By DAREN DUNN
Hutch Post
GARDEN CITY, Kan. — Any team would have been content with a 27-7 halftime lead at Garden City — not the No. 1 Dragons.
Garden City (receiving votes in the Top 15 poll) entered the game 3-4 overall, but 3-1 in conference play. The Broncbusters first three losses of the season came when head coach Tom Minnick could not physically coach his team because of health issues. Upon his return, Garden City rolled to three straight wins before dropping a three-point decision against then-No. 9 Snow.
Garden City's four losses all came to nationally-ranked teams (Butler, Iowa Central, Iowa Western and Snow).
Hutchinson Community College (7-0, 4-0) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after taking just eight plays to cover 72 yards in 4 minutes and 15 seconds.
Dylan Laible finished the drive by finding Marcello Bussey for a 17-yard score. The TD pass was one of three for Laible on the day. For the second-straight game, his day ended early.
Laible racked up three touchdown passes for 198 yards on 15 of 26 throwing. Colin Shields entered with 1:39 left in the third quarter to finish Dragon quarterback duties.
The Dragons put up 27 unanswered points before one mistake led to another late in the first half.
Hutchinson jumped offside on a 4th-and-4 punt in the closing moments of the second quarter. On the next play, quarterback Gabe Friend hit wide receiver Martiel Singleton for a 70-yard scamper. Singleton was forced out at the two, but the Broncbusters would score two plays later on a Travis Dixon one-yard burst.
Coach Drew Dallas said those plays cost his team some momentum headed into the locker room.
"(I'm) proud of how they came out in the second half," Dallas said. "Especially (knowing) how they ended that first half. They played great the second half."
Hutchinson scored the game's first 27 points, then went on a 38-point run to close the game.
The first 27 points came from Bussey, Laible, Malik Benson and kicker Cole Segraves.
Laible sneaked in from one-yard away in the first quarter for only his second rushing touchdown in his career.
Segraves hit two field goals (21 and 32) before Benson took a 40-yard reception to pay dirt.
The second-half run came compliments of some defensive points and interceptions.
Hutchinson picked off Garden City five times (three different quarterbacks), two of those interceptions were house calls.
The five interceptions and two pick-sixes tied team records for one game.
Jalik Thomas was the first Dragon defender on the board when his second INT went 38 yards to the end zone.
Not to be outdone, Ja'Maric Morris took his second interception of the day 75 yards to the house.
Hutchinson pushed Garden City back in the run game. The Broncbusters finished with negative three yards on the ground.
"Allowing negative yards rushing is something special," Dallas said.
The 70-yard reception Hutchinson gave up just before the half accounted for all but 20 of Garden City's first-half yards.
In all, the Broncbusters managed 176 yards on 68 plays (2.6 yards per play). Garden City converted just two times on 14 third-down tries.
Despite the success, Dallas knows his team can improve.
"We'll find something to critique, obviously to get better," Dallas said. He pointed out silly pre-snap penalties and settling for Red Zone field goals as starting points.
The Dragons added scores from Treymon Echols and Dylan Kedzior in the second half.
Echols scored his first two touchdowns of the season in the second half. His first TD came in the third quarter on a 29-yard Laible pass. His second came from Shields in the fourth quarter after his defender fell down. Echols turned the corner and ran the sideline for 64 yards.
Kedzior used a 36-yard run in the third quarter to run his average yards per carry up to 9.2. He finished the day at 8.6 ypc on 17 touches (146 yards).
Cole Segraves was the Special Teams Player of the Week in the KJCCC after his 4-for-4 performance in Dodge City two weeks ago. Segraves continued to be accurate by hitting three of his four attempts (Made: 21, 32 and 38. Missed: 41.)
FINAL: Hutchinson 65 Garden City 7
Hutchinson put up 414 yards of offense. The Dragons were 8 of 17 on third down.
The Dragons are back in Gowans Stadium Oct. 29 to take on Highland (0-5, 1-7) at 7 p.m.
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