By DAREN DUNN
Hutch Post
IOWA FALLS, Iowa — Through two games, the No. 3 Dragons (2-0) have given up just one touchdown.
Technically, the Dragons have given up two. But a punt returned for a touchdown by Ellsworth (0-2) was called back for an illegal block.
Hutchinson allowed just 80 rushing yards one week ago against Navarro.
After accounting for sack yardage Saturday, Hutchinson pushed Ellsworth back for negative 44 yards. The Dragons sacked Panther quarterback Joshua Bauer seven times.
Bauer went 17 of 44 with three interceptions, but had one long connection to Darrius Jackson for 54 yards and a score. At that time with 57 seconds left in the quarter, Ellsworth cut the Hutchinson lead to 14-7.
The Dragons got on the scoreboard early for the second week. Darby Roper took a short punt from the Panther 32 and darted down the sideline for the game's first touchdown. It came with less than three minutes of game time gone.
For the second straight week, Rontavious Richmond provided the first offensive TD.
He started the day by taking a Dylan Laible pass 15 yards for the score.
With the TD throw and 150 yards on the day, Laible is second all-time in touchdown passes (49) and passing yardage (4,071). He trails Luke Barnes (50 and 4,706) in both categories.
Despite the milestones, Laible went 11 of 21, a far cry from his five incompletions and five touchdowns last week.
The day belonged to Richmond and the Dragon defense.
Richmond found the end zone three times: once through the air and twice on the ground.
Richmond registered his best day as a Dragon with 158 yards, 139 on two plays.
Richmond's runs of 64 and 75 yards came in the second and third quarters, respectively. He went nearly untouched on both scampers. Blockers put him one-on-one with the safety both times. Richmond side-stepped the safety once and broke out of his tackle the other time.
Jaheim Simmons capped a six-play, 60-yard drive in the second quarter with a one-yard run. After the first Richmond rushing touchdown and a 49-yard pick-six from Ja'Maric Morris (his second interception of the season), Hutchinson took a 35-7 advantage into the locker room.
The 75-yard Richmond run in the third pushed the lead to 42-7.
After three quarters, the Dragon backups got a chance to shine.
Collin Shields entered for Laible while Tre Bess and Ed Williams shared touches out of the backfield.
Bess scored on a 16-yard run. Williams got in from three yards out. Shields punched the ball in on a one-yard sneak.
The Dragons scored a fourth time in the fourth quarter after Blake Durham blocked a Bauer punt. Jakari Foster picked the ball up in the end zone for the easy scoop-six.
FINAL: Hutchinson 70 Ellsworth 7
The Dragons gave up only 154 yards while racking up 495.
R.J. Evans led the Dragons in tackling. He had four tackles, three for loss.
The defense tallied three interceptions once again (Desheen Jackson, Ja'Maric Morris and Javar Strong).
No. 3 Hutchinson is home Sept. 10 against No. 9 Iowa Central (2-0) for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
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