By STEVE CARPENTER Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College football team needed only 14 plays to produce a school-record single offensive quarter on Sunday at Gowans Stadium.
Hutchinson scored 49 points in the first quarter and rolled by the Highland Scotties, 77-7, in a Jayhawk Conference Mother's Day battle.
The Blue Dragons start a season 6-0 for just the sixth time in program history, the first since 2014. Sitting 5-0 in the KJCCC, Hutchinson can win its first league championship since 2014 with a victory next Sunday against Dodge City at Gowans Stadium. Dating back to the 2019 season, the Blue Dragons have won eight games in a row.
Highland dropped its fifth-straight game and fell to 1-5. The Scotties have now been outscored 267-24 in those five losses.
Hutchinson's 49-point first quarter broke the old record of 41 points (second quarter) set in 2019 against RPA. The Blue Dragons amassed 271 yards total offense on just 14 plays, seven of those plays were for touchdowns. The most plays needed to score on a single possession in the first quarter was just four plays. Hutchinson had three one-play scoring drives in the quarter.
The Blue Dragon defense helped set up their offense with three interceptions, all coming in Highland territory. The Dragons also sacked Highland quarterback Quinn Buessing seven times in the first quarter.
Hutchinson had four touchdowns in the first 5 minutes, 35 seconds of the game.
The scoring explosion started when quarterback Dylan Laible threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Cortez Braham for a 7-0 lead. After linebacker Jurriente Davis returned an interception 18 yards to the Highland 1, Anwar Lewis plunged into the end zone for a 14-0 lead.
Highland punted on its next possession. Two plays later Cam Henderson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Laible for a 21-0 lead. Linebacker Gereme Spraggins returned an interception on the Scotties' next possession 18 yards to the Highland 18. Laible then threw his third touchdown pass of the period, this one 18 yards to Ivan Thomas for a 28-0 lead with 9:25 to play in the opening quarter.
After a Highland punt, Cory McKnight capped off a four-play, 68-yard scoring march with a 6-yard touchdown run. Daquan Wilson's interception at the Scotty 25 setup Tye Edwards' 25-yard touchdown run on the next play for a 42-0 lead with 3:34 to play.
Hutchinson's record-setting quarter was capped on the final play of the first period. Back-up quarterback Daisean Cash broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown run and a 49-0 lead just 15 minutes into the game.
The Blue Dragons scored twice in the second quarter. Marquise Gilbert intercepted a Highland pass at the Dragon goal line and returned it a school-record 100 yards for a touchdown. Dylan Kedzior made it 63-0 at halftime in a 23-yard touchdown run.
McKnight scored his second touchdown of the game with 6:39 to play in the third quarter on an 11-yard run. After Highland scored its only touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Blue Dragons special teams joined in as Emmanuel Mann plucked the ball out of mid-air on a Highland punt attempt and ran it in from 3-yards out for a 77-7 lead with 4:04 to go in the game.
Hutchinson had its second-straight 500-yard game with 511 yards of total offense – 328 rushing yards and 183 passing yards. The Dragons committed three turnovers and were penalized 17 times for 184 yards.
Defensively, the Blue Dragons dominated Highland holding the Scotties to a minus 1-yard of total offense. Highland rushed for a negative 40 yards and threw for 39. Five of Highland's eight first downs came from Hutchinson penalties. The Dragons forced six turnovers and had 11 quarterback sacks. Tre Pinkney had a career-high four sacks and Jaylon Moss had three sacks. Moss was Hutch's leading tackler with six.
Kedzior led the Blue Dragons with 89 rushing yards on 10 carries. Cash had 76 yards on five attempts.
Laible was 4 of 5 passing for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Cash was 4 of 8 for 58 yards and two interceptions. Eli Williams was 2 of 4 for 10 yards.
Rashawn Williams had two receptions for 24 yards. Nine difference Blue Dragons caught passes on Sunday.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 34-5 all-time against Highland, 22-0 vs. the Scotties at Gowans Stadium. … Blue Dragon punter Caleb Brickhouse had just one punt on Sunday, a 32-yard punt in the fourth quarter. … The 77 points scored is the second most the Blue Dragons have scored in series history against Highland. The Dragons scored 90 points in 2011. … The Blue Dragons tied for the seventh-lost points scored in program history. This is the 13th time in program history Hutchinson has scored 70 or more points in a game.