9nhe">Nikko Taylor</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 237, Overland Park) is the only defensive end returning from last year. He played in all 11 games and had 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and one blocked kick."We have a lot of guys who will battle. Nikko saw a lot of reps last year. Again, we have to find the right combination."Redshirts back for 2022 are Emmanuel Cannon (6-4, 230, Snellville, GA),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/jones_jaden_e2v5">Jaden Jones</a>&nbsp;(6-6, 45, Montgomery, AL) and James Yelbert (6-5, 246, Wilmington, DE).LINEBACKERS The linebacker position group has the most returning starters with three starters and one other letter winner back.Both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/drummer_ja-mez_cv52">Ja'Mez Drummer</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 210, Stanford, FL) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/evans_r.j._sj3u">R.J. Evans</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 220, Hanceville, AL) had impactful seasons for the Blue Dragons in 2021, especially during the six-game winning streak. Both were all-KJCCC honorable mention selections.Evans is a fourth-year sophomore who had 57 total tackles with 10 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks, an interception and blocked kick. he also had eight quarterback hurries.Drummer had 43 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 quarterback sacks.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/kirksey_terry_evb1">Terry Kirksey</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 233, Theodore, AL) is the third returning starter. He had 22 tackles with an interception and two passes broken up."<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/evans_r.j._sj3u">R.J. Evans</a>&nbsp;is back for a fourth season after a redshirt year and covid year," Dallas said. "He was a tight end/H-back when he got here, but made the transition over. Last year was the first season, R.J. really felt comfortable at linebacker."We have good depth at linebacker."DEFENSIVE BACKS <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/jackson_dasheen_tva1">Dasheen Jackson</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 197, Columbus, GA) is the lone returning starter in the secondary at safety. A third-year sophomore, Jackson has 31 tackles and three passes broken up.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/thomas_jalik_t0ea">Jalik Thomas</a>&nbsp;(5-11, 195, Macon, GA) played a lot as a backup. The third-year sophomore had 27 tackles and six passes broken up at safety last season.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/hinton_terrente_qq6o">Terrente Hinton</a>&nbsp;(6-3, 197, Saraland, AL), Philippe Manga (6-0, 197, Nickerson),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/mosley_jaden_03k4">Jaden Mosley</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 2-7, Eightmile, AL),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/smith_monterio_j5t6">Monterio Smith</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 186, Irondale, AL) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/wunderly_will_6a55">Will Wunderly</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 172, Fort Scott) are all redshirts who are back."We have some really good depth back there. It's just going to take some time who it will be."SPECIAL TEAMS <a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/ngo_ashton_vp1q">Ashton Ngo</a>&nbsp;(6-0, 226, Andover) is already a highly sought long snapper who returns for the Blue Dragons.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/thomas_jalik_t0ea">Jalik Thomas</a>&nbsp;has returned 14 kickoffs in his two-year Blue Dragon career. He averaged 24.9 yards per return and has a school-record 100-yard kickoff return to his credit.<a href="https://www.bluedragonsports.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/whiteman_trevor_vo0f">Trevor Whiteman</a>&nbsp;(6-2, 186, Udall, KS) was a backup punter last season. He averaged 34.3 yards per punt on 11 punts last season.Placekickers will all be new in 2022.<h2>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; BLUE DRAGON FOOTBALL</h2><h2>No. 3 Hutchinson (0-0) vs. No. 13 Navarro (0-0)</h2>When: Saturday, August 27, 2022 Where: Gowans Stadium Kickoff: 1 p.m. Video:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kjcccsports.net/hutchcc/?B=415225">Blue Dragon Sports Network, 12:30 p.m.</a> Radio:&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.net/v5/KHUT">KHUT-FM (102.9), KHUT-FM (1450), 12:30 p.m. (Glen Grunwald, PBP; Rob Dreher, Color)</a> Twitter: @bluedragonsport