By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There has not been much time for the Hutchinson Community College football team to ease into the 2026 season.
After an abbreviated fall camp featuring an accelerated installation schedule, extreme heat and competition throughout the roster, the Blue Dragons are ready to turn on the lights.
Hutchinson opens its season Thursday against Cisco College at Gowans Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. You can hear the game on the Blue Dragon Radio Network, Country 102.9-FM as well as KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Rob Dreher (analyst) on the call.
The condensed preseason has been a significant change from a year ago, when Hutchinson had more than a month to prepare for its first game.
“The planning process and the installation process is definitely sped up,” head coach Drew Dallas said. “Really, you’re looking at 16 practices and 20 days and maybe a couple walkthroughs to get everything implemented and ready to go to play a game.”
Dallas said the quick turnaround has forced the coaching staff to balance installing enough of the playbook with keeping players fresh for the opener.
Physically, Dallas believes the Blue Dragons are where they need to be. The mental and operational side, he said, is still coming together as Hutchinson transitions almost immediately from camp into game-week preparation.
“We know there’s going to be some things that maybe we’re not as clean at early on because we haven’t had that time,” Dallas said. “But you’ve got to be able to handle that adversity and really just try to minimize the operational errors and those kind of things early in the season.”
The Kansas heat added another challenge.
Dallas called this year’s camp “way hotter” than recent seasons. Hutchinson, traditionally a morning-practice team during camp, pushed practices even earlier and made adjustments to workloads to follow heat guidelines and keep players healthy.
“The most important thing is they’re healthy, and we can get them to game day at 100% and feeling good,” Dallas said.
Despite the shortened preparation window, Dallas has been encouraged by what he has seen.
He identified depth as one of Hutchinson’s greatest strengths, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines. Dallas said the Blue Dragons may have even more overall depth than last season, although determining which players emerge as the top-end difference-makers remains a work in progress.
“I think our offensive line has a chance to be really, really good and deep,” Dallas said. “I think our defensive line has a chance to be really good. I know we’re going to be deep there.”
One of the most closely watched competitions has been at quarterback.
Four quarterbacks have rotated throughout camp, a departure from recent seasons when Hutchinson entered the fall with a more established option behind center.
Dallas said each quarterback brings a different skill set, forcing the coaching staff to tailor portions of the offense to each player’s strengths. Unlike recent Blue Dragon quarterbacks, none of this year’s contenders has significant game experience in the Hutchinson offense.
“Ultimately, that’s going to be something early in the year that we continue to work through,” Dallas said. “I feel like the guys have elevated and they’ve taken that next step, and now they just need those game reps to really see where we’re at at that spot.”
Hutchinson also enters the season with options in the backfield.
Dallas called Kansas State transfer JB Price “pretty special,” while returning running back Rashaud Hurt has taken another step after playing as a true freshman last season. Rayvelle Leak and Hutchinson native Terrell King also provide experience in a room Dallas believes gives Hutchinson several different weapons.
Defensively, the Blue Dragons may be deepest along the front.
Dallas pointed to Kyrece Robinson as a defensive tackle who has taken a significant step forward and described Hutchinson’s defensive end room as perhaps the team’s deepest collection of high-end talent.
The depth should allow Hutchinson to keep its defensive front fresh rather than relying on a handful of players for nearly every snap.
“If you ask them to play their best 30 to 40 reps, we’re going to be pretty productive, I think, with those guys rotating through,” Dallas said.
The first test comes against a Cisco program whose recent record does not tell the entire story.
Dallas said Cisco played several close games against highly ranked opponents last season and expects the Wranglers to attempt to control possession, play sound defense and special teams and keep the game within reach into the fourth quarter.
“They’ve got good talent,” Dallas said. “I know they’re well coached. I know they’re going to be extremely competitive.”
Dallas said the roster turnover common in junior college football makes preparing for an opener difficult, but he expects Cisco to provide an immediate test.
“That’ll be a really good first test for us,” Dallas said, “especially just playing clean football.”
That will be Dallas’ biggest emphasis Thursday night.
Rather than asking the Blue Dragons to show everything they have installed during camp, Dallas wants Hutchinson to play fast, execute its assignments, be sound on special teams and avoid self-inflicted mistakes.
“I want to operate clean,” Dallas said. “I want to be assignment sound and put our guys in situations where, with the unknown, we’re not doing too much. We’re letting them go play free.”
For a team that has spent August racing against the calendar, Dallas believes doing the simple things well will be the key when the season finally begins.
“If we can go out and operate clean, play fast, be assignment sound, be great on special teams, then the outcome is going to be what we want,” Dallas said.